Indy Road Course 101: Practice, Brickyard history, Goodyear tires and more

Posted on August 13, 2021August 13, 2021 by Zach Sturniolo

The NASCAR Cup Series has been racing upon Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s hallowed grounds since 1994.

That tradition turns a new chapter this weekend as the stock cars that have circled the famed oval now shift to the track’s road course layout, first seen in NASCAR action last season with the Xfinity Series.

Let’s dive into the details of the past and future heading into the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App, IMS Radio Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio):

EXTRA TRACK TIME TO SET THE GRID

Because the Cup Series has never competed on Indianapolis’ road course, teams will be able to practice for 50 minutes on Saturday morning (11:05 a.m. ET, TrackPass) to familiarize and adjust as necessary.

Additionally, the starting lineup will be set Sunday morning via qualifying at 9:05 a.m. ET (CNBC/NBC Sports App). This marks the first qualifying session for the Cup Series since Road America on July 4.

HISTORY OF THE BRICKYARD

— Indianapolis Motor Speedway took shape in 1909 through a partnership of four businessmen who sought to develop a testing facility for the city’s growing auto industry, which was second only to Detroit.

— After its original surface of multi-layered gravel and asphaltum oil led to violent crashes and injuries in a cycling event, the 2.5-mile track was quickly redone using 3.2 million paving bricks.

— In 1961, all bricks were removed from the surface but for the three-foot strip that remains at the start/finish line, hence the track’s modern-day nickname, “The Brickyard.”

— Indianapolis Motor Speedway became the first racetrack to install SAFER (Steel and Foam Energy Reduction) barriers, the product of the speedway’s and IndyCar’s work with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to create a “softer” wall that was practical for racing.

— The road course at IMS came to life following a 2000 agreement between then-track chairman, president and CEO Tony George and Formula 1’s then-boss Bernie Ecclestone for the US Grand Prix, which would be run on a 2.605-mile course through the track’s infield and golf course.

— Michael Schumacher won five of the eight USGPs run at IMS from 2000-07, including the inaugural edition in 2000.

— Changes were made to the circuit in 2014 to accommodate IndyCar’s shift to the road course for its first IMS race in May.

— The Indianapolis Road Course marks the 14th different road course to host a NASCAR Cup Series event.

Source: Racing Insights

RULES PACKAGE

NASCAR teams will utilize the low-downforce, high-horsepower package this weekend at the Indy road course. As at all road courses on this year’s schedule, the cars will be trimmed with shorter spoilers and splitter lengths to lessen the impact of downforce around this seven-turn road course while also having more available power under the drivers’ right foot courtesy of 750 HP.

GOODYEAR TIRES

Goodyear was able to use data from the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course to prepare this weekend’s tire, which features the same compound on the company’s “updated road course construction,” Director of Racing Greg Stucker said. This tire is the same teams have used at Circuit of the Americas, Road America and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this season.

“Teams have been on this tire several times at other road courses already this season,” Stucker said. “Having practice will allow teams to get up to speed, and we certainly look forward to a great Cup race as we add yet another new track to the 2021 schedule.”

STORY LINES AT A STORIED VENUE

— Hendrick Motorsports has won eight of the last nine road course races (Chase Elliott, six; Kyle Larson, two), including each of the last four.

— Ryan Blaney’s 2018 victory at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval is Ford’s most recent road course win, its only triumph in the last 14 such events.

— The average green-flag stretch in four of the last five road course races is 11 laps or fewer.

— Tyler Reddick currently holds the final playoff spot on points, ahead by just 15 points over Richard Childress Racing teammate Austin Dillon.

— Denny Hamlin has led 777 laps this season but remains winless. That total currently puts him seventh all-time in laps led in a season prior to a win.

— Tyler Reddick has 12 top-10 finishes in 23 starts this season, the first time an RCR competitor has hit that total that quickly since Kevin Harvick in 2013.

— Christopher Bell has posted four consecutive top 10s, the longest stretch of his short Cup career.

— Aric Almirola’s win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 18 marks Ford’s only win in the last 13 races.

— The last six races have been won by six different drivers, starting with Alex Bowman’s victory in the first of two Pocono races and followed by Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Kurt Busch, Aric Almirola and Kyle Larson.

Source: Racing Insights

AGAINST THE ODDS

Chase Elliott’s bid for three straight wins at Watkins Glen International came up short last week after he had to charge from the rear multiple times.

But Elliott remains the current best on road courses, displayed again at The Glen by a spirited storm through the field to finish second. BetMGM lists Elliott as this weekend’s favorite for the inaugural Indy road course race at 21-10 (+210) odds with last week’s winner Kyle Larson second at 14-5 (+280).

Like Elliott, Christopher Bell fought from the back twice at Watkins Glen and rattled off another top-10 finish. At 20-1 odds, Bell, who won at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course in February and finished second at Road America, may be worth a look.

In need of a sleeper? Joey Logano (25-1) might be your driver. While Ford has struggled to find victory lane lately, Logano has top 10s in six of his last eight road course starts and is the only driver to post top 10s in all previous races on ovals-turned-road-courses.

FANTASY LIVE

Want to manage a team and race your way to the top of the leaderboards? Check out NASCAR Fantasy Live. The free-to-play game lets you choose your drivers each week and show off your crew-chief instincts. It’s not too late to join in on the competition.

The 2021 Fantasy Live points leaders are Denny Hamlin (913), Kyle Larson (903) and William Byron (777).

ALSO ON NASCAR.COM

Get additional camera views by logging on to NASCAR Drive, where each week a select number of in-car cameras will be available — as well as a battle cam and an overhead look.

New for this season, NASCAR has partnered with LiveLike to add fan engagement in the NASCAR Mobile App. Log in to the mobile app during the race for polls, quizzes, the cheer meter and more — and see instant results from NASCAR fans like you.

Posted on August 13, 2021 by Staff Report

Only three races are left in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season for the drivers to clinch their spot in the 2021 playoffs. After Watkins Glen last weekend, 11 drivers have clinched their spot in the postseason, leaving five spots still mathematically eligible.

Already Clinched

The following 11 drivers have clinched a spot in the 16-driver postseason field: Kyle Larson, William Byron, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski, Alex Bowman, Kurt Busch and Christopher Bell.

Can Clinch Via Points

If there is a repeat winner or a win by a driver who cannot advance to the playoffs, the following drivers could clinch by being 111 points above the second winless driver in the standings:

Denny Hamlin: Would clinch regardless of finish.

Can Clinch Via Previous Wins

The following drivers could clinch on previous wins with a win by a previous winner or a win by Denny Hamlin:

Michael McDowell and Aric Almirola: Would clinch regardless of finish.

The following drivers could clinch on previous wins with a win by a new winner:

Michael McDowell: Could only clinch with help.

Aric Almirola: Could only clinch if the new winner is Corey Lajoie or another driver even lower in the standings.

Can Clinch Via Win

The following drivers would clinch on their win alone this weekend:

Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Tyler Reddick, Austin Dillon, Michael McDowell, Aric Almirola.

The following drivers could clinch with a win:

Chris Buescher: Could only clinch with help.

Matt DiBenedetto: Could only clinch with help.

Ross Chastain: Could only clinch with help.

Posted on August 12, 2021August 12, 2021 by Staff Report

The rules of the road are simple for Joey Logano when it comes to racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway: Whether it’s on the oval or the unique 2.439-mile Road Course, the prestige of racing at the Brickyard doesn’t waver.

The Team Penske driver will attempt — along with everyone else in the field — to win the first NASCAR Cup Series race on the 14-turn road course on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET (NBC/NBC Sports App, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), one year after NASCAR’s debut on the road circuit in the Xfinity Series.

BUY TICKETS: Seats for Indianapolis

“I have the same feeling (whether it’s the road course or the oval),” Logano said earlier this week on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio when asked about winning at one of the most famous venues in motorsports. “I’ll make this comparison. Indy and Daytona are comparable when it comes to history and what those tracks mean to certain drivers. And when you look at whether it’s the Rolex 24, if that’s what you do, that’s on the road course in Daytona. Or the Daytona 500 on the oval. It doesn’t matter. You have a win at Daytona. That’s a huge deal. You’re marked in for history.

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

“Indy is as big … because I feel like it’s a track that everyone in the world wants to say they’ve won at. The history of the Brickyard is incredible. All you have to do is go through the museum one day when you’re there and say, ‘Wow, this is a sacred place.’ ”

RELATED: Full Indy Road Course schedule

Adding to the personal pageantry of the weekend for Logano is that he drives for Roger Penske. “The Captain” will have cars entered in all three races in the upcoming historic weekend – NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and Saturday’s IndyCar race. Penske Corporation also owns the track, making it all-the-more important for the Ford stable.

Logano has one road-course win to his credit, a 2015 triumph at Watkins Glen. A victory Sunday would give him 28 for his Cup Series career, deliver additional playoff points and allow the 31-year-old driver and his No. 22 team an opportunity for one of the most famous victory celebrations in sports.

“Whether you’re on the oval, or on the road course, in a stock car or an IndyCar or a tricycle, you want to say you’ve won at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, plain and simple,” Logano said. “So, I don’t care where it’s at. I’m kissing the bricks at the end of the race. That’s all that matters to me. That’s all I want to do. So hopefully this is the week to make it happen.”

Posted on August 12, 2021August 12, 2021 by Reid Spencer

It’s impossible to ignore the Ty Gibbs phenomenon.

Last weekend at Watkins Glen International, Gibbs outdueled acknowledged road-course ace AJ Allmendinger to win his third NASCAR Xfinity Series race in his 10th career start.

In Saturday’s Pennzoil 150 at the Brickyard (4 p.m. ET on NBCSN, IMS and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), Gibbs will have a chance to join NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip, the only driver in history to win four Xfinity races in his first 11 starts. Waltrip accomplished the feat over three seasons, from 1982-84.

When Gibbs claimed his first victory of the season on the Daytona International Speedway Road Course, he became the sixth driver to win in his Xfinity Series debut, joining Dale Earnhardt, Joe Ruttman, Ricky Rudd, Terry Labonte and Kurt Busch.

To win for the fourth time, he’ll have to beat Allmendinger again, in addition to reigning series champion Austin Cindric — a superb road racer in his own right — and 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick.

“The road course at Indianapolis is a track I haven’t been to before, so I look forward to going there,” Gibbs said. “Obviously, the tradition and history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is huge. Almost every great race driver has driven there, and I’m looking forward to it.

“Hopefully, we can keep our streak of good finishes going with (crew chief) Chris Gale, the guys on the 54 team. I know they will bring a great Sport Clips Toyota Supra. I’d love to get another strong finish and continue to help them out in the owner title championship chase.”

RELATED: Xfinity Series owner standings

With nine total victories this season by three different drivers (Gibbs, Kyle Busch and Christopher Bell), the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota trails Cindric’s No. 22 Team Penske Ford by 38 points in the owner standings.

Posted on August 12, 2021August 13, 2021 by Marcus DiNitto

We’ve been writing all season about the Cup Series’ Big Three – Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske. But a perusal of oddsboards for the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard suggests one of these three teams may not belong in that grouping.

Joey Logano, at 30/1 odds at SuperBook USA in Las Vegas, opened with the shortest price of the four Penske drivers. Eight drivers were priced with better chances to win Sunday’s road course race.

For one respected bettor, though, the long odds for Austin Cindric – who is making just his seventh Cup start of the season for Penske – were enticing. The sharp played Cindric to win at the SuperBook’s opening number of 40/1, prompting an immediate move to 25/1, oddsmaker Ed Salmons told NASCAR.com.

That sharp play notwithstanding, the betting market doesn’t have much faith in Team Penske at Indy. But are the long odds for this weekend’s race a function of Penske’s road course struggles, or are they indicative of broader problems?

The answer depends on who you ask.

Salmons sees issues for Penske beyond Sunday.

“The Penske cars look like they’re just incapable of even competing at this point,” he said. “They’re just so far off.”

Salmons, though, did stress the team’s solid performances with the 750-horsepower package on short tracks, a notion with which Jim Sannes, a NASCAR betting and DFS analyst with numberFire, agrees.

Sannes believes Penske will be a factor on the ovals remaining on the 2021 Cup schedule with the 750-package – Darlington, Richmond, Bristol, Martinsville, and Phoenix.

“For me, it’s not really a bigger issue for them,” Sannes said of the Penske drivers’ road course woes. “The reason I think that goes back to New Hampshire, because we heard Brad Keselowski talk about how they viewed New Hampshire as being kind of measuring stick for how they’ll do on the tracks that matter.”

Keselowski, Logano and Ryan Blaney finished third, fourth and fifth at Loudon, respectively, results Sannes says “undersell how good their cars were there.”

“…. So I think that for this week, it’s specific to road courses,” Sannes said of the Penske pessimism ahead of Sunday, “and it’s not something that worries me a lot for the playoffs.”

Playoff outlook

While the 10-race NASCAR Playoffs features five short-track, 750-horsepower races for Team Penske to strut its stuff, the garage’s three playoff-bound drivers are long shots to win the title. At BetMGM, Logano and Keselowski share 14/1 futures odds, with Blaney at 20/1.

Sannes doesn’t see much value in any of the Penske drivers in the championship market, and their lag in playoff points is a key reason why. It will be difficult to overcome the deficit to be among the final four contenders at the Cup Series Championship in Phoenix.

“The biggest issue for them is the lack of playoff points, because they’ve got just three total wins,” he said. “If you’re trying to make your way to Phoenix, you’re going to need a bigger cushion that. It’s not a concern in terms of performance, but it is a concern in terms of will they have enough playoff points to actually work their way to Phoenix.”

Back to Cindric

Cindric, the defending Xfinity champ and the current points leader in that series, hasn’t been particularly impressive when he’s stepped up in class this season. He’s finished outside the top 20 in five of his six Cup starts (including 25th on the Circuit Of The Americas and 38th at Road America), and his best result is 15th at the Daytona 500.

Yet the part-time Cup racer now has shorter odds than any of his full-time teammates. At Barstool Sportsbook, Cindric is 20/1, followed by Logano (25/1), Blaney (35/1) and Keselowski (50/1).

Cindric has a 3% chance to win the Verizon 200, according to Sannes’ simulations, which suggests his odds should be around 33/1.

Cindric’s speed at Road America “was awesome before he had a mechanical issue,” Sannes said. “…. He has a bit of an experience edge over this field at this track (with a 2020 Xfinity race under his belt), and he’ll get more experience this weekend (at Saturday’s Xfinity race). I’m okay being high on him. I think that 27/1 (at FanDuel) is short enough where I’m not going to bet him, but I fully understand it.”

Salmons doesn’t seem too nervous about his shop’s liability on the No. 33 Ford.

“Can he run in the top five? Probably, if everything goes right,” the oddsmaker said. “He’s struggled as far as finishes in these races at the Cup level on road courses, but he’s obviously an elite road course driver. It’s just hard to think that right now he can compete with the Hendrick guys just because they’ve been so dominant. I mean, the Gibbs guys can’t compete with the Hendrick guys.”

Posted on August 12, 2021August 12, 2021 by Terrin Waack

Of the 40 drivers entered into Sunday’s race, only four have previously won at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series.

But there’s a catch.

These four drivers won on the historic 2.5-mile oval, and for the first time in NASCAR history, the Cup Series will compete on Indy’s 14-turn, 2.439-mile road-course layout. Only two of those four have won a road-course event in their careers, and none have this season in the five opportunities already presented.

INDY ROAD COURSE: Weekend schedule | Betting odds | Paint schemes

For starters, the four former Indianapolis winners are Kevin Harvick (2003 and 2019-20), Kyle Busch (2015-16), Brad Keselowski (2019) and Ryan Newman (2013). The two road winners are Harvick (twice) and Busch (four times).

Here’s how they have all fared on the 2021 road courses so far:

	DAYTONA RC	COTA	SONOMA	ROAD AMERICA	WATKINS GLEN
HARVICK	6th	37th	22nd	27th	8th
BUSCH	35th	10th	5th	3rd	4th
KESELOWSKI	5th	19th	15th	13th	35th
NEWMAN	20th	24th	33rd	32nd	25th

Green: best finish among the four; Red: worst finish among the four.

Busch has the best average finish out of those five races – 11.4 (that ranks sixth among all active drivers). Keselowski then follows with a 17.4 average (17th best overall). Harvick just makes the top 20 average marks with 20.0 on the dot (20th overall). Newman has struggled the most, averaging 26.8 (32nd).

The order of the averages make sense, too, considering Busch had the best finish among the four drivers in four of the five events. Keselowski had one best. Harvick and Newman never did, and Newman had two of the worst finishes as opposed to Harvick’s one.

BetMGM’s odds slightly change the ranking order. Of the four, Busch is favored most at 10-1 (fourth best overall). Harvick is then second at 25-1 (tied for ninth), followed by Keselowski at 40-1 (15th)– so those two are switched. Newman still falls in last at 300-1 (tied for 29th).

So, if a previous Indianapolis oval winner is going to also win on the road course, it’s looking like Busch has the best chance.

The inaugural race – the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard – is set for Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on NBC/NBC Sports App, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. It’s one of the final three races in the regular season.

Busch and Keselowski already qualified for the 2021 NASCAR Playoffs by virtue of at least one win (Busch has two). Harvick is a part of the postseason picture right now – 95 points above the cutline – but he’s not guaranteed a berth just yet. Newman – 264 points out – would definitely need a win to advance.

Posted on August 11, 2021August 11, 2021 by Davey Segal

It has already been a career year for Patrick Emerling, as he has set high marks in top fives (six), wins (two) and is on pace for personal bests in average finish and top 10s.

Emerling also sits second in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour standings, 12 points behind three-time and defending champion Justin Bonsignore. But coming off a 2020 campaign that saw him go winless for the third consecutive season and only score one top-10 finish, Emerling said he and his No. 07 Emerling Motorsports team really haven’t changed much behind the scenes.

‘We’re just kind of focusing in on doing our own thing,” he said. “I’m showing up with fast race cars. Last year, I thought we showed up with some fast cars but we had a lot of weird, stupid, really odd things go bad. This year, we’ve just been able to capitalize on a couple of fast cars and run pretty strong.”

Emerling, admittedly an optimist, was a bit surprised at his change in luck after last year’s rough slate. His one top-10 finish came in the season finale at Thompson, and he didn’t compete in the penultimate event at Stafford Motor Speedway. But boy, has his fortune turned around in 2021.

The Orchard Park, New York, native has rolled into Victory Lane at both Stafford and New York International Raceway Park this season, his first win at either venue. He has only finished outside the top 10 once, hasn’t failed to complete a lap and always seems to be up front contending for the win as the race winds down.

“We’ve had some solid runs, a couple that were just okay, one in particular that wasn’t that good,” Emerling said. “We kind of had a tough weekend at Loudon and that kind of set us back a little bit. But we’re sitting second points by a pretty good margin. We definitely can’t complain there.”

But he knows Bonsignore and the Kenneth Massa Motorsports team, who rarely have an off weekend, won’t back down. Forty-four points clear of Jon McKennedy in third place, Emerling said it’s likely a two-horse race for the title with five races remaining.

“Justin and the whole No. 51 team, they’re on their game,” he said. “They’re the type of group to show up with a car that’s not the fastest car, but they get a top five out of there. They’re extremely good and really on point.

“He would need a tough weekend for us to catch up or vice versa. But we just have to keep positioning ourselves to be running up front and try to capitalize on it.”

Finishing second at Riverhead Raceway this season, third at Owego Speedway, winning at Stafford and finishing seventh there last weekend, Emerling thinks the final five events shape up in his favor. Especially given the relatively even playing field the tour will be on.

“We have Beech Ridge, which is a track that’s neutral,” Emerling said. “It’s not Thompson or Stafford or a track that everyone grew up on. We ended up with a third at Oswego and I’m really looking forward to Richmond and what the rest of the season holds for us, too.”

Emerling will look to earn his third victory of the season and close the gap to Bonsignore on Aug. 21 at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in the Rumble at the Ridge 200 at 7:30 pm ET. The event will be streamed live on NBC Sports’ TrackPass.

Posted on August 11, 2021 by Press Release

MIAMI — Motorsport Games Inc. (NASDAQ: MSGM) (“Motorsport Games”), a leading racing game developer, publisher and esports ecosystem provider of official motorsport racing series throughout the world, announced Wednesday the release date of NASCAR 21: Ignition. The newest installment in the officially licensed NASCAR gaming franchise will launch Oct. 28, with preorders starting on Aug. 12, for Sony PlayStation 4, Microsoft Xbox One and PC through the Steam store. A first look at the NASCAR 21: Ignition trailer can be seen here.

Games will have a free upgrade path for the Sony PlayStation 5 and Microsoft Xbox Series X/S post-launch, with free downloadable upgrades available for other users as well. Digital gamers who preorder NASCAR 21: Ignition Standard or Champions Edition will be given early access to the game two days in advance and a “Traxion.gg” paint scheme. Players who purchase the Champions Edition will also receive exclusive availability to unlock Bill Elliott as a playable character, his paint schemes, in-game career boost and the season pass, which will include all three DLC packs. The season pass will release additional paint schemes and three other NASCAR legend drivers.

“Motorsport Games is thrilled to offer our most true-to-life simulation of NASCAR to date with NASCAR 21: Ignition,” said Dmitry Kozko, CEO of Motorsport Games. “We’ve designed this game with our fans and players in mind, bringing them features, modes and options they have long clamored for. NASCAR 21: Ignition captures the atmosphere, pageantry and fierce competition of the NASCAR Cup Series, while offering authenticity, competition and accessibility through the game’s core foundations.”

NASCAR 21: Ignition will be developed and published by Motorsport Games. The simulation will be powered by Unreal Engine and Studio 397’s highly acclaimed rFactor physics engine, giving users a more authentic driving experience, immersive gameplay, dynamic AI and stunning visuals. The game will come complete with official drivers, teams and tracks from the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series, including broadcast quality pre-race build-up and post-race replays. All broadcast voice-over work will be provided by MRN Radio, the Voice of NASCAR. Drivers will be face-scanned into the game to provide their realistic representations, with heightened attention to detail regarding tracks, grandstands and pit experiences.

With NASCAR 21: Ignition, Motorsport Games will provide fans with a bevy of new features and updates long anticipated by its player base. Players will have the ability to dive straight into the action with Race Now, competing as their favorite official driver from the Cup Series, or starting in the engaging career mode as they build their reputation in the sport and battle their way toward the championship. Career mode provides each user with driver-focused progression, with clear goals and structures on the road to glory. Online races will be supported for up to 40 players — a full NASCAR race grid — allowing friends and other players to battle from around the world.

“Our partners at Motorsports Games have dedicated an incredible amount of talent and resources towards completely redeveloping the game and delivering a product that our fans will be excited to play,” said Nick Rend, managing director of gaming and esports at NASCAR. “NASCAR 21: Ignition utilizes Epic’s Unreal Engine to bring the most realistic NASCAR race experience directly into the home of our fans, while introducing NASCAR-style racing to a broad audience of gamers.”

Motorsport Games developed a brand new Paint Booth, offering unparalleled levels of customization to create NASCAR paint schemes, complete with an iconic race number. NASCAR 21: Ignition will feature a fully curated soundtrack with artists such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Imagine Dragons, Aerosmith and Luke Combs.

More information about NASCAR 21: Ignition will be revealed in the run up to the release on Oct. 28. Please visit www.nascarignition.com and follow on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Title:	NASCAR 21: Ignition
Release Date:	Standard Edition: October 28, 2021; Champions Edition: October 28, 2021 (both editions will have 2 days early access if preordered)
Formats:	PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows PC (Steam)
Multiplayer:	Online: 2-40 players
Languages:	English, French, Italian, German, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese (text and voice for all)
Genre:	Racing
Publisher:	Motorsport Games
Developer:	Motorsport Games
Rating:	E for Everyone. Mild Lyrics. Alcohol References

Posted on August 11, 2021August 11, 2021 by Chase Wilhelm

NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series drivers are set to take on Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course in a doubleheader with the NTT IndyCar Series. The Xfinity race will be on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN while Sunday’s Cup race will be at 1 p.m. ET on NBC.

To get ready for this weekend’s festivities, we complied a turn-by-turn analysis of the Cup Series’ first go-around on the famed road course, breaking down a lap with NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Justin Haley.

Turn 1-2

Drivers will be carrying a head of steam the opposite direction down the frontstretch, launching into Turn 1 which comes just before the exit of oval Turn 4. They will be heavy on the brakes to make the sharp right-hand turn, the first of a couple heavy braking zones on the road course. The drivers are then greeted with a left-hand Turn 2.

Turn 3

As drivers move through Turn 2, they will start to carry a little bit of momentum as they roll through a slight right-hand Turn 3, gently rolling into the throttle before heading through another series of sharp corners.

Turn 4

Drivers will roll into the right-hander of Turn 4, easing into the corner as they set themselves up for a good angle into a pair of quick left- and right-hand curves.

Turn 5-6

This pair of turns offers a quick chicane before launching onto the next straightaway. While this isn’t the heaviest of braking zones, drivers will need to use all of the race track off Turn 4 to set themselves up to make this chicane as straight as possible.

Turn 7

Drivers will launch out of Turn 6 and fly down the backstretch of the road course, which is nearly as long as the frontstretch. It will be a drag race into this turn down the straightaway, setting up for the best passing zone on the course. They will be heavy on the brakes going into this sharp left-hand corner, which is equivalent to the heavy braking zone into Turn 1.

Turn 8-9

Coming off of Turn 7, drivers will slowly ease into the throttle for another quick right- and left-hand chicane, feathering the gas pedal to gain momentum while also making sure they don’t overdrive the corners.

Turn 10

While drivers won’t be carrying a ton of momentum coming out of Turn 9, the right-hander of Turn 10 will still require some braking. Once through the corner, drivers will be quick to the throttle to launch into Turn 11.

Turn 11

Drivers will float out of Turn 10 and into a sweeping right-hand Turn 11. This will give them a great opportunity to gain speed as they race onto the short chute of the oval.

Turn 12-13

With the speed carried through the short chute, Turn 12 is another heavy braking zone as drivers will need to give themselves a good angle into the sharp right-hand corner. Drivers won’t be using a ton of throttle out of the corner as they have to prepare for a sharper left-hander of Turn 13, completing the final chicane of the road course that is located inside oval Turn 1.

Turn 14

This is the final corner of the road course, a sweeping right-hand turn that sets up for a long launch back down the front straightaway and back toward the yard of bricks.

Posted on August 11, 2021August 11, 2021 by Staff Report

See where your favorite driver will pit in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course (1 p.m. ET on NBC/NBC Sports App, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).