Today’s question: All eyes will be focused on the duel for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship between Alex Palou and Will Power this Sunday in the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Presented by Gainbridge? But what else is there to watch for this weekend at Nashville Superspeedway?

Curt Cavin: I’m looking for – or perhaps hoping for – a good weekend for Alexander Rossi. This is expected to be his final race with Arrow McLaren, and he will want to leave with a strong showing. Two of his eight career race wins have come on oval tracks, and he is coming off a productive weekend at the Milwaukee Mile (finishes of seventh and sixth with 46 laps led). Rossi also has a chance to get to eighth in the final standings, which would be important because he stands ninth and has finished ninth, 10th, ninth and ninth the past four years. The capper to a good weekend would be an announcement regarding his 2025 plans.

Eric Smith: I’m keeping tabs on Scott Dixon. Without a title to be won, I’m curious if Dixon scores his 18th top-four points finish in the last 19 seasons. The only time he didn’t finish in the top four in that span was 2016, when he finished sixth in points. He comes to Nashville fifth in points, 19 points behind fourth-place Colton Herta. Dixon has the second-best average finish on ovals this season and is a three-time Nashville Superspeedway victor (2006-08).

Paul Kelly: I’m paying close attention to practice to see the effect of the Firestone Firehawk alternate red-sidewall tires on speeds and handling, as this is only the second time the “reds” have been used on an oval. The first was in August 2023 at World Wide Technology Raceway. I’m interested to see if the alternate tire will create a significant speed advantage, especially on the only concrete oval on which the NTT INDYCAR SERIES races, and how teams and drivers balance that edge with less durability. I’m all for anything that adds more variables and strategic elements to the action.