They’re talking about an IndyCar race in Nashville. The host looks at past results there to guess which drivers will be strong and which might struggle this weekend.
Will Power is a well-known IndyCar driver, referenced here as one of the Nashville race winners from 2008. The host uses these older winners to identify experienced drivers who may be interesting to watch at this track.
Practice sessions are the test runs teams do before the race. Drivers and teams use that time to figure out the car’s setup, and the host suggests you can spot who looks slow early on.
Christian Lungard is the driver the host expects to be a big storyline at Nashville. They say he’s struggled there historically, and contract uncertainty makes it even more intense.
“Oval prowess” means how good someone is at racing on oval-shaped tracks. Oval racing is its own challenge, so some drivers are better at it than others.
Christian Rasmussen is another driver the host thinks could be a storyline. They say people think he’s good on oval tracks, but his Nashville results have been bad.
Mick Schumacher is the driver the host says doesn’t have much (or any) experience at Nashville. Because of that, and because his team usually struggles there, the host doesn’t expect him to do well.
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Indycar Dad: Guys, welcome to the IndyCar Dad Podcast. I do a five-minute podcast about IndyCar, and tonight we're previewing Nashville. Now, I like to do my homework and bring a good presentation to you.
Typically, I use historic results at a given track to tell you which drivers fare well here and which drivers don't. And usually I can provide you with a list of people who will be interesting to watch.
Meaning these are guys when you're watching the race, you can keep an eye on. And I think I'm going to do that tonight. But it's a challenge. The reason it's a challenge is because we only ran at Nashville in 2024 and 2025.
The series didn't race there for 16 years. But there are three drivers that raced on the track back in 2008, and one driver all the way back to 2005. The one driver is Scott Dixon, and he won this race in 2006, won it again in 2007, and again in 2008.
He dominated Nashville. So the other two drivers that won ⁓ ran this race in 2008 are, anyone want to guess? Graham Ray Hall and Will Power. So the oldsters, basically, the oldest guys in the field.
So ⁓ let's dive into who's gonna do really well here. Then also who I predict will have a bad day. And then I'm gonna give you a couple of drivers to watch out for the drama. So ⁓ The most notable driver here is Joseph Newgarden.
When we say he's a short track whiz, he's a short track whiz whiz, and he's from the Nashville area. So this one is near and dear to him. In 2024, he placed third place in the race, and last year he won the race.
So that gives him an average finish of 2.0, which is really good. So another driver that's really strong here, second place in average finishes at a 4.0, is Scott McGlock. He's never won the race, but he does well.
Kyle Kirkwood is ⁓ third place in the standings, and ⁓ he's had a few solid finishes here. I think he'll do well for himself points wise. And then the fourth driver I want to talk about, possibly having a good race here, is Scott Dixon.
The last two years he's only finished 17th and 12th, but he did win three races in a row here. So ⁓ and CGR seems to have a really good setup here. Even Kiffin Simpson ⁓ finished ⁓ last year like sixth place I think.
So or no, ⁓ last year Kiffin finished fourth place. So Pelow, Kiffen, and Dixon usually bring a good setup to Nashville. So so look for that. So those are my four drivers that I think might have a good day.
Newgarden, McLaughlin, Kirkwood, and Dixon. So who's not gonna have a good day? Well Ray Hall Letterman Lanigan Racing is likely to not have a good day. And ⁓ the last two years, they've had three cars each year, so that's six finishes.
The best finish out of those six finishes is 18th. 18th. That's their best out of six chances. So that is really not good. other teams there's not a lot of data to work with. You know, they've had good and they've had bad, or they've just had really good.
But Ray Hall Letterman Lanigan. is not does not have the setup for Nashville. And maybe they'll do something this year that will change that, but it was something to watch. Certainly I'll look at some practice sessions and see where are the ROL guys if they're at the back of the field from the first from the jump.
You know, that's just not gonna happen. You don't win with a slow car. So ⁓ all right let's talk about two drivers that will be dramatic to watch. Christian Lungard is gonna be dramatic to watch here.
Remember how McLaren is letting him go, not renewing his contract. Well if you look at the data for Nashville, you could see why. Because of all the drivers that have driven in this race before, Christian Lungard has the lowest average finish.
He averages a 22nd. He's raced here twice, a 19th and a 25th. So that is wild. But also Christian Lingard's a talented guy and he's recently been called out for his lack of oval prowess. I bet you that guy wants to do well this weekend badly.
Like he really, more than anything, probably wants to beat his teammates at Nashville, show McLaren they're making a big mistake, and get a high dollar contract for next year. So look for a lot of drama behind Christian Lingard.
I normally don't watch him. He's not a driver I normally keep an eye on. He's not one of my favorites. I don't hate him. I just don't normally watch him. But I'll be watching him on Sunday. So watch Lungard in ⁓ in the seven.
So ⁓ the other driver to watch for is a driver I consistently hear people tell me is good at ovals, but I don't see it. Christian Rasmussen has an average finish here. He's the second worst average finisher here of 20 and a half.
And I just think that's awful. He finished once 14th and once 27th. Like, why is this guy still an IndyCar? He's doing horribly. So he has once in a while he has a flash of brilliance, but generally he does not do that well.
I I I hate to call him out, but I he's one of the first people who got his contract renewed this year. And I think that's gonna seem like a mistake when the end of the year comes and talented guys don't have rides for next year.
So maybe Raz will show some speed. He was fast in Phoenix before he crashed out. And ⁓ he was fast in St. Louis and he finished okay. So maybe he'll show some talent. Again, just like Lungard, another guy to watch because there's a lot of tension and drama behind the performance of Lungard and Rasmussen.
⁓ there's a rookie class too. Of course, none of them have raced here. ⁓ none of them have any results driving an indie car at Nashville. Colette and Hauger have driven here before, ⁓ and they're both Pretty good at it.
⁓ and Mick Schumacher has no experience here. I don't even think he's tested here, and he's not doing well. So I don't expect Mick to and his team, R O L doesn't usually have a good setup here. So I don't expect Mick to come in and have a good weekend.
I hate to say it. But anyway, ⁓ I try not to be too predictive about these things. I'm just giving you the stats from the last few years. And I'd like I again I'm not picking bets. I'm not gonna try to win you money on whatever website it is.
I'm just telling ya, when you watch the race, here's some fun drivers to watch. Watch Newgarden, McLaughlin, Kirkwood, Dixwood, Dixon, thinking that they might really do well. ⁓ watch Team RLL to see if they're improve themselves in any way.
And watch one guard and Rasmussen because there's a lot of tension behind those guys and their positions in the series and their careers. So There you go. I'm IndyCar Dad. Thanks for watching my podcast.
Listening to my podcast. I hope you follow me on social medias. Usually on like Instagram and TikTok, I'm funnier. And on ⁓ the podcast, I'm a little more serious because I think that's what the audience likes.
When I listen to a podcast, I want it to be kind of serious and informative. And when I grow on TikTok, I want it to be silly. So ⁓ I won't be at the races. I'll be on the couch ⁓ watching. But I went to this race last year and it was really fun.
I camped there and the crew That puts on this race did a great job. They had a concert, they had ⁓ free stuff, and fireworks at night. It was a great camping experience. So if you get the chance, if you're on the fence, go have a great time at Nashville.
About this episode
The Indycar Dad Podcast previews the Nashville race using a mix of limited recent track data and older results to flag likely contenders and trouble spots. With IndyCar returning after a long absence, the host leans on history—highlighting Scott Dixon’s Nashville wins in 2006-2008—and current form, including Joseph Newgarden’s 2024 third and 2025 win. Off-track, the show also points to Christian Lungard’s struggles and suggests watching Team RLL, plus a personal camping-weekend recap.
The IndyCar Dad Podcast provides a comprehensive preview of the Nashville IndyCar race, covering historic results, key drivers to watch, and predictions for the upcoming race. The podcast highlights drivers expected to perform well, those likely to struggle, and dramatic drivers to watch, along with insights on the rookie class and predictions for the race.
