By David Morgan, Associate Editor
SPEEDWAY, Ind. – Back to the Brickyard.
After a three-year stint on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, the NASCAR Cup Series is back where it belongs – on the 2.5-mile rectangular track that has made this race so special over the years.
First joining the circuit in 1994, IMS has provided some classic moments and some that the powers that be would rather forget. The track’s relatively flat surface, combined with narrow corners and high speeds, makes passing a premium on the 2.5-mile circuit.
Though the racing at times hasn’t been the best, absence has made the heart grow fonder for big, heavy stock cars to return to the track that was built and designed for open wheel cars. In the years since the Cup Series moved off the oval, drivers have been clamoring for its return because of one simple fact – its Indianapolis.
Drivers and teams will get an extended practice session on Friday afternoon to dial in their race cars before heading into qualifying on Saturday and the race on Sunday.
Of the drivers entered into Sunday’s race, only Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch come in as previous winners at the Brickyard, with Keselowski having won in 2019 and Busch winning back-to-back in 2015 and 2016.
This race will also mark the last race before the Olympic break as only five races remain in the regular season with fierce battles taking place at both ends of the Playoff grid.
As it stands now, four drivers are in the thick of the battle for the regular season championship. Chase Elliott currently leads the standings, but his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson is hot on his heels just three points back. Tyler Reddick is just 15 points behind, with Denny Hamlin sitting 20 markers back.
At this rate, any of them could come away with the regular season title and the points bonus that comes with it.
On the other end of the grid, the race to even get into the Playoffs at all is just as heated.
Currently, Martin Truex, Jr. is the most comfortable of those drivers who have yet to win in 2024 at +137 over the cut-off line, with Ty Gibbs (+67), Chris Buescher (+44), and Ross Chastain (+27) clinging to those final spots with everything they’ve got.
Bubba Wallace is the first driver on the outside looking in (-27) and still has a mathematical shot at pointing his way in.
From Chase Briscoe (-75) on back, it will most likely take a win to punch a ticket into the postseason….
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