Colton Herta has had a very competitive season in IndyCar and he sits fourth in the championship standings ahead of the final round at the Nashville Superspeedway.
The bumpy streets of Toronto, Canada were particularly kind to the American driver as Herta ended a 41-race winless streak for Andretti Global in Toronto.
But Herta hasn’t had the ultimate speed to battle with Alex Palou and Will Power, who are the main contenders for the IndyCar championship at Nashville.
He has had some good performances, such as his flawless drive in Toronto. Herta has also been held back by a lacklustre day at the Indy 500 and a subpar error in Detroit.
A good result at the Nashville Superspeedway could set Colton Herta up for a strong 2025 IndyCar season
Herta has won eight races during his IndyCar career and he is always a contender at the front of the field on road and street circuits.
Despite his excellent form on most circuits on the calendar, he is yet to take victory on an oval which is a vital part of IndyCar.
This season, the 24-year-old endured a mixed run of results on ovals with a lacklustre outing at the Indy 500 balanced by better events at Iowa and Gateway.
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Winning on an oval requires a unique technique and despite his two championships, Palou has yet to win on an oval too, showing how tricky ovals are.
If Herta were to score a strong result in the Music City Grand Prix at Nashville, it would end his season on a high after a year that had a lot of highs and also lows.
The Nashville Superspeedway is an unknown quantity for much of the grid, as it has been absent from the calendar since 2008. This may allow Herta an opportunity to deliver a good result as the playing field will be more equal.
A good send-off to the IndyCar season for Herta would give him a boost heading into 2025 and allow him to head into the opening round in 2025 with confidence. However, weather concerns ahead of the IndyCar finale in Nashville could cause chaos.
Colton Herta is yet to challenge for a championship in IndyCar
Herta has been incredibly impressive throughout his IndyCar career since taking his first race victory at the Circuit of The Americas in 2019.
He has been very fast and developed an acrobatic style on street circuits, getting close to the barriers and driving on the limit.
Despite his prowess on street tracks, the Andretti driver hasn’t sustained a title challenge over the season. The closest he got in 2020 was third place, 116 points behind Scott Dixon.
To get to the next level, the key for Herta is to cut out the errors such as in Detroit earlier this season where he went for an overly ambitious move and cost himself a lot of points.