AJ Allmendinger can’t wait to kiss Indy bricks

Posted on July 2, 2020July 2, 2020 by Pat DeCola

There are few things more American than Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

So when the NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to the Brickyard for its inaugural attempt at running the infield road course on July 4 (3 p.m. ET on NBC/NBC Sports App, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), well, it’s tough to raise the patriotic bar any higher than that.

Given its prominence at a national level, being able to win at Indianapolis just puts a driver in a certain echelon no matter the style of chassis that surrounds him when he takes the checkers or layout of the track he does it on.

Knowing he might be the preeminent favorite as things stand now given his team’s strong performance in 2020 and his chops as arguably the sport’s last remaining road-course ringer, AJ Allmendinger is already fantasizing about what it’d be like to add his name to the history books alongside some of motorsports’ greats.

“To be completely honest, it has nothing to do with it being the first road course (race) ever for Xfinity at Indy, it’s just the history behind the race track,” Allmendinger said June 17. “There’s very few places … when you go to a race track that has so much history behind it, whether its Indycars, stock cars, whatever it may be, you say the word ‘Indy’ and people that aren’t in motorsports understand what the history is behind that race track and just to pull into Victory Lane or kiss the bricks is something special, I don’t care what car you’re in.”

There’s only one other track in the country that registers at the same national wavelength as Indy — Daytona International Speedway, the longtime former host of July 4 weekend festivities in NASCAR and the only other track able to shoulder that weight.

TURN-BY-TURN ANALYSIS: Breaking down the Indianapolis road course

Winning at Daytona is unlike anything else, as well, and it’s a familiar feeling to Allmendinger.

“I remember this at Daytona. I won in a Skip Barber National series car and I pulled into Victory Lane and that was special to me, because that was Daytona,” said Allmendinger, who won at Watkins Glen International in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2014. “It’s the same thing. The Brickyard. All the history and the winners in so many different forms of racing there now, I would love to be a part of that.”

And of course, if he’s part of that? Along with it comes a date with the track’s infamous bricks at the start-finish line.

“I just want to be part of that history and it’d be something special to kiss the bricks, even if we have to do it with the masks on,” he said. “I don’t care, I’ll do it with the masks on.”

Posted on July 1, 2020July 1, 2020 by Staff Report

NASCAR announced Wednesday that the format for the July 15 All-Star Race and All-Star Open at Bristol Motor Speedway will include a choose rule, revealing the change on FOX Sports 1’s Race Hub.

Here’s how the choose rule works: When drivers approach a designated spot on the track, they must commit to the inside or outside lane for the restart. Failure to make a clear choice or changing lanes after the designated spot will result in a tail-of-the-field penalty.

This is different from the current double-file restart system, where only the race leader chooses his lane. Having the rule for the All-Star Race gives every driver the ability to make his own decision, and strategy will come into play in every instance.

The choose rule has been used at short tracks on the grassroots levels of racing, and NASCAR drivers were among those discussing the possibility of trying it in the Cup Series. The sanctioning body decided the All-Star event was the perfect chance to do just that.

“There has already been an incredible amount of buzz around this year’s NASCAR All-Star Race with the move to Bristol Motor Speedway,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “In addition to the thrilling racing we’re used to seeing at Bristol, the choose rule is going to add another dynamic to the race. Drivers and fans have been asking for this change and I can’t think of a better time to try it than the All-Star Race.”

Other highlights of the All-Star format:

— The All-Star Open will have three stages with Stage 1 and Stage 2 being 35 laps apiece and Stage 3 lasting 15 laps. The winner of each stage as well as the winner of the All-Star Fan Vote will advance to the All-Star Race main event. In addition to the Open stage winners and Fan Vote winner, the All-Star Race consists of 2019 and 2020 race winners as well as All-Star winners and active full-time Cup champions.

— The All-Star Race main event will have four stages with Stage 1 lasting 55 laps, Stage 2 and Stage 3 being 35 laps apiece and Stage 4 lasting 15 laps. Only green-flag laps will count in the final stage, and the final stage will end with a checkered flag. If the race is restarted with two or fewer laps remaining, then there will be unlimited attempts at a green-white-checkered finish.

— Car numbers will appear farther back on the side panels of the cars. Instead of being in the center of the door panel, the number will now be more toward the back fender.

— Standard strategy rules apply: Pit road will open under caution and at the stage breaks. Teams may stay out, take two tires, take four tires, etc., per normal race procedures. The lineup after stage breaks or cautions will be cars that stayed out followed by cars in order off pit road.

“This NASCAR All-Star Race under the bright lights of Bristol is setting up to be a memorable event for ages to come,” said Jerry Caldwell,, executive vice president and general manager of Bristol Motor Speedway. “With a million dollar payout and no championship points on the line in this all out high-banked short track clash, it’s surely going to be a race that fans will not want to miss.”

Lineups will be set as follows:

Open:
— Split the entries in half based on owner points
— Random draw for top half of the field: Positions 1-12 (final numbers based off entry list)
— Random draw for bottom half of field: Positions 13-24 (final numbers based off entry list)
— Pit selection inverse of starting position

All-Star main:
— Random draw for entire field
— Pit selection inverse of starting position

Coverage for the July 15 NASCAR All-Star Open and NASCAR All-Star Race will be on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio starting at 7 p.m. ET.

Posted on July 1, 2020July 1, 2020 by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 30, 2020) – NASCAR and Bristol Motor Speedway today announced the format for the NASCAR All-Star Race, including the introduction of a ‘choose rule’ that will allow drivers to choose which lane they line up in for restarts.

The rule, which is popular among short track fans, will fittingly make its NASCAR national series debut during the first NASCAR All-Star Race held on a short track. NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports officials had previously announced the race was moving to Bristol from Charlotte Motor Speedway, which had hosted 34 of the race’s 35 previous editions.

As drivers approach a designated spot on the track, they must commit to the inside or outside lane for the restart. The rule adds more strategy than traditional restarts, where drivers line up in the order they come off pit road.

The race will still have four stages, lasting 55 laps, 35 laps, 35 laps and 15 laps. Both green flag and yellow flag laps will count in Stages 1-3 with only green flag laps counting in the Final Stage. In the Final Stage, if the race is restarted with two or less laps remaining, there will be unlimited attempts at a green, white, checkered finish under green flag conditions.

The NASCAR Open will take place prior to the NASCAR All-Star Race and will include three segments (35 laps / 35 Laps / 15 laps). The winner of each segment will earn a spot in the All-Star Race as well as the winner of the Fan Vote.

Technical rules for the cars will remain the same as other NASCAR Cup Series short track races, including the May 31 race at Bristol. The liveries will sport a new look, however, as the car number will move from the door towards the rear wheel in an effort to give more exposure to the teams’ sponsors.

Those eligible for the NASCAR All-Star Race include: drivers who won a points event in either 2019 or 2020; drivers who won a NASCAR All-Star Race and compete full-time; and drivers who won a NASCAR Cup Series championship and compete full time.

Drivers who have already clinched an All-Star Race spot: Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Justin Haley, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Erik Jones, Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Ryan Newman and Martin Truex Jr.

Coverage of the NASCAR All-Star Race – which is sponsored by NASCAR’s Premier Partners Busch, Coca-Cola, GEICO and Xfinity – will begin on July 15 at 6 p.m. ET on FS1. The NASCAR Open will air at 7 p.m. and the NASCAR All-Star Race begins at 8:30 p.m. on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Tickets start at $35 for adults and $10 for kids 12 and under are on sale at www.bristolmotorspeedway.com. Free parking is available at Speedway Parking located at the corner of White Top Road and Hwy 394 and paid parking options are available at neighboring properties. Shuttles and trams will not be running for this event. A limited number of overnight RV camping spaces are available for purchase. Facial coverings are required in common areas such as entering through the gates, restrooms, concessions, souvenir stands, elevators and concourse areas. Facial coverings may be removed once physically distanced in assigned ticketed seat. Clear bags only (no coolers) will be allowed in for this event. Further details and other requirements can be found on the Bristol Motor Speedway website.

Posted on July 1, 2020July 1, 2020 by Terrin Waack

Garrett Lowe pulled off his own version of “The Double” on Tuesday when he raced at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway in two different series.

Normally, “The Double” is when a driver competes in the NASCAR Cup Series’ Coca-Cola 600 and the NTT IndyCar Series’ Indianapolis 500 on Memorial Day. Lowe, on the other hand, was a part of the U.S. Legend Cars International’s Summer Shootout at the real Charlotte Motor Speedway and then the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series’ Round 9 at virtual Indianapolis later in the evening.

LEARN MORE: Coca-Cola iRacing Series | Summer Shootout

“Come to think of it, I never thought about that being an option, tying it into the real world with the Coke 600 and the Indy 500,” Lowe told NASCAR.com. “But that’s actually even cooler for me to think about it like that. That’s cool not only from the real world and the virtual world standpoint, but to go from Charlotte in a Legend car to Indy in a Cup car, that’s pretty big. It was a lot of fun.”

And it was a big success.

Lowe finished third in the Summer Shootout race and then fourth in the Coca-Cola iRacing Series event. With completely different teams, too. His Legends car was with Stillwell Racing, and his iRacing car was with Wood Brothers Racing.

“Logistical planning took forever,” Lowe said. “I think me and my parents spent a total of about a week. We talked about it every day. We’d sit down and ask, ‘What’s the game plan now?’ Any time we got a schedule update or anything, it was, ‘OK, what do we have to change to accommodate this?’ ”

Lowe actually moved his iRacing simulator from his home, which is about 45 minutes from the Charlotte track, to a fellow Stillwell Racing member’s house in surrounding Concord, North Carolina. He even borrowed a wheel and pedals from another Legends driver.

All that prep ended up paying off more than Lowe could have imagined since the start of his Summer Shootout race was delayed due to weather. It was supposed to begin around 6 p.m. ET but pushed closer to 7:15 p.m. ET. He remembers it being 7:50 p.m. ET when all done. Lowe had a minor time buffer then before the Coca-Cola iRacing Series race went live at 9 p.m. ET.

RELATED: Lowe’s big start

“Once we got rolling, I was pretty confident we were going to be fine,” Lowe said. “The stressful part was making sure I got everything good to go once I got back. But I was rather, I guess, calm more than I expected to be. I expected to be a little hyped after running a 25-lap race.”

It took Lowe a couple minutes to get acclimated to his simulator again, having just been in a real car. He had 10 minutes to run a couple qualifying laps before the real deal. Then, it was race No. 2 time.

“As far as the experience goes,” Lowe said, “it was little stressful and a little crazy.”

Must have been worth it, though, considering Lowe is already mentally prepared to try to work double duty again.

The Coca-Cola iRacing Series’ next race is July 14. There will be no overlap then. But on July 28, when the Coca-Cola iRacing Series takes on virtual Michigan International Speedway, there’s another Summer Shootout race.

“I’m really competitive at both, and I’m committed to running both,” Lowe said. “So, if we can do both, we’re going to make it happen.”

Posted on July 1, 2020July 2, 2020 by NBC Sports

STAMFORD, Conn. – July 1, 2020 – NBC Sports NASCAR and INDYCAR commentators Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton, Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy, as well as executive producer Sam Flood, previewed the upcoming NASCAR/INDYCAR crossover weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on NBC on a media conference call on Tuesday afternoon.

Saturday’s and Sunday’s races on NBC mark the first time in history that NASCAR Cup and Xfinity and INDYCAR Series races will be held at the same track on the same weekend.

Saturday marks a motorsports tripleheader on NBC and NBCSN, beginning with the INDYCAR GMR Grand Prix on the IMS road course at 12 p.m. ET on NBC, followed by the NASCAR Xfinity Series Pennzoil 150 on the IMS road course. The action shifts to Daytona International Speedway for the IMSA WeatherTech 240 at Daytona at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

The NASCAR Cup Series takes center stage from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET on NBC, as NBC Sports kicks off its 2020 NASCAR Cup Series coverage with the Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 Powered by Big Machine Records.

• • •

Flood on the significance of the crossover weekend: “We think it’s a really important crossover to have people watch racing, and we think the ability to grow all of motorsports happens to get people to sample different series … I think this is a great celebration of motorsports, and it happens with Roger Penske, at the track that he now owns, as the perfect launch point for it.”

Burton: “When you think about this, 20 years ago, 15 years ago, 10 years ago, heck, five years ago, were we even talking about doing something like this where you have three series at the same race track on the same weekend, the premier series in North America on two different race tracks at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I mean, think about this; this is a historic weekend and a very important weekend for our country, Fourth of July. Just so many things going on that are good.”

Earnhardt Jr.: “I’m looking forward to seeing the two top forms of motorsports in America today here in the same venue, not only for the fans, but for the people in the industry. There’s so much respect, I think, going back and forth from open wheel to stock car over the decades. There’s been a lot of great circumstances and opportunities where drivers have drove — INDYCAR drivers have raced in stock cars with success and stock car racers have ran at Indy in INDYCARs with success, as well.”

Tracy: “I’ve got to really give a lot of credit for this whole thing to Roger Penske, because having driven for him before and knowing the way that he likes to bring an event and put on an event, to pull this weekend together is probably one of the biggest undertakings in motorsports history to date.”

Earnhardt Jr. on Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race: “It’s been an exciting season. The racing has been fantastic. We’ve seen some of the best racing that we’ve seen in a long, long time. A lot of unique story lines, some old story lines that continue to remain strong over the last couple years in our series. But right now coming off of Pocono, Denny Hamlin winning seems to have supplanted himself as the championship favorite this season … A lot of great story lines coming into this race, an epic race track with a ton of history in motorsports.”

Posted on July 1, 2020 by NASCAR.com

Meet Travis, the Official NASCAR Fan Council Member of the Month for July 2020.

Name: Travis
Current City: York, Pennsylvania
Member Since: 2017

Getting to KNOW Travis:

Q. How did you first become interested in NASCAR?
“My Father watched NASCAR and I can remember watching it with him since about when I was 10. The first race I remember watching was the 1990 Pepsi 400 at Daytona, and my favorite driver was Bill Elliott. I remember his “cool suit” going out in the middle of the race and he still won it! Dad was into cars and Street Rods and I was the same. Loved all things cars and NASCAR was so cool. Loved it ever since I can remember!”

Q. What is your favorite part about NASCAR?
“I love the competition, but I also really think it’s the personalities that really make up what the sport is. Ever since Twitter came along, fans can see more of who the drivers are. I have followed/liked more drivers that I never would have had I not had the ability to see who they really are and what they are like in the past. It puts a whole new perspective on my view of the sport from only really liking one or two drivers to really just wanting a good race with some action and a story to follow, and now with so many stories able to play out via Facebook and Twitter, its more interesting and more meaningful to follow everyone in the race, not only one or two drivers.”

Q. What is your favorite NASCAR memory?”
“My favorite memory was going to Charlotte with two friends in 2002 and seeing Mark Martin win. That was a great weekend with great friends. There are so many other memories involving NASCAR but that is my favorite.”

Q. Do you have a favorite in any of the following categories?
Driver: “Ryan Blaney.”
Track: “Charlotte Motor Speedway.”
Sponsors: “My favorite sponsor is Ford because of the support they give to the teams and to the sport itself.”

Q. What are some of your hobbies?
“Search eBay for the remaining 3 cards I need to complete my MAXX Race Card Collection! I like to go to car shows in my 1965 Ford Falcon, spend time with my family at the local amusement park, and spend time with my boys at their sporting events.”

FROM ALL OF US AT NASCAR, WE THANK TRAVIS FOR HIS CONTINUED SUPPORT AND LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM HIM IN 2020!

Look for Travis on the Official NASCAR Fan Council page on NASCAR.COM.

Posted on July 1, 2020July 2, 2020 by Team Release

CONCORD, N.C. (July 1, 2020) – SUNNYD, the iconic beverage brand made solely in the USA, will return to Chris Buescher’s No. 17 Ford Mustang just in time for the Fourth of July holiday weekend, as the NASCAR Cup Series rolls into the iconic Brickyard 400 race at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“We are really looking forward to getting to Indianapolis,” said Buescher. “We’ve started to gel as a team, and are starting to see those results on track. Indianapolis is one of the most iconic tracks in the country and it’s really fitting that we’ll have the SUNNYD ‘Made in America’ paint scheme back on our Ford this weekend for our first race at Indy during the Fourth of July weekend.”

Along with the bright, bold, unique orange and yellow colors, the No. 17 Ford will also sport a new patriotic theme with red, white and blue stars and stripes that reflect both SUNNYD’s heritage and the Fourth of July holiday. Since 1963, SUNNYD has been made in America and celebrates its roots with a limited-edition “Made in America” packaging that is released seasonally each year and available in stores now.

“It’s really neat to have an American-made product on board,” said Buescher. “I know the whole Roush Fenway organization, and Jack especially, are very proud of everything and anything made in America and we can’t wait to get to see the scheme on track this Sunday.”

Buescher will make his fourth start at the Brickyard 400 on Sunday, a track he has an average finish of 15.8 with one top-10. Buescher has scored two top-10 finishes in the past three races and with his seventh-place stage one finish at Pocono Raceway last weekend, the driver racked up his seventh top-10 stage finish of the season, and his fifth in the last eight races.

Coverage for Sunday’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is set for 4 p.m. EST on NBC. Race coverage can also be heard on Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network and SiriusXM Channel 90.

Posted on July 1, 2020July 2, 2020 by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 1, 2020) – Beginning this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and running through July 31, the NASCAR industry will honor United States Armed Forces and frontline healthcare heroes as part of this year’s expanded NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola – an industry-wide opportunity to recognize and thank those who have gone above and beyond to keep society safe and healthy.

For the first time ever, NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola will kick off with the Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 at the Brickyard (Sunday, July 5 at 4 p.m. ET on NBC, IMS Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), as the platform shifts to a mid-summer window due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

NASCAR Premier Partner Coca-Cola returns as the presenting sponsor of NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola, as the company will take an active role curating and highlighting stories of frontline personnel and other heroes during the platform window.

“We take pride in honoring all who work tirelessly to keep our nation safe, whether a frontline worker in the fight against COVID-19 or part of our U.S. Armed Forces protecting us around the world,” said Jill Gregory, executive vice president and chief marketing and content officer, NASCAR. “The NASCAR industry has always been passionate about saluting our nation’s heroes both past and present, and we once again look forward to recognizing those who serve.”

Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images

As part of the evolved campaign for 2020, NASCAR and Coca-Cola will create content opportunities to celebrate heroic work from our military and first responder community during the COVID-19 pandemic. In partnership with NBC, NASCAR and Coca-Cola will celebrate heroes in the military and medical community, and NASCAR and Coca-Cola’s dedicated actions to support our community. Through NASCAR digital and social channels, the industry will spotlight even more stories with a new “NASCAR Salutes Refreshing Moments” feature that will also be hosted on NASCAR.com/Salutes.

“While this crisis has impacted everyone’s daily lives, we are able to race because of the selfless acts by our military community and frontline workers,” said John Mount, vice president, sports marketing and region assets, Coca-Cola North America. “NASCAR Salutes offers an impactful opportunity to showcase our pride and appreciation for these heroes and their families.”

While NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola shifted due to COVID-19, the industry continued its tradition honoring fallen service members during the annual Memorial Day Weekend 600 Miles of Remembrance at the Coca-Cola 600. All 40 NASCAR Cup Series cars featured the name of a fallen service member on the windshield during the race in honor of those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

The next weekend during the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Xfinity recognized its military community employees from across the company that are working to keep communities safe and connected during the pandemic. Among those recognized were 23 employees actively serving in the National Guard who are responding to the current crisis. The names of those Comcast employees, and a patriotic red, white and blue design replaced the Xfinity logo adorning each drivers’ windshield.

A number of other NASCAR Official Partners leaned in to support the program as well:

Mack Trucks will wrap its NASCAR Mack Anthem haulers with NASCAR Salutes-themed graphics voted on by fans at MackTrucks.com/NASCARSalutes. The paint schemes honor both military and frontline heroes and the winning designs will be unveiled July 4 and debut during the NASCAR Salutes window.
AMR, the “Official Emergency Medical Services Partner of NASCAR,” will feature the NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola branding on its NASCAR safety trucks and safety team helmets throughout the program.
Goodyear continued its tradition of replacing the iconic “Eagle” sidewall for 600 Miles of Remembrance at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This year’s recognition was the Honor and Remember organization, which works closely with the industry to honor gold star families who have lost family members while serving.
Mack Trucks and Blue-Emu also collaborated on a day-long effort to thank truckers and critical workers for their hard work during COVID-19. After a kickoff at Mack Trucks’ headquarters, NASCAR’s Mack Anthem haulers visited Virginia-based Sovah Health to thank the frontline workers at the hospital en route to the NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway.

Fans can learn more about the heroes honored throughout the NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola program by visiting NASCAR.com/Salutes.

Posted on July 1, 2020July 1, 2020 by Staff Report

For the third consecutive year, NASCAR Official Partner Mack Trucks will wrap its NASCAR Mack Anthem haulers with NASCAR Salutes-themed livery, voted on by fans at MackTrucks.com/NASCARSalutes.

The paint schemes honor both military and front-line heroes, and the winning designs will be unveiled July 4 and debut during the NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola window, which runs from July 1-31.

Here’s where you come in. Fans will vote on the four schemes, with the top two favorites winning. One will be a military-specific wrap, and the other will be a front-line workers-specific wrap.

The vote runs from noon ET on July 1-3. So vote early, and vote often!

MORE: Cast your vote now

Posted on July 1, 2020July 2, 2020 by Zack Albert

The Xfinity Series’ Friday arrival at Indianapolis Motor Speedway comes with a bit of a milestone, marking the first practice sessions scheduled for a NASCAR national tour since the sport returned in May after the COVID-19 outbreak.

Adding on extra track time comes with good reason. The prep will be necessary for Xfinity teams to acquaint themselves with Indy’s road-course layout, which will be used for the first time for Saturday’s Pennzoil 150 at the Brickyard (3 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App, IMS Radio Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Cup Series regular Matt DiBenedetto tested a Team Penske entry back on January 22 to help determine the 14-turn, 2.439-mile configuration, which uses portions of the historic 2.5-mile oval with the twisty, road-course sections that wind through the speedway’s infield. DiBenedetto won’t be entered in the 62-lap race, so the full Xfinity field will get its first taste of the layout — outside of simulators — in Friday’s two 55-minute sessions (1:30 and 3 p.m. ET).

IMS

“Yeah, I’ve been practicing on the simulator since February for the Indy race,” said Chase Briscoe, an Indiana native and winner of two of the last three Xfinity Series races. “It means the world to me to win there, just with it being new nobody knows what to expect, so we’re trying to be the best we can be.

“I go to the simulator every Wednesday and every Wednesday I’ve been running at least an hour-and-a-half to two hours at Indy, just trying to get prepared for the race track. I feel like I’ve got a pretty good idea of where to make speed. It’s hard to really say how much the simulator will correlate over to the real-life thing, but I feel like I have a really good general idea of what to do and I’m not gonna be lost for those first couple of laps.”

Former Cup Series driver AJ Allmendinger and Team Penske’s Austin Cindric stand out on the entry list for their road-racing expertise. Kaulig Racing’s Allmendinger scored his first NASCAR oval win on June 6 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but his other four national-series victories have come on road courses. All three of Cindric’s national-series wins have been on road-racing circuits, including two in the Xfinity Series (Watkins Glen International, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course) last year.

MORE: Early reviews from Indy road-course test

The series’ bigger organizations may have the opportunity to log simulated laps on the Indy road course, but independent teams may have to count on Friday’s practice — or get resourceful. Jeremy Clements’ lone Xfinity Series win for his family-owned team came at Road America in 2017, and his approach to Indy so far is to embrace the unknown.

“I think it’ll be a lot of fun. I really have no idea about the track,” Clements said after a third-place finish at Pocono Raceway last weekend. “I hear it was fun for Matty D. … I don’t know anything about it. We don’t have any simulators or any of that stuff. I don’t know. Kind of going in blind, so I’m going to be a little bit behind there. I think Ford’s got the track on their simulator, but I don’t know. I’m going to get on Forza on my Xbox and see, I think it’s on there. …

“It’s really all I got. I don’t think iRacing even has the exact track. I just enjoy the chance to go to a track that nobody knows that good and we can make the most of it. I think it’ll be a survival-type race for sure, and you need to be there at the end and I think we can capitalize on that and possibly pick up a win or another top-three finish. But I’m excited about it.”