Michael D'Orlando Powers to Front in Nashville Practice

This is just Michael d’Orlando’s third start of the INDY NXT by Firestone season, but he’s turning heads after leading practice Saturday morning for the Music City Grand Prix at Nashville Superspeedway.

D’Orlando turned a top lap of 186.473 in the No. 3 Priority/Rising stars car fielded by Andretti – Cape Motorsport. D’Orlando made his INDY NXT by Firestone debut last season but was forced to the sidelines due to lack of funding. He returned this season for the final three races of the season in the INDYCAR development series, on the road course at Portland and the ovals at Milwaukee and Nashville.

SEE: Practice Results

Qualifying is next on the 1.33-mile concrete oval, at 12:30 p.m. ET today (FS2, FOX One, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). D’Orlando, a native of Hartsdale, New York, will aim for his first career pole. His best starting spot in the series is fifth, last season. He qualified eighth last Saturday on the Milwaukee Mile oval.

Myles Rowe (photo, above), winner this season on the Iowa Speedway oval, was second at 186.210 in the No. 99 Abel/Force Indy machine. Lochie Hughes ended up third at 186.155 in the No. 26 McGinley Clinic/USF Pro Championships car of Andretti Global.

Andretti Global driver Salvador de Alba was fourth at 186.099 in the No. 27 Grupo Indi car. De Alba earned his first career INDY NXT by Firestone victory last Sunday at the Milwaukee Mile.

Caio Collet rounded out the top five at 185.961 in the No. 76 HMD Motorsports car. But the 50-minute session ended on a sour note for the Brazilian, as his car slowed on track and stopped on pit road. Collet hopped out of his stricken machine and pushed it to his pit box after the session ended.

Dennis Hauger, who clinched the season title last Sunday at Milwaukee, was sixth at 185.910 in the No. 28 car of Nammo Global. The top six drivers were tight on the final time sheet, with respective best lap times separated by .0778 of a second.

The 65-lap race is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. ET Sunday (FS1, FOX One, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network).