IndyCar | Qualifying | Nashville | O'Ward pummels the field to take pole - Motorsport

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The final qualifying session of the 2025 IndyCar season is in the books at Nashville Superspeedway, full report and results below. Pato O’Ward was fastest in Practice 1 for Arrow McLaren.

Christian Rasmussen and Callum Ilott headed into qualifying with grid penalties for unapproved engine changes.

Jacob Abel was up first. His two-lap average was a 195.779mph. The laps consisted of a 195.813 and 195.746.

After DeFrancesco, Robb and Shwartzman all took turns at the top, a 200.822mph average from Callum Ilott was the first above 200mph. The Prema driver also had a solid wobble at the end of his first lap that he saved nicely.

Arrow McLaren driver Nolan Siegel did an average of 201.375 to lead the way then. Foster, Ericsson, Daly and Simpson could not beat him. The JHR driver was fuming at the handling of his car.

Siegel led Ilott, Simpson, Ericsson, Shwartzman, Robb, DeFrancesco, Foster, Daly and Abel after 10 cars had run.

Oval expert Josef Newgarden was 12th to go and the Penske driver did a 201.390 average to pip Siegel to P1.

Newgarden, Siegel, Ilott, Simpson, Ferrucci, Ericsson, Shwartzman, Rossi, Robb and Rahal was the top 10 after 15 driver had completed runs. Rahal complained about a lack of grip on his attempt. VeeKay was over 1mph faster than his teammate but was nowhere compared to the rest, going a distant P14.

Malukas lays down a marker

More big guns came to play. David Malukas, who qualified P2 at Milwaukee, was the first driver to do a lap in the 202mph bracket. His average was a 201.922, comfortably faster than Newgarden. McLaughlin went P4, with Rosenqvist, Herta and Rasmussen slotting into P7, P9 and P10 respectively. All five averaged over 200mph.

Portland race winner Will Power had a hairy run, ultimately averaging a 200.640 to only go P8.

With Armstrong and Kirkwood well off Malukas, a brilliant effort from Christian Lundgaard put him P2. He did an average of 201.713mph. Following a very good first lap, Scott Dixon had to gently get out of it on the last corner of his second to go P3 on a 201.417.

O’Ward smashes the field

The penultimate driver to go was Pato O’Ward. A stunning pair of laps with a 202.909 and 202.334 saw him do an average of a 202.621mph to smash Malukas’ benchmark and go P1.

Last to go was 2025 champion Alex Palou. Two solid laps in the 201s saw him do an average of 201.603mph to end up 4th.

O’Ward takes a crushing pole for the season finale, ahead of Malukas, Lundgaard, Palou and Dixon.