CUP DRIVERS APPLAUD RETURN TO IMS OVAL FOR BRICKYARD ‘CROWN JEWEL’

Wednesday, July 17, 2024

Eric Smith, Indianapolis Motor Speedway

NASCAR speeds to Indianapolis for Brickyard Weekend with nostalgia on its mind.

The return to the iconic 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval following three seasons using the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course layout is being met with eager anticipation. For the first time since 2020, the Brickyard 400 presented by PPG and Pennzoil 250 presented by Advance Auto Parts are back this Friday through Sunday. The Brickyard 400 for the NASCAR Cup Series starts at 2:30 p.m. ET Sunday, with the Pennzoil 250 for the NASCAR Xfinity Series set to take the green flag at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

“After three strong years on the IMS road course, it is momentous to return to the historic oval,” said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR senior vice president, Racing Development and Strategy. “The history of motorsports permeates throughout IMS, so we look forward to celebrating the 30th anniversary of NASCAR at the Brickyard with the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series.”

NASCAR Cup Series driver Corey LaJoie relishes exiting Turn 4 with the iconic Pagoda and Scoring Pylon in sight and speeding his No. 7 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports at speeds near 200 mph down the straightaway and ripping into Turn 1.

“This is one of those few moments in a year where you’re like, ‘I’ve got the coolest freaking job in the world,” he said.

The aura of the Brickyard 400 return makes this race among the most highly anticipated stops in the second half of the NASCAR schedule. LaJoie said the allure of being a Brickyard 400 winner has he and his team talking about this race earlier in the season than any other track on the schedule.

They’re not alone in that assessment.

Front Row Motorsports driver Todd Gilliland will be a Brickyard 400 rookie, but his father, David, made eight Brickyard 400 starts. The younger Gilliland is aware of what the Brickyard 400 means to this sport.

“It brings back more of that crown jewel feel,” Todd Gilliland said. “It was always cool racing here at Indy, but to be back on the oval is definitely next level.”

The NASCAR “major” pageantry is why Cup Series superstar Denny Hamlin is chasing a win here more than anywhere else on the schedule.

The Brickyard 400 is a win that Hamlin has spent 15 years chasing. Among his 54 Cup Series wins, including four Southern 500 victories, three Daytona 500 triumphs, three Bristol Night race wins and a 2022 Coca-Cola 600 win, he’s 0-for-15 on the IMS oval.

“It’s a special time for us to be back on the oval,” Hamlin said during the Goodyear tire test in June. “To me, it puts a NASCAR major back on our schedule – certainly one I’ve been searching to win all of my career. When I come here, to me it’s about the oval. I would value this win as much as any in my career.”

What makes a Brickyard 400 win so special is more than just racing on these hallowed grounds that have hosted 108 Indianapolis 500’s. Victory Lane in the shadows of the Pagoda is reserved for the best drivers in racing.

“When you drive through the gates, go through the tunnel and you drive through here, just the history, tradition of Indianapolis gives you cold chills,” said team owner Richard Childress whose team has won the Brickyard 400 three times.

The road course saw three different winners (AJ Allmendinger, Tyler Reddick, Michael McDowell) from three different teams (Kaulig Racing, Richard Childress Racing, Front Row Motorsports). That trio has 11 career Cup Series wins between them. The 2021 Verizon 200 win was the first for Kaulig Racing. The 2023 edition was the second Front Row Motorsports.

By comparison, out of 27 Brickyard 400 races, 22 were won by a NASCAR Cup Series champion. Ricky Rudd (1997), Jamie McMurray (2010), Paul Menard (2011), Ryan Newman (2013) and Kasey Kahne (2017) are the only drivers to win a Brickyard 400 but not a Cup title.

Still, Rudd was named to the 2025 NASCAR Hall of Fame Class, Newman and Kahne were both named last year as one of NASCARs 75 Greatest Drivers, and McMurray won the Daytona 500 in the same season as his Brickyard win. Menard is the only exception among those five with his Brickyard victory being his lone win in 471 Cup Series starts.

Also, nine times the Brickyard 400 winner has gone on to win the Cup Series championship in the same season.

The road course may have served as a more forgiving hand to unlikely winners, but the list of oval winners is a fraternity of greatness.

This will be the first time NASCAR’s Next Gen Cup car will race on the oval. Drivers think this technical package will create better racing in the 160-lap event than previous season on the oval.

“This car is made better for the oval, in my opinion,” Hamlin said. “It’s got enough drag where drafting will be a factor when it comes down to it. I think generally speaking, restarts are going to be crazy. It’s going to be about track position, executing on pit road and who can master the short run and long run.”

Gilliland tested with Hamlin in June at IMS and agreed with that assessment.

“Our cars have come a long way since the last time we were on the oval,” he said. “The racing maybe wasn’t the best, but with this car it will be really good. I’m excited about it.

“I think you’ll see guys really laying it all out there for every position, being really aggressive. You can see guys banging doors and giving it their all.”

LaJoie explained the new car will allow for some more aggressive passing maneuvers in an aerodynamic draft. In the past, moving outside to pass in a stock car on the IMS oval wasn’t a wise decision. It never worked. This year, drivers think it will.

“That’s what’s unique about our cars now is you might even see somebody get a run and go to somebody to right rear,” LaJoie said. “I think this car is going to allow some things that look different than what people are used to seeing.

“I think the Next Gen car is going to really provide some good racing, more so than we’ve seen here. I think it will be a better a better visual experience for the fans, for sure.”

Visit IMS.com to buy tickets or for more information about Brickyard Weekend.