By Reggie Gatlin-Holt

NASCAR Cup Series

Next Race: Brickyard 400 Presented by PPG

The Place: Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Track Length: 2.5 Mile Asphalt Oval

The Date: Sunday, July 21

The Time: 2:30 p.m. ET

The Purse: $9,596,601

TV: NBC, 2 p.m. ET

Radio: IMS, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Distance: 400 miles (160 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 50),

Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 100), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 160)

 

NASCAR Cup Series

NASCAR Cup Series returns to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (oval)

The jewel has returned to the crown. Long considered one of the ‘Crown Jewel’ events of the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, and after a three year hiatus on the road course, the NASCAR Cup Series returns to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway rectangular-shaped oval for the famed Brickyard 400 Presented by PPG on Sunday, July 21 at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, IMS Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) has existed since 1909, and is considered the original “Speedway”, the first racing facility to incorporate the word into its name. Located just west of downtown Indianapolis, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the third oldest permanent automobile race track in the world, behind Brooklands and the Milwaukee Mile. With a permanent seating capacity for more than 250,000-plus people and infield seating that raises capacity to an approximate 400,000, it is considered the largest and highest-capacity sporting facility in history.  

 

The first NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (oval) was August 6, 1994. The inaugural race won by Hendrick Motorsport’s driver and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon in the No. 24 Chevrolet. Gordon led 93 laps in the 160 lap event and beat Brett Bodine to the finish line by 0.530-second to win. The average speed of the race was 131.977 MPH, and it took 3 hours, 1 minute and 51 seconds to complete.

In total there have been 27 NASCAR Cup Series races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (oval) producing 19 different pole winners and 15 different race winners.

This weekend, the on-track activity for the NASCAR Cup Series will begin with 50- minute practice on Friday, July 19 at 2:35 p.m. ET and it will be streamed on the NBC Sports App. Then Busch Light Pole Qualifying will be held on Saturday, July 20 from 1:05 p.m. ET and will be the USA Network, IMS Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Hamlin can join elite status of winning all four Crown Jewel NASCAR Cup events

Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s Brickyard 400 Presented by PPG is considered one of the NASCAR Cup Series’ Crown Jewel events, along with the Daytona 500, the Coca-Cola 600 and the Southern 500. But what makes it most intriguing is only four elite drivers in NASCAR Cup Series history have won all four events in their careers – Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt.

NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon leads the NASCAR Cup Series in Crown Jewel event wins with 17 total.

This weekend there are 15 drivers entered in the Brickyard 400 that have won at least one of the Crown Jewel events in their careers, and one driver has the opportunity to add the final jewel to his crown on Sunday – Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin. If Hamlin can win this weekend at Indianapolis, he will become the fifth different driver to win all four Crown Jewel events in his career.

Two other active drivers that are also looking for their final jewel to their crowns are RFK Racing’s Brad Keselowski and Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch, but both still need a Daytona 500 victory.

NASCAR Crown Jewel Events & Winners
Drivers	Brickyard 400	Daytona 500	Coke 600	Southern 500	Total
Jeff Gordon	5	3	3	6	17
Jimmie Johnson	4	2	4	2	12
Kevin Harvick	3	1	2	2	8
Dale Earnhardt	1	1	3	3	8
Drivers with Three of the Four Crown Jewel Wins
Richard Petty	0	7	2	1	10
Bobby Allison	0	3	3	3	9
Denny Hamlin	0	3	1	3	7
Darrell Waltrip	0	1	5	1	7
David Pearson	0	1	3	3	7
Dale Jarrett	2	3	1	0	6
Bill Elliott	1	2	0	3	6
Buddy Baker	0	1	3	1	5
Kyle Busch	2	0	1	1	4
Matt Kenseth	0	2	1	1	4
Bobby Labonte	1	0	1	1	3
Brad Keselowski	1	0	1	1	3
LeeRoy Yarbrough	0	1	1	1	3
Active Drivers with at least one Crown Jewel win
Martin Truex Jr	0	0	2	1	3
Austin Dillon	0	1	1	0	2
Kyle Larson	0	0	1	1	2
Erik Jones	0	0	0	2	2
Austin Cindric	0	1	0	0	1
Joey Logano	0	1	0	0	1
Michael McDowell	0	1	0	0	1
Ricky Stenhouse Jr	0	1	0	0	1
William Byron	0	1	0	0	1
Christopher Bell	0	0	1	0	1
Ryan Blaney	0	0	1	0	1

Clinch Scenarios: Indianapolis Motor Speedway – Race No. 22

Only five races remain in the NASCAR Cup Series 2024 regular season (Indianapolis, Richmond, Michigan, Daytona and Darlington) and it’s that time of year we break out the calculators and start hammering the numbers to see who needs what to clinch their spot in the Playoffs.

Already Clinched

The following five drivers have clinched a spot in the 16-driver postseason field: Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell.

Can Clinch Via Previous Wins

The following drivers could clinch on previous wins with a win by Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, Tyler Reddick, Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell, Brad Keselowski, Alex Bowman, Joey Logano, Daniel Suarez:

• Chase Elliott: Would clinch regardless of finish
• Tyler Reddick: Would clinch regardless of finish
• Brad Keselowski: Could only clinch with help
• Alex Bowman: Could only clinch with help

The following drivers could clinch on previous wins with a win by Martin Truex Jr., Ty Gibbs, Chris Buescher, Ross Chastain, Bubba Wallace, Austin Cindric:

• Chase Elliott: Would clinch with 4 points
• Tyler Reddick: Would clinch with 19 points
• Brad Keselowski: Could only clinch with help

Can Clinch Via Win

The following drivers would clinch on their win alone:

• Chase Elliott, Tyler Reddick, Brad Keselowski, Alex Bowman, Joey Logano, Daniel Suarez, Austin Cindric

The following drivers could clinch with a win:

• Martin Truex Jr.: Could only clinch with help

Playoffs are steadily approaching

Looking at the NASCAR Cup Series 2024 Playoff standings outlook, several big names are below the cut line and with just five races left in the regular season the pressure is mounting to earn a spot in the postseason.

Rolling into this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 12 drivers have earned a spot in the Playoffs by virtue of their wins – Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, Tyler Reddick, Brad Keselowski, Alex Bowman, Joey Logano, Daniel Suarez and Austin Cindric.

The four drivers currently occupying the four open transfer spots on points in the Playoff outlook are Martin Truex Jr. (+137 points), Ty Gibbs (+67), Chris Buescher (+44) and Ross Chastain (+27).

Just below the postseason cutline in the Playoff outlook standings are Bubba Wallace in 17th (-27 points), Chase Briscoe in 18th (-75 points) and two-time series champion Kyle Busch in 19th (-102 points).

2024 Top 34 In Points				2024 Driver Playoff Outlook Following Race No. 21
Rank	Driver	Pts	Ldr.	Rank	Driver	Points	Wins	Stages	Playoff Pts	Pts From Cutoff
1	Chase Elliott	703	0	1	Kyle Larson	700	3	8	23	In On Wins
2	Kyle Larson	700	-3	2	Denny Hamlin	683	3	5	20
3	Tyler Reddick	688	-15	3	William Byron	646	3	1	16
4	Denny Hamlin	683	-20	4	Christopher Bell	616	3	9	24
5	William Byron	646	-57	5	Ryan Blaney	627	2	2	12
6	Martin Truex Jr.	640	-63	6	Chase Elliott	703	1	1	6
7	Ryan Blaney	627	-76	7	Tyler Reddick	688	1	3	8
8	Christopher Bell	616	-87	8	Brad Keselowski	599	1	0	5
9	Brad Keselowski	599	-104	9	Alex Bowman	596	1	0	5
10	Alex Bowman	596	-107	10	Joey Logano	522	1	1	6
11	Ty Gibbs	570	-133	11	Daniel Suarez	431	1	0	5
12	Chris Buescher	547	-156	12	Austin Cindric	408	1	2	7
13	Ross Chastain	530	-173	13	Martin Truex Jr.	640	0	3	3	137
14	Joey Logano	522	-181	14	Ty Gibbs	570	0	2	2	67
15	Bubba Wallace	503	-200	15	Chris Buescher	547	0	2	2	44
16	Chase Briscoe	455	-248	16	Ross Chastain	530	0	1	1	27
17	Daniel Suarez	431	-272	17	Bubba Wallace	503	0	0	0	-27
18	Kyle Busch	428	-275	18	Chase Briscoe	455	0	0	0	-75
19	Austin Cindric	408	-295	19	Kyle Busch	428	0	0	0	-102
20	Todd Gilliland	403	-300	20	Todd Gilliland	403	0	0	0	-127
21	Josh Berry #	386	-317	21	Josh Berry #	386	0	0	0	-144
22	Michael McDowell	378	-325	22	Michael McDowell	378	0	1	1	-152
23	Carson Hocevar #	358	-345	23	Carson Hocevar #	358	0	0	0	-172
24	Noah Gragson	354	-349	24	Noah Gragson	354	0	0	0	-176
25	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	343	-360	25	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	343	0	0	0	-187
26	Erik Jones	320	-383	26	Erik Jones	320	0	0	0	-210
27	Ryan Preece	318	-385	27	Ryan Preece	318	0	0	0	-212
28	Daniel Hemric	309	-394	28	Daniel Hemric	309	0	0	0	-221
29	Justin Haley	302	-401	29	Justin Haley	302	0	0	0	-228
30	Corey LaJoie	301	-402	30	Corey LaJoie	301	0	0	0	-229
31	John Hunter Nemechek	293	-410	31	John Hunter Nemechek	293	0	0	0	-237
32	Austin Dillon	270	-433	32	Austin Dillon	270	0	0	0	-260
33	Harrison Burton	237	-466	33	Harrison Burton	237	0	0	0	-293
34	Zane Smith #	228	-475	34	Zane Smith #	228	0	0	0	-302
Note: Kyle Larson and Erik Jones have received a waiver from NASCAR to be eligible for the Playoffs.

Currently, there are seven former Cup Playoff drivers below the postseason cut line – Bubba Wallace, Chase Briscoe, Kyle Busch, Michael McDowell, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Erik Jones and Austin Dillon. Probably most notable is two-time series champion Kyle Busch, who has made the Playoffs 16 times in his career (second-most) and hasn’t missed a postseason since 2012.

Qualifying well is imperative at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

A total of 17 different starting positions on the grid have resulted in wins in the NASCAR Cup Series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The first starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (five) than any other starting position at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series – a 18.52% winning percentage.

 

Drivers starting inside the top-10 have won 17 of 27 NASCAR Cup Series races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway – a winning percentage of 62.9%. The deepest in the field that a Cup Series race winner has started at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is 27th, by Jeff Gordon in 2001.

 

A total of 19 different drivers have won the pole at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series. Driver Rick Mast won the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series pole at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1994 with a speed of 172.414 MPH. Mast, driving a Richard Jackson owned Ford, led two laps and finished 22nd in the event. 

 

NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon (1995, 1996, 1999) and Kevin Harvick (2003, 2014, 2019) lead the NASCAR Cup Series in poles at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with three poles each.

 

This weekend, three of the 19 Indianapolis Motor Speedway Cup Series pole winners are entered in the race, led by Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch with two poles. If Busch were to win a pole this weekend, he would tie Gordon and Harvick for the series-most poles at Indianapolis with three each. 

 

Active Indianapolis Pole Winners	Poles	Seasons
Kyle Busch	2	2017, 2016
Denny Hamlin	1	2012
Jimmie Johnson	1	2008

Jimmie Johnson can tie Jeff Gordon for most Indianapolis wins all-time

Legacy Motor Club driver and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson is entered in this weekend’s Brickyard 400 Presented by PPG as part of his limited schedule this season. The seven-time Cup Series champion comes into the weekend with the opportunity to tie fellow Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon for the series-most victories at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with five each.

Gordon currently leads the series in wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with five victories (1994, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2014); including the inaugural event at the historic track in 1994.

Johnson leads all active drivers in wins and his Indianapolis resume is nearly as impressive a Gordon’s with four victories, all within a six year period (2006, 2008, 2009, 2012).

In total, Johnson has made 18 Cup Series starts at Indianapolis posting four wins, six top fives and seven top 10s.

Kyle Busch needs to rebound, Indianapolis could be the place

Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch has hit a mid-summer slump finishing 24th or worse in four of his last six races dropping him to 19th in the Playoff outlook standings 102 points back from the postseason cutoff. But that could all change this weekend with the return of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval to the NASCAR Cup series schedule.

Only three former NASCAR Cup Series Indianapolis Motor Speedway race winners are entered this weekend, Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers with four wins (2006, 2008, 2009, 2012), followed by Kyle Busch with two victories (2015, 2016), and Brad Keselowski with one win (2018).

Interestingly, Jimmie Johnson (2008-09) and Kyle Busch (2015-16) are the only two drivers to win consecutive NASCAR Cup Series races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. And Busch is the only driver to sweep both NASCAR national series races (NCS, NXS) at Indianapolis Motor Speedway from the pole in the same weekend.

 

In total, Busch has made 16 Cup starts at Indianapolis Motor Speedway posting two poles, two wins, five top fives and 12 top 10s (most among active drivers).  

The battle for the Regular Season Championship heats up

With just five races left in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season, the battle between Hendrick Motorsport’s teammates Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson for the Regular Season Championship is heating up, as both are shooting for the title and the additional 15 Playoff bonus points that come with it.

Elliott is one of seven different drivers to occupy the NASCAR Cup Series driver standings lead this season, along with William Byron, Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson. The Georgia native, Elliott, is currently three points ahead of Larson heading into Indianapolis.

Both Larson (2021) and Elliott (2022) are former NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season Championship winners, and if either of them wins this season, they will join Martin Truex Jr. (2017, 2023) and Kyle Busch (2018, 2019) as the third multiple regular season title holder.

Regular Season Championship Clinch Scenarios:

Elliott (or whoever’s first in points) needs to be up by the corresponding number after the race to clinch:

Indianapolis – 240 or 241 points, depending on tie-break

Richmond – 180 or 181 points, depending on tie-break

Michigan – 120 or 121 points, depending on tie-break

Daytona – 60 or 61 points, depending on tie-break

Darlington – 0 or 1 point, depending on tie-break

NASCAR Cup Series, Etc.

Daniel Suarez to race in NASCAR Brasil Series’ Special Edition – NASCAR announced this week that NASCAR Cup Series driver Daniel Suárez will plan to compete in the NASCAR Brasil Series’ Special Edition, a tournament that runs parallel to the main competition, behind the wheel of a Chevrolet Camaro at Autódromo José Carlos Pace, better known as Interlagos, the weekend of August 2-4.

While the world looks on to Paris for the 2024 Olympic Summer Games, Suárez will participate in another international competition. The Monterrey, Mexico native, who will already be in Brazil to celebrate his wedding day with fiancée Julia Piquet, will make the stop in São Paulo before his return to the United States for a couple of days of racing action at the world-renowned racing circuit.

“I am excited to have the opportunity to compete in the NASCAR Brasil Series,” said Suárez. “Not only is this an opportunity to try something new, but with my fiancée’s family roots in Brazil, it gives me a chance to race in a place that she calls home. I am equally excited to support all the people at NASCAR who have helped me along my journey to the NASCAR Cup Series. Hopefully, we can have some fun and bring some attention to the series from outside Brazil along the way.”

Suárez welcomed the invitation to compete in the international series while the NASCAR Cup Series enjoys a two-week hiatus in the 38-race season for the Olympic break. He also competed in a separate international event earlier this year in the NASCAR Mexico Series race at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, where he drove to victory in his first series start since 2014.

Launched in 2022, the NASCAR Brasil Series is the sanctioning body’s fourth international series and first in South America. The series began competition in 2023 as a partnership between NASCAR and the GT Sprint Race series in Brazil.

“We are extremely excited to have Daniel join us once again for an international race,” said Chad Seigler, Vice President, Chief International Officer at NASCAR. “As NASCAR continues to grow and expand on a global scale, we want to showcase that our international series provide the competition level, resources and industry connections to help the most talented competitors advance their careers.”

Brazil’s strong motorsports culture has extended to NASCAR over the past 20 years. Three Brazilian-born drivers have competed in NASCAR in the United States – Christian Fittipaldi made 15 Cup Series starts in 2003, Nelson Piquet Jr. started 83 races across NASCAR’s three national series from 2010-16 winning three times, and Miguel Paludo has 81 starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, including three this past season.

Sunoco Rookie of the Year update – Stewart-Haas Racing’s Josh Berry currently holds the NASCAR Cup Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings by 28 points over Spire Motorsport’s Carson Hocevar in second place.

Holding onto third in the Cup rookie standings is Hocevar’s Spire Motorsport’s teammate Zane Smith (-158 points back from Berry) and in fourth is Rick Ware Racing’s Kaz Grala (-220 points back from Berry).

All four rookies will be making their NASCAR Cup Series track debuts at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend.

Milestone Watch: Indianapolis Motor Speedway – Below are the possible milestones that can be achieved this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway or in coming weeks in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Starts

Kyle Busch will make his 700th NASCAR Cup Series career start at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this Sunday becoming the 19th different driver in series history to make 700 or more starts.

In his previous 699 starts, Busch has accumulated two NASCAR Cup Series championships (2015, 2019), two NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season titles (2018, 2019), five Championship 4 appearances (tied for series-most), 16 Playoff appearances (second-most all-time), 63 race wins, 248 top fives, 378 top 10s, and 34 poles.

Busch will look to become the first driver in series history to win on their 700th career start.

Harrison Burton is expected to make his 100th NASCAR Cup Series career start at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Brad Keselowski is expected to make his 550th NASCAR Cup Series career start at Bristol Motor Speedway.

 

Wins

Denny Hamlin currently has 54 NASCAR Cup Series wins, if he were to win another race, he would tie NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace for 11th on the all-time wins list with 55 victories each.

Brad Keselowski currently has 36 NASCAR Cup Series wins, if he were to win another race, he would tie Bobby Isaac for 23rd on the all-time wins list with 37 victories each.

Joey Logano currently has 33 NASCAR Cup Series wins, if he were to win another race, he would tie Kurt Busch and Martin Truex Jr. for 25th on the all-time wins list with 34 victories each.

Track Specific

Most Poles By Driver: If Kyle Busch wins the pole this weekend in the NASCAR Cup Series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he will tie NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon (1995, 1996, 1999) and Kevin Harvick (2003, 2014, 2019) for the most NASCAR Cup Series poles at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with three poles each.

Most Poles By Organization: If a driver from either Joe Gibbs Racing or Hendrick Motorsports wins the pole this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, it will break the tie the two organizations have for the most poles at Indianapolis Motor Speedway at five each, and the pole winner’s organization will become solely the leader in poles at Indianapolis (oval) in the series.

Most Wins By Driver: Legacy Motor Club’s Jimmie Johnson has four NASCAR Cup Series wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (most among active drivers) and has the opportunity to tie NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon (five wins) for the most wins at the track this weekend.

 

Crew Member Spotlight: Indianapolis Motor Speedway Weekend – This weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway we wanted to highlight several of the team’s crew members that are from the surrounding areas of the track in Indianapolis.

INDIANA
Name	Organization	Team	Current Role	Hometown
John Rosselli	Legacy Motor Club	43	Front Tire Changer	Terre Haute, IN
Evan Marchal	Stewart-Haas Racing	4	Fueler/NextGen VAST Manager	Westfield, IN
Jeff Swearengin	Joe Gibbs Racing	54	Interior Mechanic/Tire Specialist	Elkhart, IN
Frank Kimmel II	Trackhouse Racing	99	Spotter	Jeffersonville, IN
Branden Lines	Hendrick Motorsports	24	Spotter	Indianapolis, IN

NASCAR fans can check out the Hauler Parade on Thursday, July 18 – The NASCAR Hauler Parade returns to kick off Brickyard Weekend on Thursday, July 18. Haulers will drive down Main Street in Speedway in an epic display of color and excitement.

Following the parade, the haulers will be displayed on Main Street, where fans can get an up-close look at their favorite driver’s hauler while enjoying free entertainment, special guest appearances, race-themed activities, photo opportunities and more. The family-friendly event is free for fans of all ages. In addition, Main Street establishments will be open for business and ready to welcome fans.

 

 

COURTESY NASCAR COMMUNICATIONS