GFT Facts & Stats Friday: NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400 at IMS
19 July 2024
By Bob Francis, Managing Editor
Go Full Throttle Racing News
INDIANAPOLIS, IN — “The jewel has returned to the crown.” Long considered one of the ‘Crown Jewel’ events of the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, and after a three-year hiatus on the road course, the NASCAR Cup Series returns to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway rectangular-shaped oval for the famed Brickyard 400 Presented by PPG on Sunday, July 21 at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, IMS Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400 Presented by PPG
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Track Length: 2.5 Mile Asphalt Oval
Sunday, July 21 at 2:30 p.m. ET
The Purse: $9,596,601
TV: NBC, 2 p.m. ET, Radio: IMS, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 400 miles (160 Laps)
- Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 50)
- Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 100)
- Final Stage (Ends on Lap 160)
Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) has existed since 1909, and is considered the original “Speedway”, the first racing facility to incorporate the word into its name. Located just west of downtown Indianapolis, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the third oldest permanent automobile race track in the world, behind Brooklands and the Milwaukee Mile. With a permanent seating capacity for more than 250,000-plus people and infield seating that raises capacity to an approximate 400,000, it is considered the largest and highest-capacity sporting facility in history.
The first NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (oval) was on August 6, 1994. The inaugural race was won by Hendrick Motorsport’s driver and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon in the №24 Chevrolet. Gordon led 93 laps in the 160-lap event and beat Brett Bodine to the finish line by 0.530-second to win. The race's average speed was 131.977 MPH, and it took 3 hours, 1 minute and 51 seconds to complete.
There have been 27 NASCAR Cup Series races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (oval) producing 19 pole winners and 15 different race winners.
This weekend there are 15 drivers entered in the Brickyard 400 that have won at least one of the Crown Jewel events in their careers, and one driver has the opportunity to add the final jewel to his crown on Sunday — Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin. If Hamlin can win this weekend at Indianapolis, he will become the fifth different driver to win all four Crown Jewel events in his career.
Two other active drivers that are also looking for their final jewel to their crowns are RFK Racing’s Brad Keselowski and Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch, but both still need a Daytona 500 victory.
Jimmie Johnson can tie Jeff Gordon for most Indianapolis wins all-time
Legacy Motor Club driver and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson is entered in this weekend’s Brickyard 400 Presented by PPG as part of his limited schedule this season. The seven-time Cup Series champion comes into the weekend with the opportunity to tie fellow Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon for the series-most victories at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with five each.
Gordon currently leads the series in wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with five victories (1994, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2014); including the inaugural event at the historic track in 1994.
Johnson leads all active drivers in wins and his Indianapolis resume is nearly as impressive a Gordon’s with four victories, all within a six year period (2006, 2008, 2009, 2012).
In total, Johnson has made 18 Cup Series starts at Indianapolis posting four wins, six top fives and seven top 10s.
Driver Ratings for the Brickyard 400 at IMS
KYLE BUSCH TOPS DRIVER RATINGS FOR INDY #NASCAR #Brickyard400 at IMS and the debut of the Gen 7 car on the oval. The 2024 season marks the first time since 2020 the series has competed on the oval.
Most recent winner: @KevinHarvick on July 5, 2020
The battle for the Regular Season Championship heats up
With just five races left in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season, the battle between Hendrick Motorsport’s teammates Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson for the Regular Season Championship is heating up, as both are shooting for the title and the additional 15 Playoff bonus points that come with it.
Elliott is one of seven different drivers to occupy the NASCAR Cup Series driver standings lead this season, along with William Byron, Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson. The Georgia native, Elliott, is currently three points ahead of Larson heading into Indianapolis.
Both Larson (2021) and Elliott (2022) are former NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season Championship winners, and if either of them wins this season, they will join Martin Truex Jr. (2017, 2023) and Kyle Busch (2018, 2019) as the third multiple regular season title holder.
Regular Season Championship Clinch Scenarios:
Elliott (or whoever’s first in points) needs to be up by the corresponding number after the race to clinch:
Indianapolis — 240 or 241 points, depending on tie-break
Richmond — 180 or 181 points, depending on tie-break
Michigan — 120 or 121 points, depending on tie-break
Daytona — 60 or 61 points, depending on tie-break
Darlington — 0 or 1 point, depending on tie-break
Playoff Outlook after Pocono
Initial GFT NASCAR Fantasy Live Picks for Pocono Raceway
**NOTE** Be sure to follow us on X (aka Twitter) to see the updated GFT NASCAR Fantasy Live picks AFTER our AI models ingest the Practice and Qualifying data. For a Sunday race, this usually happens overnight Saturday and is published Sunday morning at least 2 hours before the green flag.
