The following was shared Sunday with members of the media:
August 6, 2023 — NASHVILLE, TN
- Kyle Kirkwood scores his second NTT INDYCAR SERIES race victory of 2023 at the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix
- Third consecutive win for Honda at Nashville; fifth street circuit victory of 2023
- Alex Palou increases his championship lead with third-place result
Kyle Kirkwood was letter perfect in today’s Big Machine Music City Nashville Grand Prix, claiming his second victory of 2023 in his Andretti Autosport Honda, and completing a run of NTT INDYCAR SERIES street circuit victories for the manufacturer in 2023.
After starting eighth, Kirkwood’s two-stop pit strategy proved decisive in moving him to the front of the field on Lap 28, and the Andretti driver went on to lead a race-high 34 laps, then surviving two late-race caution periods to score the victory. Championship leader Alex Palou added to his points advantage with a third-place finish today; with his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate and defending race winner Scott Dixon rebounding from a crash in qualifying yesterday to round out the top five for Honda.
Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Honda Race Results
| 1st Kyle Kirkwood | Andretti Autosport Honda |
| 3rd Alex Palou | Chip Ganassi Racing Honda |
| 5th Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing Honda |
| 6th Romain Grosjean | Andretti Autosport Honda |
| 7th Marcus Ericsson | Chip Ganassi Racing Honda |
| 9th Christian Lundgaard | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda |
| 11th Helio Castroneves | Meyer Shank Racing Honda |
| 13th Marcus Armstrong-R | Chip Ganassi Racing Honda |
| 15th Graham Rahal | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda |
| 17th Sting Ray Robb-R | Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda |
| 21st Colton Herta | Andretti Autosport Honda [Did not finish – mechanical] |
| 24th Jack Harvey | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda [Did not finish – contact] |
| 25th Linus Lundqvist-R | Meyer Shank Racing Honda [Did not finish – contact] |
| 26th Devlin DeFrancesco | Andretti Autosport Honda [Did not finish – contact] |
| 27th David Malukas | Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Honda [Did not finish – mechanical] |
R – Rookie
NTT INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturers’ Championship (unofficial, after 13 of 17 rounds)
Honda 1,068 points
Chevrolet 1,015 points
NTT INDYCAR SERIES Drivers’ Championship Standings (unofficial, after 13 of 17 rounds)
1. Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 513 points
2. Josef Newgarden, Team Penske 429
3. Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 387
4. Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske 371
5. Marcus Ericsson, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 357
Quotes
Kyle Kirkwood (#27 Andretti Autosport Honda) race winner, second win of 2023 and second career INDYCAR victory: “I have to give it up to the #27 crew: the Autonation Andretti Honda team. They played everything in my favor, gave me all the tools I needed today. I really only made a couple of passes on-track, they cycled me to the front on strategy and made smart decisions all day. I just had to hit my marks, such a solid day for the #27 crew, no doubt. This [second win] definitely feels like some kind of redemption [after crashing out of last year’s race], it’s super cool.”
Alex Palou (#10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) finished third, now holds an 84-point drivers’ championship lead with four races remaining: “We had the speed today. Before the race, we expected more yellows, and that was not the right call. But hey, we survived and made it work. We were saving a ton of fuel throughout the race, which was tough. But we made it work and we’re on the podium. My team has done a tremendous job throughout the whole year, and we’ll keep on pushing to keep the #10 American Legion Honda on top.”
Rebecca Johnson (Senior Manager and Director of Production, Honda Performance Development) on today’s Honda win in Nashville: “Another great weekend in Nashville for Honda and HPD! Congratulations to Kyle Kirkwood and everyone at Andretti Autosport on another excellent win. It’s really gratifying to keep our unbeaten streak going here in Music City, and sweep all five temporary street circuits this season. Thanks to everyone at HPD, and let’s keep up the hard work as we enter the final stretch of the 2023 season.”
Fast Facts
- Honda continues to lead the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturers’ Championship, with eight victories and nine poles in 13 races this season. Honda currently has an unofficial 53-point advantage (1,068-1,015) over rival Chevrolet. The company is seeking its fifth NTT INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturers’ Championship in the last six years in 2023.
- Honda drivers and teams have won all five temporary street circuit races on the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule; with Kyle Kirkwood victorious here today and at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach; Marcus Ericsson winning the season-opening race at St. Petersburg; Christian Lundgaard scoring his first win at the Honda Indy Toronto; and Alex Palou winning the Detroit Grand Prix.
- Honda has now has won all three events held on the temporary Nashville street circuit, including Marcus Ericsson’s win in the inaugural 2021 race and Scott Dixon’s victory here last year. A new circuit layout will debut in 2024.
Next
The 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES next heads back “home” to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the August 11-12 Gallagher Grand Prix, on the IMS road course.
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