Schumacher looking to build on breakthrough Nashville result

It might have taken 12 races, but at Nashville Superspeedway on Monday, Mick Schumacher delivered the breakthrough performance that he and the team have been looking for since his IndyCar journey began.

The German rookie led the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team in qualifying by placing the No. 47 Honda 16th on the grid and rose as high as sixth during the amended 225-lap race before crossing the finish line in eighth. There were glimpses of promise in qualifying on the Phoenix oval, and his performance at the Indianapolis 500 was certainly noteworthy, but delivering a strong run from start to finish in a race with a meaningful outcome had been elusive.

It was Schumacher’s best result of the year by half – his previous best was 16th on the World Wide Technology Raceway oval – and came while chasing home Pato O’Ward in seventh and a pair of Indianapolis 500 winners in Marcus Ericsson in seventh and Felix Rosenqvist in sixth.

“I couldn't have done it without the team,” Schumacher said. “The pit stops have been amazing all day. We knew we had a good car after FP2 and we just put it to work. I think we can be really proud of everything we've done this weekend. Hopefully many more of those moments come.

"In terms of pace, we were definitely supposed to be higher. I think the car was so good that I think we could have really been higher up than that. It was just difficult to pass and I felt a little loose at times.”

Schumacher also credited the guidance he received while circulating the 1.33-mile oval for 225 laps.

“The open communication that we had all race with the team has been so good,” he said. “Jeff (Troyer, spotter) and (sporting director) Ryan (Briscoe) on the stand coaching me throughout the whole race was good.

"This is how the weekend is supposed to go and you see it. When we have a clean weekend, this is the sort of finish – a top 10 position – that we can expect consistently, if not higher. I’m just very proud of the team. We’ve just got to build on that momentum, and do it until the end of the year.”