SPEEDWAY, Ind. – The return of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval configuration for NASCAR racing became capital-O official in Friday’s extended Cup Series practice. Tyler Reddick made the most of it.
Reddick posted a lap at 182.582 mph in 23XI Racing’s No. 45 Toyota, as the NASCAR Cup Series prepares for the 30th anniversary Brickyard 400 on Sunday (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, NBC Sports App, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The on-track time marked the first official IMS oval laps for the series’ Next Gen car platform after three years on the combination oval and road-course layout, switching back to the counterclockwise race direction that had been in place here since the early 20th century.
Reddick made the adjustment fairly seamlessly, also putting his car atop the speed chart for consecutive 10-lap averages.
“That’s good! I mean, it seemed pretty solid. When you come to a place like this, that’s always something you hope for,” said Reddick, a winner earlier in the season at Talladega Superspeedway. “I’ve been fortunate, we’ve run the road course here, and we’ve been really, really strong. Obviously, it seemed like Denny (Hamlin) had a really good test and we were able to get some good data from him. Yeah, tracks like this, it’s always a question mark to some degree, you know? How close is your sim preparation going to be? But it seemed like everyone did a pretty good job. Yeah, pretty happy with how the car drives.”
Ryan Blaney, last week’s winner at Pocono Raceway, was second-fastest in the No. 12 Team Penske Ford at 181.928 mph. A pair of Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota teammates in Hamlin and (181.561) and Christopher Bell (181.371) were third and fourth in that order, with Alex Bowman’s No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports entry clocking in 180.930 mph as the fastest Chevrolet.
Bowman was among those marveling at Reddick’s early show of speed, but noting how challenging passing could be Sunday. A similarly speedy performance could be crucial for track position if Reddick is able to back it up in Saturday’s Busch Light Pole Qualifying (1:05 p.m. ET, USA, NBC Sports App, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
“I was talking to Tyler on the elevator on the way up here, he’s the fastest thing here by a mile and ran me down like I was tied to a post, then couldn’t do a damn thing,” Bowman said, hinting at a potential premium on passing. “So it’s going to be difficult for sure.”
The 50-minute session went largely incident-free, save for a brief halt for debris and a practice-ending spin by Erik Jones in the No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota. But most drivers were welcoming of the change back to the oval configuration that had been in place from the historic 1994 inaugural through to 2020.
“Very refreshing,” Bell said. “I mean, regardless of how the race turns out, I think it’s very important that we race the oval. … It’s just, it’s Indianapolis. Whenever you think of Indianapolis, you don’t think of a road course. It’s the Brickyard 400, and it’s a marquee event, and it’s a huge event. And no matter how the race turns out, it’s the right thing.”
The switch also provides Martin Truex Jr. with one more shot at winning at the prestigious venue, as he prepares for what is expected to be his final Brickyard race in his farewell Cup Series season.
“It’s huge. I mean, just the history here, with what this track means to motorsports in general across the world. So it’s very, very cool to get to come here,” said Truex, who placed 20th on the opening speed chart. “I wish we were a little bit faster today because qualifying and track position is going to be everything. So tomorrow is a very, very important qualifying day, but having the chance to win here no matter what, it’s huge. It’s special, and somebody’s going to have a big day on Sunday.”
Kyle Busch didn’t mince words when he joined ESPN’s Pat McAfee Show Friday afternoon, especially when it came to last Sunday’s incident with Corey LaJoie at Pocono Raceway.
Busch, driver of the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, spun during last weekend’s Great American Getaway 400 after Corey LaJoie’s No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevy nudged into him, causing Busch to slide through the infield and collect AJ Allmendinger, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and others in the process. Busch’s eventual DNF was his fifth of the last seven Cup races.
“He (LaJoie) texted me, and then he called me,” Busch said to McAfee. “I didn’t even reach back out because he changed his story four times, so I’m like, you’re just a liar. You wrecked me. Like, I get it. It’s fine, whatever. Payback’s coming.”
“I don’t have faith in anybody because I’ve been wrecked in five out of the last seven races by somebody..
LaJoie, who said following Sunday’s race he “was not gonna say sorry” about the wreck, discussed the incident further on his recent podcast episode of Stacking Pennies.
“As I tried to replay it back, and I wish I had done my interview with replays before I said anything because I didn’t know, I probably am more remorseful, is the right word, but I do feel bad even for Kyle,” LaJoie said during the podcast. “I don’t want to end his day. Randall Burnett (No. 8 crew chief), we’re buddies, I don’t want to wreck anybody’s day.”
Busch currently sits 102 points below the 16-driver elimination line with five regular-season races remaining. LaJoie, meanwhile, sits 229 points behind the same position.
Busch further discussed his 2024 campaign with RCR and how he and the team are looking to improve on the 2024 campaign.
“Our cars have not been that great right now,” Busch said. “We’re working on it. We’ve come to a lot of things of what we’re kind of learning about and figuring out. Last year, we were good. I joined RCR, we won three of the first 12, 15 races or something like that. It was pretty good, and then we haven’t won since, so it’s been a bit of a dry spell, so we’re working on it.”
Busch, LaJoie and the rest of the Cup Series field will race this Sunday in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).
NASCAR.com’s 36 for 36 continues at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
With 36 races and 36 full-time Charter cars, our players select one car per race, but there’s a simple twist: once they’ve made the pick, they can’t choose that car again for the rest of the 36-race season. Yes, that means every car will be selected exactly once … a survivor pool, by another name.
Follow along weekly as our panel of pickers — Dustin Albino from Jayski, along with Steve Luvender and Cameron Richardson from NASCAR.com — embarks on a season-long journey to think like strategists and prove their picking prowess.
We’ll also feature a fourth “community” 36 for 36 pick each week, as decided by fan vote on the r/NASCAR subreddit. Can the collective vote topple our trio of full-timers?
Current Standings:
Steve Luvender: 518
Dustin Albino: -43
r/NASCAR Community: -56
Cameron Richardson: -73
Race 22 of 36: Indianapolis
Last week’s Pocono race challenged our pickers to think a little differently. Both Steve Luvender and the r/NASCAR community logged just 12 points after Daniel Hemric’s DNF, while Cameron Richardson collected 27 points from a Bubba Wallace top 10. The biggest winner of the weekend was Dustin Albino, who moved from third to second in the overall standings when Erik Jones delivered a 30-point day.
Now, the Brickyard 400 returns after a three-year absence from the schedule, putting our pickers’ skills to the test once again. NASCAR’s current-era vehicles have never raced on Indy’s oval. Is the play to pick a superstar driver who will rise to the occasion or to choose an underdog that might benefit from attrition on a new car-track combination?
Jayski’s Dustin Albino: No. 6, Brad Keselowski
Dustin’s pick last week: No. 43, Erik Jones (30 points)
Total season points: 475 (second place, +1 from last week)
Dustin: After a rough month-and-a-half stretch, it was nice to chip 18 points off of Steve’s lead at Pocono last weekend. We’re going to swing for the fences again — this hasn’t worked out for me in recent weeks — by choosing Keselowski at Indianapolis. He and Kyle Busch are the only two full-time drivers in the field who have won the Brickyard 400. Keselowski executed a nice late-race pass on Denny Hamlin in 2018 to win the crown-jewel race. Keselowski has three top-five finishes in the last four races on the Indianapolis oval and also had one of the best cars in the field last weekend at Pocono, a track that races similarly to Indy.
NASCAR.com’s Steve Luvender: No. 9, Chase Elliott
Steve’s pick last week: No. 31, Daniel Hemric (12 points)
Total season points: 518 (first place)
Steve: As luck would have it, Daniel Hemric failed to finish a race for the first time all year the week I picked him. Onward to Indy, where I’m choosing Chase Elliott. I’ve got a rough idea of where I’m using the rest of my picks this year, and the No. 9 was a tricky one to nail down because he’s good basically everywhere. Elliott historically hasn’t had huge results on the IMS oval — it’s actually his third-worst track in terms of average finish after Daytona and Las Vegas — but I’m optimistic things will look a little differently since the series last raced the oval layout in 2020.
NASCAR.com’s Cameron Richardson: No. 24, William Byron
Cameron’s pick last week: No. 23, Bubba Wallace (27 points)
Total season points: 445 (fourth place)
Cameron: A good week at Pocono could mean we are back in business, but with the unknowns the Next Gen car could present this weekend at Indianapolis, I’m hopefully playing it safe with Byron. While I’d prefer to save him for the postseason, the stars are aligning for a Byron show-stopper on Sunday. This year marks the 30th anniversary of Jeff Gordon’s win in the first-ever Brickyard 400. With track position likely playing a key role around the 2.5-mile oval, qualifying will be key and Byron is tied with Tyler Reddick and his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson for the best average start position this year (9.7). Byron could also become just the fourth driver to win the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 in the same year.
r/NASCAR Community: No. 71, Zane Smith
r/NASCAR’s pick last week: No. 31, Daniel Hemric (12 points)
Total season points: 462 (third place, -1 from last week)
Zane Smith gets the nod from the NASCAR subreddit this week.
What Redditors said about the No. 71 in the voting thread:
u/Sea_Moment_9405: “Maybe this is the week to use Zane? Since his 2nd place finish at Nashville, he’s had some momentum and even ran in the top 10 for a bit at Pocono, the best comparison we have for Indy. None of the remaining tracks jump out as obvious spots to use him, so I say we strike when the iron is hot.”
u/Extreme-Bite-9123: “Originally, I said Ty Gibbs, but now I think Zane would be better. We can use Ty anywhere, but Zane is on a hot streak and we need to use him at some point. Plus, we need to use Burton at Daytona and I don’t know where else to use Zane, so this could be a great place to use him”
u/Correct-Asparagus308: “Zane Smith ran well at Pocono, the track most like IMS, and even outran Larson at times. I think Zane is a Dark Horse Potential Top 20 Driver, Sure, Would have rather Used him at Nashville, But This could be A Sneaky Good Pick.”
Check back next week to see how our pickers fared as the season-long 36 for 36 journey continues.
And, if you’ve got a competitive itch beyond meticulously managing your Fantasy Live lineup each week, feel free to save or print your own 36 for 36 sheet and see if you can beat our pickers and the Reddit community!
Denny Hamlin’s status as the clear favorite to win Sunday’s Brickyard 400 is justified, but bettors may want to take a wait-and-see approach on the No. 11 Toyota.
Priced in the +300 to +400 range during early wagering, Hamlin’s odds could lengthen over the weekend if his performance in Friday’s practice and Saturday’s qualifying don’t meet expectations.
Here are odds as of Thursday from three prominent sportsbooks – Westgate SuperBook, DraftKings and BetMGM.
Driver
SuperBook
DraftKings
BetMGM
Denny Hamlin
+350
+400
+375
Kyle Larson
+600
+600
+575
Ryan Blaney
+800
+750
+800
Brad Keselowski
+800
+750
+850
Chase Elliott
+1200
+900
+1000
William Byron
+1200
+1000
+1100
Tyler Reddick
+1200
+1100
+1200
Christopher Bell
+1400
+1100
+1200
Martin Truex Jr.
+1400
+1400
+1400
Joey Logano
+1600
+1400
+1500
Chris Buescher
+1800
+1500
+1800
Ty Gibbs
+1800
+1700
+1600
Since this is the first NASCAR Cup Series race around Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s 2.5-mile oval since 2020, there’s plenty of uncertainty ahead of the 2024 version of the event.
“The field has changed, and the car has changed,” Ed Salmons, VP of risk management at Las Vegas’ Westgate SuperBook, told NASCAR.com this week. “We have a different car than we had back then.
Maybe this car will race differently at this track.”
Jim Sannes, managing editor of digital media at FanDuel Research, agrees that Hamlin is the prominent favorite this weekend, but his model doesn’t quite get him to such short prices. Hamlin wins 16.2% of Sannes’ race simulations, which converts to +517 odds.
Sannes is hoping for a less-than-stellar qualifying session for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver. Track position figures to play a major role on Sunday, which means odds will adjust after qualifying on Saturday.
“The optimism around Hamlin is fully justified,” Sannes said in a direct message. “… He has had speed at every relevant track (Pocono, Michigan), and it’s clear this team is prioritizing a win this weekend. I’d love for him to be just middling on Saturday so I could potentially scoop him at more favorable odds post-qualifying.”
NASCAR analysts — and Hamlin himself — believe what we saw at Pocono Raceway last week will translate to what transpires in Indy on Sunday.
Hamlin’s car may have been the best at the “Tricky Triangle,” but boosted by timely pit strategy, Ryan Blaney went on to win The Great American Getaway 400. Hamlin led 31 laps, won Stage 2, amassed 54 points and finished second.
“I actually don’t think Hamlin is overvalued this week given what we saw at Pocono last week and his consistent speed,” Todd Fuhrman, co-host of the Bet The Board podcast and a former Las Vegas oddsmaker, said in an email. “If Blaney hadn’t been able to undercut Stage 2, we’d be talking about the 11 car looking for back-to-back wins. Denny has also emphasized the importance of this race, so I get why books are keeping his price this short.”
“These two races are like almost clones of each other,” Salmons observed about Indy and Pocono. “They have two long straightaways, and ultimately, they kind of play the same.”
Eyes on another Toyota
Both Sannes and Fuhrman mentioned Martin Truex Jr. as another driver to watch this weekend. Truex is priced at +1400 odds, per Thursday’s betting market consensus.
“I’m pretty far above market on Martin Truex Jr.,” Sannes said. “His results on the Indy oval are miserable, but he had some bad luck the final few years before they transitioned to the road course. I’m guessing that’s why his odds here are longer, but someone with his speed shouldn’t be +1400 or +1200. He’s third in my model with 11.7% win odds (+755), trailing just Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson.”
Fuhrman is also interested in the No. 19.
“Martin Truex Jr showed a ton of speed last week,” he said, “(although that) didn’t translate to passing on race day, so if his numbers drift, that catches my eye.”
Early action
“We’ve had bets kind of all over the place,” Salmons said Tuesday, characterizing early Brickyard 400 wagering.
While Las Vegas bettors played Hamlin at +400 and +350 down to +300, there were no takers at +450 in the eight other states in which SuperBook USA operates (the SuperBook runs on a different system in Nevada).
Salmons also wrote early bets on Chase Elliott at +1400, Kyle Larson at +700 and Ty Gibbs at +2000.
“He gets bet every week,” Salmons said of the No. 54 Toyota.
In matchup props, Blaney was bet over Brad Keselowski, prompting moves in the outright market of Blaney down to +700 in Keselowski up to +1000.
That’s a price on the Pocono winner Fuhrman doesn’t seem interested in.
“I will say the market has adjusted plenty off Blaney’s win last Sunday, when we consider he was 17-1 last week compared to a consensus of 8 we’re seeing for the Brickyard,” he said.
Late action
The adjustments oddsmakers are likely to make after qualifying on Saturday could create value for bettors, according to our handicappers.
“Track position will be huge, but there should be some opportunity to find a few fast cars on alternate strategies at decent prices starting deeper in the field especially in the derivative markets,” Furhman said.
“My guess is that I’ll wind up having more action post-qualifying simply because not many drivers are values for me right now,” said Sannes. “I’m effectively in line with market on Hamlin, Larson, and William Byron, but not quite enough to bet them, a ton of win equity from the rest of the pack. It’s possible more value pops up post-qualifying.”
Throughout the 2024 NASCAR season, Ken Martin, director of historical content for the sanctioning body, will offer his suggestions on which historical races fans should watch from the NASCAR Classics library in preparation for each upcoming race weekend.
Martin has worked exclusively for NASCAR since 2008 but has been involved with the sport since 1982, overseeing various projects. He has worked in the broadcast booth for hundreds of races, assisting the broadcast team with different tasks. This includes calculating the “points as they run” for the historic 1992 finale, the Hooters 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The following suggestions are Ken’s picks to watch before this Sunday’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
A.J. Foyt’s name was synonymous with success, capturing a record four Indianapolis 500 victories throughout his career.
In late 1991, Foyt was filming a commercial on the grounds of the Speedway, which culminated in Foyt and the Speedway’s president, Tony George, taking laps in Foyt’s stock-car around the track for the first time.
This quietly laid the groundwork for a second event to be scheduled at the track and in June 1992 it seemed more inevitable than ever.
Nine NASCAR Cup Series drivers took part in the inaugural two-day test session. Dale Earnhardt, Ernie Irvan, Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin, Ricky Rudd, Bill Elliott, Darrell Waltrip, Davey Allison and Kyle Petty were on hand with their teams for the test.
Foyt hopped in the No. 3 car of Dale Earnhardt to take some laps on the second day.
It tragically proved to be the only time that Allison took laps around the famed oval, as he passed away in July 1993.
April 14, 1993 will go down in history as the day the inaugural Brickyard 400 was announced, which was to be held in August 1994. A packed house saw a full-field tire test at the track in August of 1993 in preparation for the event.
Richard Petty, who retired at the conclusion of the 1992 season, brought his No. 43 car out onto the track for a few laps.
The test also featured some other previews of the 1994 event, as drivers got some early seat time in their new rides. Terry Labonte, who drove the No. 14 for Billy Hagan in 1993, was behind the wheel of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet that Ricky Rudd raced. Labonte was previously announced as the car’s new driver for 1994.
Labonte, who was bringing sponsorship over from his current ride, tested the No. 5 car that resembled Rudd’s ride but without the current sponsorship on the side of the car.
John Andretti tested the No. 14 for Hagan, as he was their new driver for 1994.
86 cars were entered for the inaugural Brickyard 400, as drivers fought to fill the 43-car starting field.
H.B. Bailey was the first driver to hit the track but unfortunately failed to qualify for the event.
Dale Earnhardt’s qualifying lap put him straight to the top of the board, but he was immediately bumped by Rick Mast, who won the pole position for the inaugural event. Foyt made the field, qualifying 40th.
The excitement of the race was unmatched, as the pre-race ceremonies and the vibes around the race were nothing but one-of-a-kind.
When the green flag finally waved, it didn’t take long for a bit of excitement. Earnhardt brushed the outside wall, while trying to put his name in the history books as the first stock-car driver to leave at the track. It was again Mast who was able to attach his name to that claim.
As the laps passed by, it looked like Jeff Gordon, Geoff Bodine and Brett Bodine had some of the fastest cars in the field. A restart following a crash involving Dave Marcis and Mike Chase allowed the Bodine brothers to restart first and second.
What ensued was a battle on the track that left Brett turning Geoff, sending him around before collecting Dale Jarrett in the process. Geoff admitted in his post-crash interview that the two drivers were having some family issues but didn’t ever expect it to spill over onto the track.
This shook up the field, eventually pinning Ernie Irvan in the lead, with Gordon and Bodine chasing him.
Irvan held a small lead over Gordon, the youngest driver in the field, as the final laps passed by until heartbreak struck the No. 28 Robert Yates Racing team.
The leader had cut a tire, allowing Gordon and Bodine to pass Irvan and set sail. Irvan brought his car into the pits and was relegated to a disappointing 17th-place finish.
“Years from today, when 79 stock car races have been run here, we’ll remember the name Jeff Gordon, winner of the inaugural Brickyard 400!”
It was no surprise that Ernie Irvan put his Robert Yates Racing Ford on the pole for the fourth running of the Brickyard 400, given that the Yates powered cars quite possibly were the fastest stock-cars the oval had seen since the race’s inception in 1994.
What was a surprise was that it came while so much drama was surrounding the driver, as rumors swirled about who would be driving the car in 1998. The day after Irvan’s pole run, Kenny Irwin Jr. was officially named the new driver of the No. 28 car for the 1998 season.
At the same time, Irvan was not forced with the task of searching for a new ride but had a heavy heart. His mother was in a coma at a North Carolina hospital after respiratory failure earlier in the week.
Despite all of the stress on Irvan, he carried on and led the field to the green flag on Saturday afternoon. He didn’t miss a beat, leading the first 39 laps, the only time he would lead that day.
A handful of big names, including Rusty Wallace, defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Terry Labonte and Sterling Marlin, saw their dreams of crossing the bricks first dissolve due to engine issues.
The race progressed to come down to fuel mileage, as Irvan’s teammate and the defending Brickyard 400 champion Dale Jarrett, Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin were out front but without a chance to make it to the end without stopping for fuel.
This all eventually cycled Ricky Rudd to the point, as he stretched his fuel to the limit and held off Bobby Labonte to capture the victory. It was his second victory of the season and the first time since 1987 that the Chesapeake, Virginia driver had won more than one race in a season.
Labonte, Jarrett, Gordon and Jeremy Mayfield rounded out the remainder of the top five. Irvan brought his No. 28 car home in 10th.
Columbus, Indiana’s Tony Stewart grew up with winning at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on his mind, eventually making five starts in the Indianapolis 500. To his dismay, he never took the checkered flag in the race but came home with a career-best fifth-place finish in 1997.
He had another chance to live out his dreams once he moved to the NASCAR Cup Series in 1999. His first few attempts at a triumph came up short six different times. Stewart arrived at the track in 2005 on a hot streak, with six straight finishes of seventh or better.
He qualified 22nd for the race but quickly looked like a threat as he passed cars left and right through the field, finally taking the lead for the first time on the 100th lap of the 160-lap Crown Jewel event.
His biggest threat at knocking his chance at a triumph away was Kasey Kahne, who led 39 laps after starting fourth. Stewart led the final 11 laps en route to victory.
Stewart proudly proclaimed after the race that this was the greatest day of his life, both personally and professionally.
Editor’s Note: Racing Insights’ playoff projections use a combination of current standings and historical performance at upcoming tracks to determine the probability of each driver winning or making the playoffs on points.
With the Cup Series Playoffs on the mind throughout the season, what if there was a way to project how the 16-driver field could look before each race weekend?
It now exists via Racing Insights. From now until the start of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, “The Field of 16” will give fans a weekly look at where their favorite drivers could potentially land in the postseason field — and the likelihood of having a shot at the Bill France Cup.
Here’s this week’s update on the projections heading into Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
NOTABLE PROBABILITY SHIFTS POST-POCONO
DRIVER
BEFORE POCONO
ENTERING INDY
DIFFERENCE
Chris Buescher
60.98%
79.96%
+18.98
Bubba Wallace
19.40%
24.68%
+5.28
Ty Gibbs
85.60%
79.79%
-5.81
Ross Chastain
79.02%
64.55%
-14.47
PROBABILITY CALCULATED BY RACING INSIGHTS AHEAD OF BRICKYARD 400, JULY 21, 2024
DRIVERS SOLIDLY IN PLAYOFF PICTURE
With just five races left in the regular season, 10 drivers have clinched berths in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. Daniel Suárez and Austin Cindric are provisionally locked in with their single victories this season. Still, they could be in jeopardy if new winners emerge in the remaining events before the 16-driver field is official.
After Pocono Raceway, Chase Elliott jumped Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson for the Cup points lead, and the pair are separated by just three points for the regular-season title that will award 15 bonus playoff points. Tyler Reddick (-15) and Denny Hamlin (-20) are also right in the mix for the coveted postseason reward.
Of those without a win, Martin Truex Jr. should safely be into the playoffs as he sits a comfortable 137 points above the elimination line.
LAST 4 IN
It’s going to be six stressful weeks for Chris Buescher, Ty Gibbs and Ross Chastain. Nothing would cure that stress more than a victory, but no one from this trio has been within reaching distance of a victory recently.
Buescher’s been the closest and is still overdue for his breakthrough this season. Top fives at Sonoma Raceway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Nashville Superspeedway still leave hope the No. 17 RFK Racing driver will add his name to the winner’s list this season. Last year, Buescher won three of the final five regular-season races.
After Phoenix Raceway and Bristol Motor Speedway at the start of the season, it looked as though Gibbs would be in line for multiple victories in his sophomore campaign, but it’s been a year of highs and lows for the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing team with little consistency in between. Pocono seemed like the golden opportunity for Gibbs’ maiden Cup win, but the 21-year-old faded out of the lead in Stage 2 and had his engine expire in the final stage. Indianapolis will likely not improve Gibbs’ playoff hopes as he’s never put down a lap on the oval.
If there’s any driver or team that’d be most disappointed in potentially missing the postseason, it’s Chastain and the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet group. Chastain was runner-up in the title race in 2022 and won the championship race in 2023 despite not being title-eligible. With three consecutive finishes of 22nd or worse, Chastain holds just a 27-point advantage over Bubba Wallace for the 16th playoff spot.
FIRST 4 OUT
Wallace got an important top-10 result at Pocono after starting 29th. Now just 27 points back of the final playoff spot, the final five races of the regular season are all potential winning spots for the No. 23 23XI Racing driver. Wallace finished third and ninth in the last two Indy oval races, respectively.
For Kyle Busch to be a three-time winner at Indianapolis, it will probably need to come from pit strategy. In five of the last six races, the two-time Cup Series champ has started 19th or worse. With Busch sitting 102 points below 16th, it’s going to take a win if the No. 8 RCR team is going to vie for the Bill France Trophy.
WHO CAN SHAKE UP PLAYOFF PICTURE AT INDIANAPOLIS?
Going to go with the Hoosier himself, Chase Briscoe. Sure, it would probably take some chaos and aggressive strategy in the pits, but Briscoe has put together quite the consistent 2024 campaign and is 18th in the playoff standings (-75). Briscoe and his Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Josh Berry have inched ever so close to being race-win contenders this summer.
Historically, if there’s one thing that’s been consistent at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval, it’s the importance of qualifying to NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers.
Brad Keselowski won the 2012 series debut race at big track from the eighth starting position. Since then, all seven Indy winners have started from the top three spots on the grid, four from the pole position.
Kyle Busch has been the dominant Xfinity Series driver at the Indy oval, winning three times from the pole. He won the last race held there in 2019, leading a race-high 46 laps. Busch, however, won’t be competing in Saturday’s Pennzoil 250 (3:30 p.m. ET, USA, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).
In fact, JR Motorsports driver Justin Allgaier is the only former winner entered in Saturday’s race. Allgaier scored an emotional win at the track in 2018.
“It’s great to be going back to the oval at Indianapolis,” Allgaier said. “This is such a special place. I grew up watching races here, and to be able to have the opportunity to go to Victory Lane again on the oval definitely means a lot.
“Hopefully, our Jarrett Chevrolet will be just as strong as we have been throughout this season, and we can put ourselves where we want to be in the end. If we can do that, I see no reason why we won’t have the opportunity to kiss the bricks come Saturday afternoon.”
To do so, Allgaier will have to execute a clean race. Though he leads the Xfinity Series with 11 stage wins this season, the speed in his No. 7 Chevrolet has produced just one victory so far — Darlington Raceway in May — thanks to a series of mishaps and ill fortune.
When Woody Howard prevailed in the Hampton Heat back in 2009, the race served as one of several notable events on Langley Speedway’s calendar.
The 15 years that have passed since that day have seen the Hampton Heat emerge as Langley’s crown jewel and a key component of the prestigious Virginia Late Model Triple Crown. Saturday’s festivities are poised to be the largest in Hampton Heat history with a record 38-car entry list and a sold-out crowd.
The Hampton Heat is already a challenging event due to extreme temperatures, but Howard knows the increased notoriety surrounding this year’s race only puts more pressure on competitors. Despite this, he believes the speed in Robert Hopper’s No. 41 Ford will put him in an ideal position to earn a second Hampton Heat victory.
“I’m feeling pretty confident,” Howard said. “We’ve been making progress all year getting the car better. With competition the way it is on a weekly basis, I don’t think it’ll be much different. It’s tough every week, and there will be some more cars to deal with, but we’ll have a shot at it.”
Langley has always been a special track for Howard, as he formally broke into Late Model Stocks at the facility at the turn of the century.
Howard immediately showcased his talent behind the wheel by winning several races across northern Virginia. He picked up his lone track championship in 2002 at Southampton Motor Speedway, a feat he accomplished by fending off current NASCAR Cup Series competitor Denny Hamlin.
It was Howard’s back-and-forth rivalry with Hamlin that caught the attention of Joe Gibbs Racing, which brought Howard into the team’s developmental program starting in 2005, one year after Hamlin joined. While waiting for an opportunity to move up with Gibbs, Howard kept himself busy by committing to the USAR Pro Cup Series with owner Jim Dean.
The combination of Howard and Dean proved to be effective. Howard took home five checkered flags across the USAR Pro Cup Series platform in Dean’s black No. 55 between 2005-07, scoring personal best points finishes of third in the Northern division and the National standings during that timeframe.
Howard was encouraged by J.D. Gibbs to keep racing with Dean as he attempted to find a seat for him somewhere on the developmental ladder. Those efforts proved to be in vain, as a changing landscape and a lack of funding on Howard’s behalf prevented him from moving into NASCAR’s top ranks.
“It was the same trouble everybody has; they needed money,” Howard said. “I was probably one of the last guys that got paid by a team. I had a good experience with them, and J.D. was real nice. He didn’t promise anything, but he tried to put something together. I had a little bit of backing, but not enough to do a Truck or Xfinity race.”
With his portal to NASCAR effectively closed, Howard was unsure if he wanted to continue a career in motorsports. He admitted that being too hands-on with Dean’s car likely served as a detriment to his development, and he wishes he could have spent more time at Gibbs’ shop to help court sponsors.
Howard decided not to let the circumstances deter his passion for racing. After moving back to his home of Chesapeake, Virginia from Charlotte, Howard shifted some of his priorities over to his education but also got connected with James Long to drive his Late Model Stock at Langley.
After his deal with Joe Gibbs Racing ended, Howard ended up finding success at his home track of Langley Speedway that included his 2009 Hampton Heat victory. (Photo: NASCAR)
Long was no stranger to success at Langley, with his accomplishments including a victory inaugural Hampton Heat with Nick Smith behind the wheel. When it came time for the second edition of the Hampton Heat in July 2009, Howard felt he had a solid chance to take home a checkered flag.
Facing a talented field, Howard kept Long’s car inside the top five all evening while patiently waiting for a chance to pounce on the lead. The opportunity materialized with 18 laps remaining, when Howard made the race-winning pass on C.E. Falk III, who would later go on to claim three Hampton Heat victories of his own.
The triumph came as a minor surprise for Howard. He never considered Langley to be his strongest track but felt immense pride in proving he could beat the seasoned veterans like Falk, Greg Edwards, Danny Edwards Jr. and others in one of the facility’s toughest events.
“I didn’t have a lot of success at Langley, actually,” Howard said. “I had a lot of experience but felt like an underdog out there. They actually stopped racing Late Models at Langley right when I got into them. It was cool to race with those guys, and it still is.”
A handful of the same competitors Howard battled held off for the win years ago have filed entries for this weekend’s Hampton Heat, along with several new household names and invaders outside of the region.
Connor Hall and Brenden Queen, two drivers Howard has followed around Langley plenty of times, are anticipated to be the favorites Saturday night. Joining them on the starting grid is NASCAR Hall of Famer and two-time Daytona 500 winner Dale Earnhardt Jr., who is making his first start of any kind at Langley.
Dale Jr.’s presence alone highlights how much the Hampton Heat has changed from Howard’s perspective since his victory. One aspect that remains unchanged for Howard is strategy, as he knows tire conservation and maintaining solid pace will be pertinent toward being in contention during the closing stages.
Facing one of the toughest fields in Hampton Heat history, Woody Howard remains confident in his chances of a second victory. (Photo: Ryan M. Kelly/NASCAR)
“It’ll be cool to see [Dale Jr.] out there and actually get to race with him,” Howard said. “There will be some packed stands, but we’re going to do what we normally do. We’re hoping all the stuff we learned earlier in the year helps us out, and we’re going to try and not make too many mistakes.
“It doesn’t take much to put yourself outside the top 10 at Langley if you’re off just a little bit.”
The competitive depth Howard faces Saturday is comparable to the fields he faced in the USAR Pro Cup Series during the 2000s. No margin of error exists in either qualifying or the 200-lap feature for Howard, but he feels fortunate to just have the opportunity at another prestigious win.
Howard’s career trajectory might not have gone the way he initially envisioned when he signed his developmental deal with Gibbs, but he is content with racing at his home track of Langley on a regular basis. A lot has changed with the facility’s crown jewel, but Howard still possesses the same confidence to win as he did 15 years ago.
“[Winning on Saturday] would be bigger than the first one for sure,” Howard said. “The first one wasn’t quite as big of a deal. There was a smaller number of really talented drivers, but with Dale Jr. and all the other big names coming, it’s going to be as hard to win as ever.”
More eyes than ever are on Langley’s biggest event, but that is only serving as motivation for Howard to put together one of his best races and join a small list of drivers as a multi-time Hampton Heat champion.
Not only did he fend off many stalwart veterans to achieve that milestone, but he did so in the famous Ole Blue No. 3 Modified operated by Boehler Racing Enterprises. Among the notable drivers who have wheeled Ole Blue to Victory Lane over the years are Bugs Stevens, Wayne Anderson and current NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Preece.
Johnson felt honored to continue Ole Blue’s cherished legacy on the Modified Tour, crediting his victory to the chemistry he’s established with Boehler’s operation over the past three years.
“It took a little bit to set in,” Johnson said. “The [NASCAR Whelen Modified] Tour is such a prestigious level to win on, especially with this group of guys. We all work so hard toward building a notebook and a bond with each other to get there. Finally getting that win made such a positive impact for the team, and hopefully we can keep the momentum going.”
Jake Johnson (Photo: Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)
Boehler was responsible for helping Johnson break into the Modified Tour in 2022 on a part-time basis. After putting together several consistent runs, Johnson earned the opportunity to become Ole Blue’s full-time driver this year.
There were many long weekends for Johnson during his first two years with the Modified Tour, but the positives and negatives provided many valuable lessons on how to set reasonable expectations and salvage solid days when victory is out of reach.
Consistency has been an instrumental component of Johnson’s 2024 campaign. Aside from his Monadnock victory, he has completed every lap while having yet to record a finish outside the top 10, all of which has him third in the point standings behind Ron Silk and Justin Bonsignore.
Although he still has some ground to make up in the championship, Johnson’s victory does have him atop the Whelen Granite State Short Track Cup standings. Holding that lead through the next two Monadnock events will be a challenge for Johnson, especially since Saturday’s race is 100 laps longer compared to the May event and features a tire change.
If he can maintain solid pace through all 250 laps, Johnson believes he can park Ole Blue in Victory Lane again. He is optimistic another win will help build momentum toward pursuing a title, but he emphasized the importance of keeping Ole Blue clean through the remaining events.
“I’m grateful to have that first win,” Johnson said. “That milestone is done, but looking forward, you can’t be greedy. It’d be nice to have a little more success this weekend and get another win. You have to keep up consistency over the last half of the season. Don’t get yourself in a bad situation, and take everything one by one.”
Johnson’s quest to defend his Monadnock Speedway victory from May starts Saturday when the Duel at the Dog 250 goes green at 8 p.m. ET on FloRacing.
Veteran Woody Pitkat is reuniting with Danny Watts Jr. for Saturday’s Duel at the Dog 250 at Monadnock Speedway. (Photo: Bryan Bennett/NASCAR)
Woody Pitkat making first start of 2024 in familiar No. 82
An iconic Modified Tour ride is set to return to the track at Monadnock this weekend.
Long-time owner Danny Watts Jr. will have his orange No. 82 Modified on the grid in Saturday’s Duel at the Dog 250 for the first time this year after retiring from full-time competition at the end of 2023. Piloting Watts’ car is veteran Woody Pitkat, who is also making his first Modified Tour appearance this season.
Pitkat and Watts bring plenty of familiarity to Monadnock. The duo previously collaborated on the Modified Tour during the late 2010s, with Pitkat delivering a victory for Watts at Wall Stadium back in 2019 after overtaking Timmy Catalano with three laps remaining.
Saturday is expected to kick off Pitkat’s second consecutive part-time campaign with a storied owner in Modified competition. In 2023, he partnered with Stan Mertz prior to his retirement, successfully putting together several clean races that culminated in a top-10 finish at Thompson Speedway to wrap up Mertz’s career.
Pitkat’s best Modified Tour performance at Monadnock was a runner-up finish to Doug Coby in 2015. He looks to improve on that showing in Watts’ car Saturday night.
Stephen Kopcik (left) looks to utilize his experience as a driver and crew chief to bring home another strong run on Saturday at Monadnock Speedway. (Photo: Adam Richins/NASCAR)
Stephen Kopcik seeks to build momentum from debut race
In his second career Modified Tour start, at Seekonk Speedway last month, Stephen Kopcik made a strong impression amongst the series regulars.
After starting ninth, Kopcik worked his way through the field to secure an impressive fourth-place run. He placed higher in the running order than several accomplished Modified Tour drivers such as champions Doug Coby and Justin Bonsignore.
Even though he has only made limited ventures into the Modified Tour, Kopcik has plenty of experience in the discipline. Along with winning numerous races around the northeast, Kopcik is also efficient as a crew chief, having led Ryan Preece to Victory Lane on a couple of occasions.
The equipment Kopcik will drive Saturday can deliver him another top five. His Wanick Motorsports teammate Anthony Sesely led 46 laps during the Granite State Derby at Monadnock in May before he faded to 13th in the closing stages.
If he can replicate his stellar performance from Seekonk, Kopcik could make a statement by adding a Modified Tour win to his resume after just three starts.
Patrick Emerling has come close to victory several times during his first year driving for Rich Gautreau. One of his two third-place finishes of 2024 came during the Granite State Derby at Monadnock earlier this year, a milestone Emerling looks to eclipse Saturday night.
Kyle Bonsignore nearly upstaged his cousin Justin at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last month but settled for a solid second-place run, his best of 2024. Bonsignore is searching for better luck at Monadnock in Saturday’s Duel at the Dog 250, as he finished 22nd there in May due to an expired engine.
When the Modified Tour visits Monadnock, Brian Robie typically performs well in front of the home crowd, as two of his three top 10s have occurred at the facility. Robie enters Saturday’s Duel at the Dog 250 with the goal of finally obtaining a top five in the series.
No driver in NASCAR history understands the significance of the Brickyard 400 quite like Jeff Gordon.
From his youth as a California kid to an Indiana teen, Gordon grew up idolizing the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the 2.5-mile rectangular behemoth that has challenged every driver who ever dared to roar a race car across its history-laden pavement for more than a century — and the yard of bricks that remain from its 1909 paving to represent its start/finish line.
Since NASCAR’s official Indy debut in 1994 in a town simply — perfectly — known as Speedway, Indiana, Gordon’s name has been etched in the track’s lore. Just two days after his 23rd birthday, Gordon’s iconic rainbow-painted No. 24 car dashed through the checkered flag to win the inaugural Brickyard 400, his first of a Cup-record five victories on the Indy oval.
After a three-year hiatus, the Brickyard 400 returns to the NASCAR Cup Series schedule — a 160-lap affair slated for Sunday afternoon (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).
And three decades removed from the groundbreaking rumble of stock-car racing to the famed, long-open-wheel-only speedway, Gordon cherishes a return to the oval after NASCAR’s past three years racing instead on Indy’s infield road course.
“Obviously, there’s a lot of history with this event if you go back 30 years,” Gordon said in a phone interview with NASCAR.com. “And to celebrate that inaugural event is pretty amazing and a lot to tell. I mean, I think that that day, if you look at NASCAR’s popularity and where it sort of went to from those mid-90s, in that time in ’94 further, it obviously was a game-changer — not just for me, my career and the drivers that were there that were part of it, but just for the whole industry and motorsports in general.”
NASCAR Research & Archives Center | Getty Images
Indianapolis was and remains sacred ground, but for 85 years, its sanctity was exclusive to IndyCar racing. After successful NASCAR tests in 1993, the inaugural Brickyard 400 was scheduled for 1994 and became an instant crown jewel on the Cup Series schedule.
“Being a part of that day was really special,” Gordon said. “And I don’t know since then that I’ve seen that much hype, that much attention, media coverage, fan attendance and engagement, sponsors, teams, you name it. I mean, it was a hyped-up event, but it lived up to or exceeded the hype. And that just doesn’t happen very often.”
That Gordon enjoyed so much success when the full-bodied machines of the stock-car world stormed into Indianapolis was something he could have never imagined as a kid. Well, not in a stock car, anyway.
“My heroes were the drivers that raced there — (Rick) Mears and Unser, AJ (Foyt) and (Johnny) Rutherford,” Gordon said. “And so I remember traveling back to Indiana in the early ’80s and going and visiting the museum and the track and it just became that much more real and that much more of a dream to race there one day.
“So it was disappointing that didn’t happen in an IndyCar. But at the same time, I think being a part of the inaugural (NASCAR) event and what that did to NASCAR and my career and Indianapolis and the history, it might have been even possibly more special for me just because of that personal connection.”
Gordon was in and out of Indianapolis Motor Speedway every week or two growing up, largely because Simpson Performance Products had a location at the track where Gordon would purchase racing equipment.
Now approaching age 53, Gordon is in the midst of another fruitful career arc. The immediacy after his 23 full-time years behind the wheel of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet first propelled him to the FOX Sports booth as a lead analyst from 2016-21 before committing full-time to Hendrick itself, where he now serves as the vice chairman of the company behind team owner Rick Hendrick.
Rainier Ehrhardt | Getty Images
With that has come unique opportunities, perhaps none as impactful as coordinating an effort between Hendrick Motorsports and Arrow McLaren in the NTT IndyCar Series to put forth an entry for Kyle Larson in the 2024 Indianapolis 500 in his attempt at the Memorial Weekend Double. That effort ultimately fell short, with weather preventing Larson’s arrival in time to compete in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. But Gordon’s experience through the month of May allowed him to live vicariously through another Hendrick driver as his IndyCar and NASCAR dreams overlapped.
“When you’re there with a tie to a team like we were, then you’re caught up in every moment and every lap,” Gordon said. “And in qualifying, we had good speed, but then had the (mechanical) issue and he had to go back out. And to run four laps there and the car changing and the speeds that they’re carrying, I mean, to see how that all unfolded from that perspective was amazing. And I’ll never forget it.”
Now, for the first time since 2020, the NASCAR Cup Series returns to the famed oval for its 400-mile feature. The track’s long straightaways but tight, near-90-degree corners create a challenge unlike any other on the circuit’s schedule.
Gordon’s last win at the speedway came a decade ago, continuing a knack for winning every 10 years — 1994, 2004 and 2014 in addition to his 1998 and 2001 Brickyard triumphs. That only means one thing, right?
“Yeah! William Byron in 2024!” Gordon laughed.
OK, Gordon won’t be behind the wheel shooting for another victory in a year ending in a four. And hey, a Byron win would thrust the current driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet into exclusive company to win both at Daytona and Indy. But coincidence or not, Gordon, a four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, always found Victory Lane these years at Indianapolis.
“I didn’t realize that (until) somebody had mentioned that to me the other day,” Gordon said. “I don’t know how exactly all that came together and why, but the track was special — special to me personally and special to our team. And everything happens for a reason. I’m a big believer in that, and so the numbers don’t lie. And it is just something about the 24 and the fours at Indianapolis. That’d be pretty cool to see that happen again this year.”
In that 1994 inaugural feature, Gordon recalled drivers needed a car that turned well in traffic behind other cars — which translated to most tracks on the schedule. But the long straights at Indy also highlighted the difference in horsepower under the hood, so teams would build cars slightly differently to manage the race and do what you needed the vehicle to do, he added.
“I just remember battling with competitors like Ernie Irvan,” Gordon continued. “And we would have the lead and be pretty loose out front, and he would use the draft and draft up behind me and get me looser, and then get underneath me and go by me. And then I would do the exact same thing to him. And that’s why we kept swapping the lead back and forth.”
Fast forward 20 years to Gordon’s final Brickyard 400 win. Though the Cup cars have changed dramatically from then to now — namely with the 2022 introduction of the Next Gen car — there are some things he believes still translate 10 years later.
“Over time, it just got tougher and tougher and tougher to get closer to the cars,” Gordon said. “We figured out aerodynamics and setups a lot better and cars got closer in competition. So I think we’re going to see more of that. I think that these cars need multiple grooves to be able to maneuver, so I think qualifying and track position is gonna be really, really important. So that’s going to play into the strategy. It’s going to play into qualifying. And then it’s going to come down to, if there are restarts, who can be aggressive and manage those restarts. And that was very similar when I won it in 2014. It was a lot like that.”
Thirty years after his triumph in the first Brickyard 400, the allure of the event is alive all over again — perhaps not coincidentally to the three-year vacancy from the 2.5-mile layout.
“Maybe it lost a little bit of its luster and its uniqueness because we went there every year,” Gordon said. “And now we haven’t been back for a while, and I think the excitement is back. And I think that’s good. I think it should be like that.”
On the Hendrick roster are drivers Larson, Chase Elliott, William Byron and Alex Bowman, who have a combined two top fives and five top 10s in 20 Brickyard 400 starts. Since the last Indy oval race, though, Larson and Elliott have each gone on to win Cup championships; Byron has won 13 Cup races, including three this year; and Bowman has won an additional six, including two weeks ago at the Chicago Street Course.
This week, Elliott enters Indy as the series’ points leader by just three points over Larson. But with a crown-jewel race on deck, all eyes shift to the checkered flag at Indianapolis instead of the points tally.
“It’s a big event and it’s a very special track. And I know what it means to our teams to go compete there,” Gordon said. “And I know what it would mean to them to win it. They recognize the history of the track. They recognize the history of our organization at this track, and there’s just certain events that are that are bigger: the Daytona 500 or the Southern 500. And this is one of those events that’s really going to stand out.
“And I hope there’s a big crowd there because I think fans will see a great show, and I know that our teams want to step up and go to Victory Lane.”
