Pato O’Ward Aims for First Win from Pole at Nashville Grand Prix

LEBANON, Tenn. (Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025) – Pato O’Ward has a new goal for Sunday’s Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix: winning a race from the pole position. The Mexican driver secured the NTT P1 Award on Saturday, achieving a two-lap average speed of 202.621 mph in his No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.

“I’ve never won a race from pole,” O’Ward said. “That’s on my to-do list this weekend.” This marks O’Ward’s second pole of the season and seventh career pole, including his top position at The Thermal Club earlier this year.

In practice, O’Ward appeared strong, leading the session and expressing satisfaction with his car’s performance. “The car was great,” he noted. “Felt really comfortable in practice.”

David Malukas qualified second with a speed of 201.922 mph in his No. 4 Clarience Technologies Chevrolet, narrowly missing his first career pole for the second week in a row. He was the 17th driver to qualify and expressed his disappointment but acknowledged the team’s efforts. “That was sweet. Very easy going 200 miles an hour,” he said.

Christian Lundgaard qualified third at 201.713 mph, achieving his best career oval qualifying position. The reigning series champion, Alex Palou, secured fourth with a speed of 201.603 mph, while six-time champion Scott Dixon rounded out the top five.

O’Ward’s teammate, Lundgaard, is also fighting for positioning in the standings, just seven points behind Dixon. “Our goal is clear this weekend: race up front,” he stated. “It would be nice to end the season strong.”

The race, covering 225 laps, is set to start at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, with coverage on FOX and other networks. As the season wraps up, the competition intensifies with drivers seeking victory on the challenging 1.33-mile Nashville Superspeedway.