Qualifying Report: Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix

LEBANON, Tenn. (July 18, 2026) -- Santino Ferrucci opted for the conservative approach in qualifying for the Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix at Nashville Superspeedway this afternoon under hot, sunny conditions.

Ferrucci will start 11th in the No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet after posting a two-lap average speed of 195.332mph. He will start inside Pato O'Ward who won the race at Mid-Ohio two weeks ago.

Having run fifth fastest in this morning's practice, Ferrucci explained, "I was a bit conservative in my run but that's because it's a 300-lap race on a multi-lane track so there will be a lot of opportunities to pass.

"Obviously, it’s how much risk you want to take," continued the 28-year-old veteran. "We trimmed quite a bit more than this in practice. Going over the bump in (Turn) 4, we kind of lost it, but I kept my foot in it and the lap time was good. With a 300 lap race, you can actually pass here, it’s multiple lanes. I’ve come from the back here multiple times to finish well. I told the engineers, I’d rather have more fun not messing with the balance and running two of the exact same laps than anything else.

"I think Chevrolet has done a great job to optimize the run. I'm proud of our engineering team. I think the car's been really solid since we rolled out. Should be good for the race." 

For Ferrucci, whose reputation as the Passmaster was earned because of the way he can slice through traffic on the ovals, the decision makes sense as he believes he has a car that can go to the front tomorrow.

Teammate Caio Collet is also confident going into tomorrow's race.

Collet will start 15th after posting a two-lap average speed of 194.827mph in the No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet. He will start 15th alongside fellow rookie Mick Schumacher. It is Collet's first start at this track in an Indy car although he has run two races in the INDY NXT by Firestone Series where he finished third in 2024 and fourth in 2025.

"I think it was a clean run, especially the first lap," said the 24-year-old Brazilian. "I think we dropped a bit too much on the second lap, and the average was not as good as we hoped for. But I think the car is feeling really, really good, and hopefully we can just tune in a couple of things in this practice later on today and be in a good place for tomorrow's race."

No doubt the one hundred mile longer race will provide its own set of challenges not only due to the extra distance pounding around the 1.33-mile oval or two more pit stops, but also -- and perhaps more so --because of the high temperatures the drivers and the crews will experience with temperatures predicted in the high 80s and low 90s.

Kyle Kirkwood won the NTT P1 Award with his speed of 196.852mph. Sharing the front row is Josef Newgarden. Rounding out the top five are Scott McLaughlin, Alex Palou and Scott Dixon.

 The Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix will be broadcast on FOX tomorrow following the final game of the World Cup.

In the INDY NXT by Firestone qualifications, Alessandro de Tullio narrowly missed out on the pole and will start outside pole winner Matteo Nannini. It is de Tullio's 11th front row start in 13 races. His teammate and fellow rookie Nicholas Monteiro will start 23rd.

The 65-lapINDY NXT race will be shown on FS1 tomorrow starting at 1 p.m. ET.