Arrow McLaren Race Director Gavin Ward says the team hopes the rest of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES field will chase the team this weekend as the series heads to Nashville for the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix. Speaking ahead of the race this weekend, Ward said:
“We hope the rest of the field will be following our Arrow McLaren Chevrolets over the Cumberland River and through the streets of Nashville come Sunday. Street circuits haven’t been our strongest discipline this season, but we’ve got some fresh ideas and new developments to try as we aim to have some fun and build a better race team week-after-week. When it comes to race strategy, Nashville has proved it can reward the gambler. So, teams are really going to need to know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em this weekend.”
Alexander Rossi in the No.7 VELO Chevrolet, heads into his first Nashville race with Arrow Mclaren and hopes he can have another strong race here after finishing last year’s event in fourth place with his previous team.
”Nashville is such an electrifying city, and that energy really translates to the track. The blend of music, culture and passionate fans creates an atmosphere that’s unparalleled. This race has become a flagship event on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES calendar, and we all feel that prestige and excitement. Every year, the race always seems to be chaotic and a bit of a coin flip, but hopefully we are on the right side of it come Sunday for our final street course race of the year.”
Felix Rosenqvist in the No.6 NTT DATA Chevrolet heads into this weekend aiming for another solid race here, having scored a seventh-place finish last year.
”It’s super cool to be back in Nashville. It’s obviously one of the most fun cities in the Midwest and the U.S. It’s really a growing city, and it’s awesome to be here representing the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. I love the track layout; there have been some dramatic events there in the past. This is my third time coming here, and it’s one of those where you have to survive until the end because there’s so much going on, especially in the restarts. We’ll see if we can be a little quicker this year and have a good weekend.”
Pato O’Ward in the No.5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet heads into this weekend’s race having finished in 24th place here last year and looking ahead to the race this weekend, he said:
“This weekend will be a test to a lot of the training we’ve done in the offseason just because of how humid and hot it will be, as it usually is every single year. It’s a very tough, physical race because of the heat, and it’s also a bumpy and challenging track. Nashville has probably been the track where we haven’t quite reached our potential either due to getting hit or having other issues.”