IndyCar heads to Nashville for an important qualifying session that will determine the starting grid for Sunday’s Music City Grand Prix. Here’s everything you need to know about the TV channel, live stream and start time.
With championship contenders battling for every position on the grid, qualifying could prove just as decisive as Sunday’s race, and several drivers enter the session with momentum on their side.
Nashville Superspeedway opens its gates Saturday for a full slate of NTT IndyCar Series qualifying runs ahead of the Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix. The 1.33-mile concrete oval in Lebanon, Tennessee is hosting its second straight summer race weekend since the event left downtown Nashville’s street circuit, and Saturday’s qualifying session sets the grid for a 400-mile test of tire wear, fuel strategy and nerve.
Pato O’Ward arrives chasing a second consecutive Nashville pole. Josef Newgarden, the defending race winner and a Tennessee native, is trying to defend home turf on a track built for his short-oval strengths, and Saturday’s timed laps will shape strategy heading into Sunday’s 300-lap grind.
Saturday’s Schedule, TV Channel and Streaming Options
All times below are Central, with Eastern conversions included for qualifying and practice.
- Gates open: 8:30 a.m. CT
- NTT IndyCar Series Practice 1: 9-10 a.m. CT (10-11 a.m. ET) on FS1
- NTT IndyCar Series Qualifying: 2-3 p.m. CT (3-4 p.m. ET) on Fox
- Indy NXT by Firestone Qualifying: 3:35-4:30 p.m. CT
- High Line Practice: 5-5:45 p.m. CT on FS1
- NTT IndyCar Series Practice 2: 6-7 p.m. (7-8 p.m. ET) CT on FS1
- Location: Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon, Tennessee
- Streaming: FOX One, YouTube TV, Fubo and Hulu + Live TV
- Radio: IndyCar Radio Network
Qualifying airs on Fox, with FS1 carrying both practice sessions. Cord-cutters can stream the Fox broadcast through several live-TV services carrying local affiliates. Fans without a cable package can also subscribe directly to Fox’s standalone streaming option for the session. IndyCar’s own radio network broadcasts qualifying in full for fans tracking lap times away from a screen.
Qualifying Favorites and Storylines to Watch
O’Ward heads into Nashville off a strong Mid-Ohio weekend, where he held off Christian Lundgaard for a McLaren one-two finish on the road course. He won last year’s Nashville pole at a track-record clip and returns to the concrete oval as the driver others are chasing before Sunday’s green flag.
Newgarden is the story with the most local pull. The Tennessee native won this race in 2025 and has already banked two short-oval victories in 2026, all while working through a foot injury that has limited him off the track. A strong qualifying lap would put him back on pole for a race that is essentially a home game for Newgarden.
Alex Palou is chasing a fourth consecutive championship and holds a lead over Kyle Kirkwood as the field heads to Tennessee with seven races remaining, according to Yahoo Sports. A concrete surface known for chewing through tires makes track position out of qualifying more valuable than usual, meaning Saturday’s session carries stakes well beyond the front row. Kirkwood, Scott Dixon and Felix Rosenqvist round out the group capable of disrupting both O’Ward’s pole bid and Newgarden’s homecoming.
Rosenqvist and Dixon are already locked into seats alongside O’Ward at Arrow McLaren for next season, adding an extra layer of intrigue to how the trio races together at a track where Sunday’s winner drives home with a hand-painted Gibson Les Paul guitar as the trophy.
Watch IndyCar Nashville Qualifying Today: TV Channel, Live Stream, Start Time