Everything you need to know about the INDYCAR race in Nashville and the impact of the World Cup

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — In this music town, a start time is sometimes just a suggestion. The concerts will begin when the band and the venue are ready. On time? Maybe. Or if the warm-up group was long, 15-30 minutes later. They start when they start. Sunday’s INDYCAR race at Nashville Superspeedway — a 1.33-mile concrete oval located about 30 to 40 minutes from downtown — will be much the same way. But at least for a good reason (or so we think). The INDYCAR race will begin approximately 25 minutes after the end of the World Cup game. A lightning delay in New York? It doesn’t matter. Extra time? It doesn’t matter. Penalties? It doesn’t matter. Approximately 20 minutes after the World Cup championship game (Argentina vs. Spain is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. ET on FOX), FOX will switch from the World Cup to Nashville, and 25 INDYCAR drivers will start their engines. Let’s go racing. This creates a unique dynamic for a race which this year went from 300 miles (225 laps) to 399 miles (300 laps). “I’m just smooth, man,” Pato O’Ward – who was dominating the race last year before a tire blew – said when he spoke with me and other reporters on Friday. “When it is.” Here’s what you need to know about how smooth start time impacts drivers. So what time will the race start? Haven’t you read? Lol…the green flag, if the World Cup is 90 minutes long, is at 5:40 p.m. ET (or 4:40 p.m. CT in Nashville), probably around 6:20 p.m. if there is overtime (extra time) and probably around 6:40 p.m. if a penalty shootout follows. Teams will be given 20 minutes’ notice of the start of the green flag so they can make final preparations for the race and drivers can get into the cars. So, will it run into the night? Sunset is around 8 p.m. local time, so if the race starts at 5:40 p.m., it will likely finish at dusk. Doing full laps under the lights is unlikely. Will the track change? Well, yes and no. Concrete surfaces do not change as drastically as asphalt surfaces when temperatures change. But there will still be change. “The track will change more if there’s rain in the middle, a significant drop in temperature,” O’Ward told me. “But if it’s just a little bit of a delay because we’re starting a little later than expected but it hasn’t rained and the temperatures are pretty similar, I don’t think it’s going to make much of a difference.” The good news is that INDYCAR drivers have high-line practice, where they have to go to the top groove to drive some rubber into the track at 6 p.m. on Saturday, followed by their final practice at 7 p.m. These tests on Saturday should give them a good idea of ​​how the track will change. Or is it more about cars? Marcus Armstrong said he hopes the World Cup does not lead to extra time. “You would be amazed at how much these cars change depending on the ambient temperatures,” Armstrong said during a virtual press conference earlier this week. “We’ll see what we find. … I think it’s going to be really hot. So I’m hoping it’ll just be steady and not have too much impact.” So will there be many last minute adjustments depending on departure time? Armstrong doesn’t think so. “We’re not going to try to be too delicate, because that’s when things start to go wrong,” Armstrong said. “We’re just going to lay out the basics and do it right. Do the drivers care? A little bit. They can compare it to something they’re used to dealing with. “I guess it’s like a rain delay is over, you’re just waiting for the World Cup to end,” Team Andretti driver Will Power told me and other reporters. As Power thought about it, there was one thing he wondered. “The only thing would be what time do you eat,” Power said. “I usually eat a few hours before.” “What if it rains in Nashville? Shh. Please don’t talk that way. If it rains in Nashville (or there is lightning in the area), the race will be delayed until the track is dry. FOX Weather predicts temperatures near 90 degrees and a 55 percent chance of rain for Sunday. Which World Cup teams support the drivers? Well we know one driver who supports a specific team and that is Alex Palou is the only Spaniard to have won the Indianapolis 500 and also the only one to have won an INDYCAR title. But we think most of them will just want the Spain-Argentina match to end in regulation time. Palou wasn’t sure he would attract more Spanish fans to see how he performed. race ? A few points: — Josef Newgarden is the reigning winner from Nashville. He has won the last three races on the smaller ovals of Nashville, Phoenix and World Wide Technology Raceway (Gateway). — Teams will be required to use at least two sets of soft red tires during the race and at least one set of hard tires — With the race being 399 laps, that means perhaps five or more pit stops.