| Driver | No. | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Petty | 10 | 08/12/1967 | 10/01/1967 |
| Richard Petty | 6 | 07/14/1971 | 08/08/1971 |
| Bobby Allison | 5 | 05/30/1971 | 06/23/1971 |
| Dale Earnhardt | 4 | 03/29/1987 | 04/26/1987 |
| Bill Elliott | 4 | 03/01/1992 | 03/29/1992 |
| Harry Gant | 4 | 09/01/1991 | 09/22/1991 |
| Jeff Gordon | 4 | 07/26/1998 | 08/16/1998 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 4 | 10/21/2007 | 11/11/2007 |
| Mark Martin | 4 | 08/08/1993 | 09/05/1993 |
| David Pearson | 4 | 04/03/1966 | 04/11/1966 |
| David Pearson | 4 | 05/05/1968 | 05/18/1968 |
| Billy Wade | 4 | 07/10/1964 | 07/19/1964 |
| Darrell Waltrip | 4 | 09/27/1981 | 11/01/1981 |
| Cale Yarborough | 4 | 09/12/1976 | 10/03/1976 |
| Kyle Busch | 3 | 07/11/2015 | 07/26/2015 |
| Bobby Allison | 3 | 10/29/1967 | 11/12/1967 |
| Bobby Allison | 3 | 07/09/1972 | 07/23/1972 |
| Bobby Allison | 3 | 09/05/1983 | 09/18/1983 |
| Buck Baker | 3 | 05/13/1956 | 05/25/1956 |
| Dale Earnhardt | 3 | 08/22/1987 | 09/13/1987 |
| Jeff Gordon | 3 | 09/15/1996 | 09/29/1996 |
| Jeff Gordon | 3 | 11/01/1998 | 02/14/1999 |
| Bobby Isaac | 3 | 04/03/1969 | 04/08/1969 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 3 | 10/16/2004 | 10/31/2004 |
| Junior Johnson | 3 | 06/05/1958 | 06/15/1958 |
| Junior Johnson | 3 | 08/13/1961 | 08/27/1961 |
| David Pearson | 3 | 08/08/1968 | 08/18/1968 |
| David Pearson | 3 | 04/15/1973 | 05/06/1973 |
| David Pearson | 3 | 05/30/1976 | 06/20/1976 |
| Richard Petty | 3 | 07/28/1974 | 08/11/1974 |
| Richard Petty | 3 | 03/16/1975 | 04/06/1975 |
| Richard Petty | 3 | 09/15/1968 | 09/29/1968 |
| Richard Petty | 3 | 09/13/1970 | 09/30/1970 |
| Richard Petty | 3 | 03/07/1971 | 03/21/1971 |
| Richard Petty | 3 | 04/15/1971 | 04/25/1971 |
| Richard Petty | 3 | 08/15/1962 | 08/21/1962 |
| Richard Petty | 3 | 04/21/1963 | 05/02/1963 |
| Richard Petty | 3 | 04/30/1966 | 05/10/1966 |
| Richard Petty | 3 | 07/13/1967 | 07/23/1967 |
| Dick Rathmann | 3 | 05/04/1952 | 05/18/1952 |
| Fireball Roberts | 3 | 04/07/1957 | 04/19/1957 |
| Herb Thomas | 3 | 09/08/1951 | 09/23/1951 |
| Herb Thomas | 3 | 06/27/1954 | 07/04/1954 |
| Rusty Wallace | 3 | 10/09/1988 | 10/23/1988 |
| Rusty Wallace | 3 | 04/04/1993 | 04/25/1993 |
| Rusty Wallace | 3 | 06/05/1994 | 06/19/1994 |
Here’s what you’ll see on NASCAR.com this week:
MONDAY: Indianapolis was the first instance of the new high drag package being used, and drivers shared their opinions on it … The Rundown will once more feature how all 43 drivers in the field fared … Weekend in GIFs will recap all the best action from the track, in GIF form.
TUESDAY: This week’s Power Rankings presented by Outback is sure to get a shakeup, and Kyle Busch may be in contention for the No. 1 spot … @nascarcasm gives us his best with two funny ideas — Kyle Busch‘s mock Facebook page post-race, and a list of Jeff Gordon‘s crappiest retirement gifts.
WEDNESDAY: New paint schemes will be on display at Pocono and Iowa, and we’ll have them all in Paint Scheme Preview … Senior writer Kenny Bruce gets into the nitty-gritty of the sport with Tech Talk … Bruce will also be at Bristol to cover the open test … High Five highlights the best five pieces of NASCAR content from around the web.
THURSDAY: Driver Reports highlights the 16 drivers currently on the Chase Grid, and how they fare at Pocono … Pocono has had plenty of noteworthy moments at the track, and we’ll look at a crazy Dale Earnhardt Jr. wreck for #TBT.
FRIDAY: The Sprint Cup Series gets on track at 11 a.m. ET, and we’ll have full coverage from a busy day at the track … 8 Tweets You Might Have Missed highlights the best from social media over the past week.
Also coming this week: Should stock cars race on dirt? Brad Norman and Kathy Sheldon debate after a successful weekend at Eldora … We’ll tell you who can clinch a spot in the Chase at Pocono, and how.
No. 24 Hendrick driver talks disappointing finish, recaps career at Indy
RELATED: Gordon wrecks in final Indy appearance
MORE: Full race results | Updated series standings
SPEEDWAY, Ind. — It was an emotional final start at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Jeff Gordon, but not for the reasons he expected.
Just 50 laps into Sunday afternoon’s Crown Royal presents the Jeff Kyle 400 at the Brickyard, Gordon’s famed No. 24 Chevrolet was involved in an accident, a chain reaction spin into the wall that badly damaged Gordon’s car while the original cars involved — Clint Bowyer and Kasey Kahne — were able to motor on relatively undamaged.
The Speedway’s favorite son and five-time winner Gordon, however, spent nearly an hour in the garage while his team frantically made his car drivable again and he returned to the race with only 40 laps remaining.
Gordon won the first Brickyard 400 in 1994, but this year he was scored 42nd out of 43 cars in his last — 54 laps down to winner Kyle Busch.
"Just disappointed with the way the day went,” Gordon said on pit road after the race. "I feel like we showed up here with a car that had some speed in it. Then we didn’t qualify very good and that was disappointing.
"Even though we weren’t good at the start we made up some spots and I thought we were going to be in a position to make some gains. I don’t know if we had a winning car or top-five car but I was looking forward to see what we did have.
"Not the day we wanted to have. We had a great car all weekend, didn’t start the race off great, but I thought we were making some headway on it."
As Gordon spoke with a small group of reporters on pit road, just behind the crowd sitting along the front grandstands starting loudly chanting, "Jeff, Jeff, Jeff … " and Gordon turned around and flashed a big grin and wave that was received with huge cheers.
They love Gordon here.
The speedway is located only a half hour away from tiny Pittsboro, Indiana, where Gordon’s family moved their teenage racing prodigy from California to advance his racing career — and where on Thursday a parade was held in Gordon’s honor.
"The fans have been absolutely amazing not only this weekend but throughout the last 22 years and I appreciate it so much,” Gordon said. "For the last 22 years they’ve been cheering. Indiana is such a special place to me. We wouldn’t be here today if not for Indiana and racing here. I always hoped I could do something special here at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and I have gotten to do that."
Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Boles only half-joked addressing the pre-race drivers meeting that there was a definite sentimental favorite this year.
He suggested to the other drivers that they should "move over and let the three Hoosiers (Gordon, Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman) battle it out themselves."
Gordon smiled at the idea and raised his hand with a thumbs up.
The adoration and admiration for the four-time NASCAR Cup champ is always apparent when he races here. But this weekend — and in particular on race day — it was tangible and abundant.
Five hours before the green flag dropped there was a large crowd lined up against a chain link fence near the garage stalls, people waiting with cameras ready to take a photo — and cheer wildly — as Gordon’s No. 24 Chevy rolled through the normally mundane routine of pre-race inspection.
Nearby, about 40-50 people stood outside Gordon’s garage just behind the speedway’s pit road. Lucas Farmer, 20, and his father Barry wore matching, brightly colored Jeff Gordon hats intent on getting the perfect selfie photo and video in front of the garage stall.
The Farmer family, from Paris, Tennessee — home to the "world largest fish fry" they proudly explained — made the trip to Indianapolis as their "big" and only summer vacation. It’s the first NASCAR race they’ve ever attended although dad, son, mother Stephanie and 18-year-old daughter Libby have been longtime, loyal Gordon fans.
"If Jeff could win this, it would be a dream come true for us,” Barry Farmer explained.
"I just couldn’t imagine anything better,” Lucas agreed.
Unfortunately for the Farmer family and so many in the grandstands Sunday afternoon, the fairytale ending was a little more complicated than that.
"The last eight years have really been feast or famine, either we win or a have problem,” Gordon said. "Unfortunately, we didn’t end up on top, but congratulations to Kyle Busch he’s on a heckuva roll right now.
"We won this thing last year, won it five times, so I can’t be too greedy or disappointed, it’s been an amazing career here. The fans have been absolutely amazing not only this weekend but throughout the last 22 years and I appreciate it so much."
No. 4 SHR driver led a race-high 75 laps, finishes third
RELATED: Full race results | Updated series standings
SPEEDWAY, Ind. — Kevin Harvick led a race-high 75 laps but not the final one in Sunday’s Jeff Kyle 400 at the Brickyard and if there is a silver lining to the disappointment, he still remains first in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series points standings, a hefty 69 points ahead of the guy (Joey Logano) he finished behind in the race and second in the Chase grid behind Jimmie Johnson thanks to his two wins and points accumulation.
Harvick’s No. 4 Chevrolet paced the field four times and for much of the day looked well on its way to handing the reigning Sprint Cup champ his second Brickyard 400 trophy. But late race restarts proved his undoing and he finished third behind race winner Kyle Busch and Logano. Ironically a 1-2 finish for Toyota and Ford after 12 consecutive wins by Chevrolet.
Obviously disappointed by the final outcome, Harvick was still philosophical and upbeat after the race.
"We had a great day," he said. "I think everybody did a great job, just in that second or third-to-last restart where the 22 (Logano) and 18 (Busch) were able to get hooked up and kind of drive by us and I lost control of the race there and didn’t really have what I wanted on the restarts.
Fellow Chevrolet driver and fourth place finisher Martin Truex Jr. took responsibility for part of Harvick’s woes.
"Just feel a little bad for Kevin (Harvick) there," Truex said. "I kind of screwed him. I was trying to push him, just mistimed it. It’s hard to see the lines down there when you are behind a guy.
"I just totally forgot to ask my spotter for help and a heads up when we were getting 5-10 feet from that line. I feel bad I messed him up a bit there. I kind of messed Kyle (Busch) up on the last one too and he still won."
No. 18 driver gives Toyota its first victory at the Brickyard
RELATED: Full race results | Updated series standings | SHOP: Busch gear
INDIANAPOLIS — "This is awesome!" Kyle Busch screamed as he crossed the start/finish line at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and continued a run that has grown from extraordinary to downright other-worldly.
Holding off Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano during three late-race restarts, Busch beat Logano to the finish line by .332 seconds to win Sunday’s Crown Royal presents the Jeff Kyle 400 at The Brickyard.
The victory was Busch’s fourth in the last five NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, all coming after an 11-event absence to start the season, the result of a broken right leg and left foot suffered in a crash during the Feb. 21 NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Daytona International Speedway.
"I guess Kyle’s back," a disappointed Logano said after the race, uttering perhaps the biggest understatement in the modern era of stock car racing.
Harvick finished third, followed by Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin. Clint Bowyer, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch, Kyle Larson and Brad Keselowski completed the top 10.
To the suggestion that the accident may have provided additional impetus to his comeback, Kyle Busch replied, "I just think that maybe I’ve found my happy place.
"Happy Gilmore (a movie character) – he found his happy place and he just dominated at the end, so maybe I’ve found that, too. Nothing better than being in Victory Lane. Nothing better than being in Victory Lane for one of the biggest wins of my career.
"I just want to celebrate with my team, my wife and my family."
A quick inventory of Busch’s accomplishments shows that the driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota:
— He is the first to sweep both the Sprint Cup and XFINITY Series races at Indianapolis. Busch won the Lilly Diabetes 250 XFINITY race on Saturday with a last-lap pass of Ryan Blaney.
— He gave Toyota its first victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, breaking a string of 12 straight wins by Chevrolet at the 2.5-mile track.
— He won the 33rd NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race of his career.
— He continued his relentless advance toward the top 30 in the standings and consequent eligibility for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs. In what now seems a foregone conclusion, Busch has six races to overcome a 23-point deficit to 30th-place Justin Allgaier.
"We’re a championship contending team," Busch asserted. "We just have to be championship eligible. Thank the good Lord for bringing me back when he did. Obviously, thanking him for all the success I’ve had in my life, where I’m at and all my blessings.
"To get me back as quick as he did, to persevere through that and that deficit. We’re still continuing on. We can’t have bad days. I don’t know that any of that matters—we’re going to bask in this moment here."
Perhaps most astounding is Busch’s ability to win three straight races at three different race tracks using three different competition packages: low-downforce at Kentucky with a 3.5-inch spoiler; standard 2015 rules at New Hampshire with a six-inch spoiler; and high-drag at Indianapolis with a nine-inch spoiler and one-inch wicker.
Logano fell just short of giving team owner Roger Penske, a 16-time Indianapolis 500 winner, his first Sprint Cup victory at The Brickyard.
RELATED: Logano says, ‘I’m glad he’s back, but geez’
"You come to Indy, and it’s all about the win," said Logano, who took the checkered flag in the season-opening Daytona 500 this year. "You either win or finish last. It doesn’t really matter anywhere in-between. At least that’s the way I race when I come to a track like this. I feel like, at Daytona and Indy, it’s all about getting trophies and rings and making out with bricks.
"Overall, it was a good day, but second hurts. It always does."
Jeff Gordon‘s last race at The Brickyard as a full-time Cup driver—and his hopes for an unprecedented sixth victory at the 2.5-mile track—suffered an irreparable blow on Lap 50. Racing to the inside of Harvick, Bowyer’s Toyota got loose and spun.
Gordon checked up, trying to avoid Bowyer’s car, but the No. 24 Chevrolet swerved out of control into the outside wall in Turn 3. The resulting damage ended any hope of another Brickyard trophy for the four-time Sprint Cup champion.
"I was underneath Kasey Kahne and we were just racing for position," Gordon said as his crew worked feverishly in the garage to repair the car. "I saw Bowyer get sideways. I don’t know what caused it. Me and Kasey were trying to check up to avoid it. I don’t know if he got loose or we just both got loose together. Then I just lost control and got in the wall."
Gordon finished 42nd and lost one spot to 11th in the series standings. Without a win this season, Gordon is in jeopardy of missing the Chase and can ill-afford another day like Sunday.
See what the driver of the No. 18 Toyota needs to make the Chase
RELATED: Updated series standings | Latest Chase Grid
With only six races left until the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, it’s time to check up on Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, as he tries to rebound from early-season injuries and make the Chase.
WHAT JUST HAPPENED: The beat goes on for Busch, who won for the fourth time in five races, taking the Crown Royal Presents the Brickyard 400 in overtime on Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Busch held off Joey Logano on the final restart during a green-white-checkered finish to get his first Cup win at the famed 2.5-mile superspeedway. Busch led only 19 of the 164 laps, but he was perfect on the late restarts en route to his 33rd win in the premier series and fourth since returning from injuries sustained in the season-opening NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Daytona International Speedway.
WHAT HE NEEDS: With four wins this season, Busch still needs to finish in the top 30 in the standings and be able to start the remaining regular-season races to be eligible for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. With six races to go before Chicagoland, Busch is unofficially 23 points behind Justin Allgaier, who is in 30th place. At his current pace, Busch needs 19.68 points per remaining event or an average finish of 24th place.
WHAT’S NEXT: The Sprint Cup Series heads to Pocono Raceway for the Windows 10 400 at 1:30 p.m. ET on Aug. 2 (NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM). Busch finished ninth earlier this season at the Tricky Triangle in his third race since returning from injuries. It was his best finish in his comeback until he won two races later at Sonoma. For his career, Busch has eight top-10 finishes in 21 Cup starts at Pocono. He has an average finish of 18.3 and a driver rating of 84.6.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING:
Really hurts to be so close to this one. Wanted it bad for RP. Had awesome restarts. Tired of finishing second. @KyleBusch is on fire
— Joey Logano (@joeylogano) July 27, 2015
If you love cars you have to love @ToyotaRacing and @KyleBusch They build them he drives them. Congrats!
— Michael Waltrip (@mw55) July 26, 2015
Pucker Up! @KyleBusch @CoachJoeGibbs JD Gibbs and the @Skittles crew are kissing the bricks at Indy! #Brickyard400 pic.twitter.com/luNe90JjHx
— Joe Gibbs Racing (@JoeGibbsRacing) July 26, 2015
Seeing JD Gibbs today around the track made my day. He is a Great man and I miss seeing him more.
— Steve Letarte (@SteveLetarte) July 27, 2015
RETWEET to congratulate @JoeGibbsRacing! They swept both poles & races this weekend at @IMS, 2nd week in a row! pic.twitter.com/KGUnVLLHxJ
— Toyota Racing (@ToyotaRacing) July 27, 2015
Driver documents fluids taken and weight lost at Indianapolis
Landon Cassill performed a "science experiment" during Sunday’s Crown Royal presents the Jeff Kyle 400 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The full-time driver in both the Sprint Cup and XFINITY Series proved his stamina after May’s Coca-Cola 600, running 14 miles to the NASCAR Hall of Fame following NASCAR’s longest race of the season. He also qualified to compete in next month’s Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Austria.
As he braved temperatures that saw one in-car thermometer in Casey Mears‘ car reach at least 131 degrees, Cassill had a query: How much weight would a driver lose over 400 miles in a race?
See the results of his experiment below.
Science experiment! My pre race weight, I’m planning on taking in 80oz of fluids in the race, we’ll see what I lose. pic.twitter.com/QJ0W071Yz3
— landon cassill (@landoncassill) July 26, 2015
Consumed 110oz fluids & 1100 calories->post race 147.4lbs. That’s -15lbs, replaced 7 of it with fluids, net loss 8lbs pic.twitter.com/WsXq6rsvO0
— landon cassill (@landoncassill) July 26, 2015
That’s a 10% gross loss of body weight, getting it back to 5% with fluid replacement. I think I’d like to see closer to 3%.
— landon cassill (@landoncassill) July 26, 2015
I few more stats from the 110oz of fluids I took in…1,100 Cal, 1,978mg of sodium, 264g Carbs, 572mg Potassium
— landon cassill (@landoncassill) July 26, 2015
See how the postseason picture looks after 20 races
Note: Kyle Busch has four wins and is the only driver with a win outside the top 30. Kyle Busch must finish in the top 30 in points after the regular-season finale at Richmond International Raceway to make the Chase field.
Driver of No. 24 was trying to avoid spinning Clint Bowyer
RELATED: Gordon says goodbye to the Brickyard
Jeff Gordon ran into trouble on Lap 50 in his final appearance as a full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Gordon damaged the left-front side of his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet when he hit the wall at the 2.5-mile superspeedway while trying to avoid a spinning Clint Bowyer.
Gordon made light contact with teammate Kasey Kahne‘s No. 5 Chevrolet as he veered right to avoid Bowyer.
The driver of the Michael Waltrip Racing No. 15 Toyota was racing alongside Kevin Harvick when his car appeared to get loose and went into a spin.
"I was underneath Kasey Kahne and we were just racing for position," Gordon said. "I saw (Clint) Bowyer get sideways. I don’t know what caused it. Me and Kasey were trying to check up to avoid it. I don’t know if he got loose or we just both got loose together. Then I just lost control and got in the wall."
Gordon, a five-time winner at Indianapolis who spent time racing as a teenager while living in Pittsboro, Indiana, went to pit road twice to get significant repairs. The second time, NBCSN reported that the crew had to cut away part of the left-front fender to prevent it from rubbing the tire, and he was penalized for speeding on pit road.
RELATED: Gordon goes home to Pittsboro
Gordon returned to the track but, by Lap 66, was scored five laps down. The NASCAR tower asked Gordon to pick up his speed as he was having trouble meeting the minimum 58.11-second lap required of cars in the race. When Gordon couldn’t meet the speed, he brought the No. 24 to the garage.
"Yeah, we’re never going to give up," Gordon said. "We got back out there as fast as we could. The splitter was too torn up on the front and creating lift. The car didn’t have any front downforce and was pushing bad. We’re probably going to cut the nose off, put a new nose on and get back out there."
Gordon got back out on the track eventually and was scored 42nd in his final run at the Brickyard.
Logano has finished second to Kyle Busch twice this season
MORE: Full race results | Updated series standings
SPEEDWAY, Ind. — There’s no satisfaction to finishing second for Joey Logano.
The disappointment weighs a little heavier for the Team Penske driver this time around.
Logano, attempting to become only the second driver to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 in the same season, came up short.
"You come to Indy, it’s all about the win, either win or finish last," Logano said Sunday evening after finishing second to Kyle Busch in the Crown Royal presents the Jeff Kyle 400 at the Brickyard.
"At least that’s the way I race when I come to a racetrack like this."
The 25-year-old had his chances as cautions regrouped the field three times within the final 10 laps. Logano was third, trailing eventual race winner Kyle Busch (Joe Gibbs Racing) and Kevin Harvick (Stewart-Haas Racing) on a Lap-153 restart. He was still third when the field was reset after a caution for debris set up the first of two attempts at a green, white, checkered finish.
And he was second, with a final opportunity, after a third yellow on Lap 159.
Although Logano was officially scored out front when the final restart got underway, Busch managed to pull ahead shortly after crossing the line. Logano briefly closed the gap, but Busch held the position.
"The worst part," Logano said, "is the same guy beat me the last two times I finished second. I’m glad he’s back and all but geez … you don’t have to come back like that.
"We’ve been working our guts out all year and he comes right back and (is) doing it. … It’s impressive what those guys have been doing, too. That’s amazing, the run they’re on."
Busch, who missed the first 11 Sprint Cup races of the season after breaking his right leg and suffering multiple fractures to his left foot in an XFINITY Series crash at Daytona International Speedway, has won four of the last five Sprint Cup races, including the last three.
Crew chief Todd Gordon said there was no gameplan for the final restarts, but he felt comfortable with where his driver was positioned.
"We don’t get to dictate the plan," Gordon said. "I thought the 4 (of Harvick) was a good car to have behind us (on the restart); we worked with him earlier in the day. Just need to find a little more speed. Our restarts were pretty good. We’re getting closer, we can definitely see it, but we need to find a little more speed."
Team owner Roger Penske has won a NASCAR championship, and his record in the Indianapolis 500 is sterling. But just like Logano, the wait for a Brickyard win resumes.
"Obviously with the guy I drive for, he really wants to win these races and you don’t want to let him down," Logano said. "I’m sure it stings for him just as much as it stings for me.
"He’s been coming here a long time and deserves to get a win here, and I wanted to be the guy and be the team to give it to him."