Editor’s Note: Keep tabs on this page for lineup advice following qualifying, including changes you should consider.
Few sporting venues in the world have the prestige of Indianapolis Motor Speedway. And the best drivers usually come out to play, with the Brickyard winner going on to win the Cup Series championship in the same season nine times in 29 editions. Denny Hamlin can complete the Crown Jewel Grand Slam, while Tyler Reddick aims to join an exclusive Daytona 500/Brickyard 400 club. Toyota leads the way, but track position keeps the field wide open.
Returning to Fastlane this year is my weekly NASCAR 36 for 36 pick, where you can come play along. It’s a season-long points battle introduced in 2024 where strategy is the primary emphasis. With 36 chartered cars and 36 races on the 2026 schedule, players can choose each car once for the duration of the season.
RELATED: NASCAR Fantasy Live hub | Play 36 for 36
MUST START
Driver: Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing, No. 23 Toyota
Selections remaining: 6
Comment: Arguably, Indianapolis is Wallace’s best circuit on the schedule, dating back to his formative years with Richard Petty Motorsports (now Legacy Motor Club), when he finished third in 2019. Wallace has top 10s in the last four races on the Indianapolis oval, posting an 11.2 average finish in five attempts overall, his best at any venue with multiple starts.
Driver: Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 20 Toyota
Selections remaining: 3
Comment: Given the layout of Indianapolis and how dominant Toyota has been at high-speed venues in 2026, Bell should be in the mix this weekend. He has a pair of top 10s in three oval starts, never finishing worse than 12th. His 8.0 average finish here is his best at any active oval with multiple attempts.
Driver: Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports, No. 5 Chevrolet
Selections remaining: 3
Comment: While Toyota will be the favorite, Larson could give them a run for their money. The No. 5 bunch has finished inside the top two in both races since the famed 2.5-mile oval returned to the Cup schedule in 2024, winning the 2024 race while driving through the field.
DRIVERS TO AVOID
Driver: William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports, No. 24 Chevrolet
Selections remaining: 5
Comment: The No. 24 car has celebrated in the historic IMS Victory Lane a record five times with Jeff Gordon. However, the venue has been a hindrance for Byron, with an average finish of 20.8 in five starts, his worst among non-drafting ovals. Byron’s fourth-place finish in 2019 is his lone top-15 effort.
Driver: Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports, No. 48 Chevrolet
Selections remaining: 10
Comment: The No. 48 team for Hendrick has kissed the bricks with Jimmie Johnson on four occasions. However, this is undoubtedly Bowman’s worst track, with an average finish of 29.6 in seven starts (five finishes of 30th or worse). He finished ninth last year, though, his only outcome better than 21st.
SLEEPERS OF THE WEEK
Driver: Austin Cindric, Team Penske, No. 2 Ford
Selections remaining: 7
Comment: No race is more important to Team Penske than the Brickyard 400 as Roger Penske owns the famed speedway. Cindric could be a sneaky play this weekend, as he led a race-high 40 laps in last year’s event. The sample size is small, but his 11.0 average finish is tied with World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway for his best among active tracks.
Driver: Todd Gilliland, Front Row Motorsports, No. 34 Ford
Selections remaining: 9
Comment: So you’re saying there’s a chance? Gilliland must finish ahead of Ryan Blaney this weekend to snag the $1 million prize for the In-Season Challenge, as he’s playing the role of the Butler Bulldogs vs. the Duke Blue Devils in the 2010 NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship. Gilliland has a legitimate shot at pulling off the upset, finishing sixth in his only two starts at the Indianapolis oval.
FEATURED MATCHUPS
Todd Gilliland vs. Ryan Blaney
Pick: Blaney
Comment: Regardless of who wins, a Ford driver will bank the $1 million prize in a season where the manufacturer has three victories in the opening 21 races. Blaney has two of them and, prior to Logano’s win last week, had accounted for Ford’s previous six Cup Series victories. The 2023 Cup champion is the heavy favorite entering the weekend, with three top 10s in eight Indy starts, including a third-place finish in 2024.
Bubba Wallace vs. Christopher Bell
Pick: Wallace
Comment: Their respective histories at Indianapolis suggest both drivers should contend near the front of the pack. Bell has been plagued by near-misses throughout the 2026 season, while Wallace’s results haven’t always reflected his speed. Still, Wallace has consistently shown race-winning pace at the Brickyard and returns with added confidence as the defending race winner.
Joey Logano vs. Chase Briscoe
Pick: Briscoe
Comment: Logano’s 32nd-place finish in last year’s Brickyard 400 is misleading, as the No. 22 car was in contention to win before cutting a tire late in the going. With eight top 10s in 14 starts, expect him to be a factor again. But don’t overlook Briscoe, as the native Hoosier should be a threat at his home track driving an almighty Toyota.
Brad Keselowski vs. Carson Hocevar
Pick: Keselowski
Comment: Truthfully, there isn’t much confidence in this pick, as Keselowski’s seventh-place result at North Wilkesboro was his first top 10 in three months. Hocevar has been consistent in limited attempts at Indianapolis, with finishes of 10th and 12th. Experience wins out, though, as Keselowski, the 2018 Brickyard winner, has four top fives in the last six races here.
MY LINEUP
Starting five: Bubba Wallace, Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, Tyler Reddick, Chase Briscoe.
Garage: Austin Cindric.
36 FOR 36
Pick: Todd Gilliland, Front Row Motorsports, No. 34 Ford
Comment: No track has treated Gilliland better on the Cup schedule – oval or road course – than Indianapolis. Sure, you could save the No. 34 team for a superspeedway, but he has been a top-10 threat in both of his IMS oval starts and could walk away from the “Yard of Bricks” with heavy pockets.