IndyCar Penalizes Lundgaard, Malukas Entries at Nashville

IndyCar handed Christian Lundgaard a nine-position starting grid penalty for the Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix at Nashville Superspeedway after ruling that Arrow McLaren made an unapproved engine change. The No. 7 Chevrolet had been fitted with a fifth engine of the season after a team test at Milwaukee Mile on July 8, violating the series’ engine-change rules. Because the penalty was served at an oval race, it applied at Nashville.

David Malukas also faced penalty trouble on a difficult day for Team Penske. He crashed heavily in opening practice, was taken to the hospital, and had not been cleared to drive two hours before qualifying, so Penske prepared a backup car and installed another engine while Conor Daly was set to qualify the No. 12 in his place. IndyCar’s official officiating announcement listed a nine-position penalty for the entry, although an earlier report said Malukas had received an 18-place penalty after the crash damaged a new engine.

Lundgaard and Malukas were both among the top four in the IndyCar standings, with Malukas third and the oval points leader at the time. The Nashville race was scheduled for July 19, 2025, at the 1.333-mile oval and was set to air live on Fox.