Kevin Harvick gets Indianapolis Motor Speedway win in overtime

Kevin Harvick's crew climbed the fence at indy.

July 5, 2020

 

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

 

In an action-filled afternoon of NASCAR Cup Series racing in Sunday’s Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 Powered by Big Machine Records, Kevin Harvick held off the field in an overtime sprint to the finish line to earn his fourth victory of the season, and his second consecutive and third overall win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

 

To celebrate the big victory, Harvick and his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford team climbed the front grandstand fence – reminiscent of the fence celebration his team owner, Indiana native and NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart did during his wins in the race in 2005 and 2007.

 

Although Harvick led a race-best 68 of the 161 laps, he and Denny Hamlin put on a legitimate high-speed duel to decide this victory. While leading Hamlin's No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota suffered a blown tire sending the car hard into the Turn 1 wall with only seven laps remaining - ending Hamlin’s impressive run.

 

"We knew he [Hamlin] was going to be really close on tires and [crew chief] Rodney [Childers} told me on the radio, he said ‘just make sure you keep the pressure on him," Harvick said. "That was all the pressure I could give."

 

With Hamlin out, Harvick assumed the lead for the fourth time on the day and was next tasked with holding off 48-year old former series champion, Chip Ganassi Racing driver Matt Kenseth on a restart with two laps remaining. A great jump on the ensuing start put Harvick back out front and ultimately to a 0.743-second victory.

 

Harvick’s Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Aric Almirola finished third followed by Brad Keselowski and Sunoco rookie Cole Custer.

 

Two-time Indianapolis winner and reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch finished sixth followed by Michael McDowell, rookie Tyler Reddick, Bubba Wallace and Joey Logano. It was an especially impressive outing by the series rookies – with four of the six finishing among the top 15. Christopher Bell and John Hunter Nemechek were 12th and 15th, respectively.

 

Hamlin, who took the lead on the race’s final round of pit stops, ultimately finished 28th following his incident.

 

"It’s tough, I hate it for the FedEx team [No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team]," Hamlin said post-race. "We did what we needed to do and it just didn’t work out for us today. Had a fast car obviously. Proud of the whole FedEx Toyota team. We’ve been so good lately. Feel like I’m doing all I can, in these big races. A lot things like this don’t go my way all the time, but we’re still going to go next week and try to win the next one. Do all we can."

 

And, he acknowledged of the competition with Harvick, "It’s been a great battle, and those guys are great competitors. Last few weeks have been kind of a head-to-head with me and him. Probably not another guy I’d rather battle with each and every week. Congrats to them and that team. We had two very close and equal cars but they got it today."

 

One of the weekend’s biggest stories involved seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, a four-time Brickyard 400 winner, who was diagnosed with COVID-19 virus on Friday and had to sit the race out.

 

NASCAR Xfinity Series perennial championship contender Justin Allgaier was tabbed to drive Johnson’s No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet – the first time in Johnson’s legendary career that someone else drove his car in a NASCAR Cup Series race.

 

Allgaier had to start from the rear of the Indianapolis grid and was steadily making his way forward when he was collected in the pit road melee on Lap 15 – a chain-reaction accident involving several cars. The No. 48 Chevrolet suffered too much damage to continue and Allgaier was officially scored 37th in the 40-car field.

 

"Once the wreck started happening in front of us and we all got bottled up there, one car after another was getting run into," Allgaier said. "Just a shame. I hate it for these guys on this Ally 48. They’ve done such a good job, they prepared so well for the circumstances. Obviously, our hearts and our thoughts are with Jimmie right now and his family. That’s the most important piece of all this, getting him back to the race track soon. I wanted to do well for them today and it’s just disappointing to be standing here talking to you [reporters] unfortunately. But we’ll go on.

 

"I don’t know what next week looks like yet. But we’ll run the Xfinity Series race and have a good shot at it. Disappointing way to end the Brickyard 400."

 

Zach Price, a rear tire changer for Ryan Blaney, was hit by a car on pit road while servicing Blaney’s No. 12 Ford during the multi-car incident. The race was red-flagged for an ambulance to respond on pit road and Price – who smiled and waved to team members as he was loaded into the ambulance - was transported to Indy’s Indiana University Methodist Hospital.

 

NASCAR Cup Series Race - 27th Annual Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 Powered by Big Machine Records

Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Speedway, Indiana

Sunday, July 5, 2020

 

                1. (11)  Kevin Harvick, Ford, 161.

                2. (21)  Matt Kenseth, Chevrolet, 161.

                3. (5)  Aric Almirola, Ford, 161.

                4. (9)  Brad Keselowski, Ford, 161.

                5. (30)  Cole Custer #, Ford, 161.

                6. (7)  Kyle Busch, Toyota, 161.

                7. (27)  Michael McDowell, Ford, 161.

                8. (13)  Tyler Reddick #, Chevrolet, 161.

                9. (17)  Bubba Wallace, Chevrolet, 161.

                10. (1)  Joey Logano, Ford, 161.

                11. (10)  Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 161.

                12. (35)  Christopher Bell #, Toyota, 161.

                13. (2)  Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 161.

                14. (29)  Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 161.

                15. (19)  John Hunter Nemechek #, Ford, 161.

                16. (22)  Clint Bowyer, Ford, 161.

                17. (32)  Ross Chastain(i), Chevrolet, 161.

                18. (16)  Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 161.

                19. (15)  Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 161.

                20. (37)  Daniel Suarez, Toyota, 160.

                21. (34)  JJ Yeley(i), Ford, 160.

                22. (40)  BJ McLeod(i), Chevrolet, 160.

                23. (33)  Quin Houff #, Chevrolet, 159.

                24. (28)  Garrett Smithley(i), Chevrolet, 159.

                25. (39)  Josh Bilicki(i), Chevrolet, 158.

                26. (25)  Joey Gase(i), Ford, 157.

                27. (18)  William Byron, Chevrolet, 156.

                28. (6)  Denny Hamlin, Toyota, Accident, 153.

                29. (38)  Timmy Hill(i), Toyota, 153.

                30. (3)  Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, Accident, 132.

                31. (20)  Chris Buescher, Ford, Accident, 99.

                32. (12)  Ryan Blaney, Ford, DVP, 96.

                33. (23)  Erik Jones, Toyota, Accident, 73.

                34. (14)  Ryan Newman, Ford, Accident, 60.

                35. (26)  Brennan Poole #, Chevrolet, DVP, 24.

                36. (24)  Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, DVP, 20.

                37. (4)  Justin Allgaier(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 17.

                38. (8)  Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, Accident, 16.

                39. (31)  Corey LaJoie, Ford, Accident, 15.

                40. (36)  Ryan Preece, Chevrolet, Accident, 14.

 

Average Speed of Race Winner:  123.162 mph.

Time of Race:  3 Hrs, 16 Mins, 5 Secs. Margin of Victory:  0.743 Seconds.

Caution Flags:  9 for 43 laps.

Lead Changes:  11 among 9 drivers.

Lap Leaders:   J. Logano 1-14;R. Chastain(i) 15;G. Smithley(i) 16;K. Harvick 17-41;W. Byron 42-51;C. Elliott 52-77;W. Byron 78-82;A. Dillon 83-87;K. Harvick 88-122;M. Kenseth 123-134;D. Hamlin 135-153;K. Harvick 154-161.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Kevin Harvick 3 times for 68 laps; Chase Elliott 1 time for 26 laps; Denny Hamlin 1 time for 19 laps; William Byron 2 times for 15 laps; Joey Logano 1 time for 14 laps; Matt Kenseth 1 time for 12 laps; Austin Dillon 1 time for 5 laps; Garrett Smithley(i) 1 time for 1 lap; Ross Chastain(i) 1 time for 1 lap.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 24,20,3,9,4,11,21,18,2,14

Stage #2 Top Ten: 4,9,11,21,3,42,18,1,95,14

 

Odds to win 2020 Quaker State 400 at Kentucky

Kevin Harvick notched his series-tying best four wins.

WESTGATE LAS VEGAS SUPERBOOK

NASCAR CUP SERIES

ODDS TO WIN QUAKER STATE 400

KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY

SUNDAY, JULY 12, 2020 - 2:50 PM ET
Kevin HARVICK 5/1
Kyle BUSCH 5/1
Martin TRUEX JR 7/1
Chase ELLIOTT 7/1
Denny HAMLIN 7/1
Brad KESELOWSKI 7/1
Joey LOGANO 10/1
Ryan BLANEY 12/1
Kurt BUSCH 20/1
Alex BOWMAN 20/1
Erik JONES 25/1
William BYRON 30/1
Aric ALMIROLA 30/1
Clint BOWYER 40/1
Christopher BELL 60/1
Tyler REDDICK 60/1
Matt DIBENEDETTO 60/1
Matt KENSETH 60/1
Austin DILLON 60/1
Ryan NEWMAN 100/1
Justin ALLGAIER 100/1
Ricky STENHOUSE JR 100/1
Cole CUSTER 200/1
Darrell WALLACE JR 300/1
Chris BUESCHER 500/1
John Hunter NEMECHEK 500/1
Michael McDOWELL 100/1
Ryan PREECE 100/1
Ty DILLON 5000/1
Corey LaJOIE 5000/1
Daniel SUAREZ 5000/1
Brennan POOLE 10000/1
Quin HOUFF 10000/1
JJ YELEY 10000/1
Timmy HILL 10000/1
Joey GASE 10000/1
Garrett SMITHLEY 10000/1
BJ McLEOD 10000/1

NBC weekend wrap-up at Indianapolis

STAMFORD, Conn. – July 5, 2020 – In an overtime thriller, Kevin Harvick took the checkered flag in the NASCAR Cup Series Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 Powered by Big Machine Records at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday on NBC for his fourth win of the 2020 season and third career win at The Brickyard.

NBC Sports’ lead NASCAR race announcer Rick Allen, Daytona 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte, 21-time Cup Series race winner Jeff Burton, and two-time Daytona 500 Champion and recent NASCAR Hall of Fame selection Dale Earnhardt Jr. called the race from the broadcast booth at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C. In Indianapolis, Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast reported from pit road while Rutledge Wood and INDYCAR driver and NBC Sports analyst James Hinchcliffe reported from the grounds.

Coverage on NBCSN began at 3 p.m. ET with NASCAR America, hosted by Mike Tirico from the top of the pagoda at Indianapolis Motor Speedway alongside analyst Dale Jarrett. Followed by Countdown to Green. Pre-race coverage on NBCSN and NBC included:

• Interviews with Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano and Kurt Busch
• A look back at the history of NASCAR and INDYCAR crossing over at Indianapolis Motor Speedway narrated by Kyle Petty and Mario Andretti;
• Kurt Busch celebrated his 700^th start;
• A message from Jimmie Johnson regarding his COVID-19 diagnosis.

RACE RESULTS

Position	Driver	Car#
1	Kevin Harvick	4
2	Matt Kenseth	42
3	Aric Almirola	10
4	Brad Keselowski	2
5	Cole Custer	41

Following are highlights from this afternoon’s NASCAR Cup Series race coverage on NBC:

Allen on Harvick’s win: “That’s the 53^rd career win for Kevin Harvick, he’s just one win away from tying Lee Petty for the 11^th all time in wins.  What a season Kevin Harvick is having.”

Burton on the top two, Harvick and Matt Kenseth: “Two oldest guys in the field take first and second.”

Burton on coming back after seeing leader Denny Hamlin’s crash: “They saw it, but they put it behind them. They’re like ‘that’s not gonna happen to me, I’m gonna go win this race.’ And they immediately switch gears. That’s what makes racecar drivers different than average person. They can watch that, they can experience it put it out, go somewhere else with your brain.”

Earnhardt Jr. on leader Denny Hamlin’s crash with 7 laps to go: “Not only the physical pain, but the emotional pain. Knowing that you were so close to winning the Brickyard 400.”

Letarte on no practice: “This lack of practice on the weekends gives these small teams a chance.”

Letarte on Harvick’s and Hamlin’s crew chief’s role: “This is chess. Our drivers are moving the pieces and you and I get to decide who goes next.”

Burton on Hamlin/Harvick battle with 54 to go: “Denny Hamlin did everything right, but Kevin Harvick just wasn’t going to have it.”

Burton on pit crew members: “Those guys are warriors.”

Letarte on the pit road crash: “You see just how dangerous pit road can be. This is every crew chief’s worst nightmare.”

Letarte on Competition Yellow: “The idea of competition yellow is for teams to assess where they’re at, to make adjustments, to perhaps overcome a mechanical issue.”

Letarte on the Crossover Weekend: “This is the weekend that any motorsports fan has been dreaming of.”

Jarrett on NASCAR’s support of Bubba Wallace: “I really appreciate the drivers and the effort that’s been made by NASCAR to show this support and make these changes that need to be made.”

Jarrett on Bubba Wallace: “I applaud Bubba for all he’s doing and what he stands for. But I think that it’s transferring over to him in the seat of that race car. I look for him to do very well here.”

Earnhardt Jr. on Bubba Wallace: “I think he’s really buckled down and focused on his driving. His performance is showing a lot of spirit.”

Earnhardt Jr. on Ryan Blaney: “He did have a couple of off races at Pocono, but he’s ready to rebound and finish in the top 5.”

Jarrett on Denny Hamlin: “Denny has had the talent to win a championship just everything hasn’t come together at the right time. But now, he has everything.”

Jarrett on Jimmie Johnson’s positive COVID-19 test: “We want to pass along the very best to Jimmie and his wife Shannon who also tested positive.”

***

The following are highlights from Saturday’s INDYCAR and NASCAR Xfinity races on NBC:

COUNTDOWN TO GREEN

NASCAR President Steve Phelps on NASCAR’s rallying around Bubba Wallace at Talladega Superspeedway: “I was moved literally to tears. It was an incredible display of what NASCAR is all about. NASCAR is about community, NASCAR is about family. Those drivers, crews, officials supporting, everyone walking down pit road pushing his (Bubba Wallace’s) car. That scene was something that I was incredibly proud to work at NASCAR at that moment and I have been every day since. It’s been an amazing few weeks. Bubba has showed incredible courage, grace and class in how he’s approached it. There’s no anger in it at all. It’s about listening, understanding and really for us it’s about welcoming more people to the racetrack and to our sport. That’s really the message we want out there.”

Dale Jarrett: “I had to think back to if there was something in this sport that ever moved me that way that did. And I really couldn’t come up with something that was that meaningful and how much it meant to me to be a part of this sport…I’ve been so proud watching the drivers, in particular, take control of this. Bubba Wallace is not only a great driver, but he’s one of the finest young men I’ve ever had the pleasure of being around…it’s nice to see the other drivers rally around him and show their support and that we as a sport are ready to move in a very positive direction.”

Phelps on how NASCAR has adapted during the COVID-19 pandemic: “If you look back pre-COVID when we were in Phoenix and then we shut down for 10 weeks, I think if you asked anyone ‘hey, you can do a one-day show. No practice and no qualifying.’ Most people in the industry would say ‘that just cannot happen.’ We’ve shown that it can, so when things get back to normal, we will do a post mortem of what went on, what things we can incorporate into the 2021 season that we learned in the 2020 season.”

Phelps on NASCAR’s health and safety protocols currently in place: “I think the protocols have worked really, really well for us. Obviously, it’s unfortunate that Jimmie (Johnson) is going to be out of the car this weekend. Hopefully (following) two negative tests, he can get back in the car at Kentucky (Motor Speedway). I think the protocols have worked really well. It’s not perfect, but if you look at the procedures and policies we have in place really to protect the drivers, crews, our own officials and anyone that is working at the racetrack, the number of positive tests we’ve had have been so few and far between, we’re encouraged. We think the protocols are working as we had expected they would. Hopefully Jimmie will be back soon and we won’t have any other drivers test positive.”

INDYCAR GMR GRAND PRIX

Penske Entertainment Corp. President and CEO Mark Miles on new INDYCAR and IMS Race for Equality & Change initiative: “We believe this is a time where it’s possible to have systemic and fundamental change and we want INDYCAR and IMS to be a part of that change and lead that change. This isn’t a program that has a beginning and an end, this is how we see ourselves in the future. We want to work on involving people of color in our workforce, team owners, drivers, crew members – throughout the entirety of the people engaged in this sport and across from teams to our organizations and to our promoters. We want to do that in a lot of ways and one of them is to invest in minority communities and grassroots programs to help us reach out to people who might not normally be thinking about motorsports.”

Miles on potential of fans at the re-scheduled Indianapolis 500 on August 23 on NBC: “We’ve been working on that since March. We work very closely with all the public health authorities in the city of Indianapolis, the state of Indiana, other medical and public health folks giving us advice and reviewing our plans – they keep being evolving and being fine-tuned. We announced a week ago we won’t have more than a 50% capacity for attendance here – it could be less than that. We’ve already said we will be giving masks and disinfectant. A little secret – we will take everybody’s temperature before they come in and much more to keep people safe.”

Race-winner Scott Dixon to Snider atop the new winner’s circle at IMS: “It’s so good to be back racing here at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We’ve had so many runner-ups here on the road course. We got lucky with that caution, but as soon as we got the balance, we just checked out.”

Dixon on the victory: “It was one of those days, what we picked, just worked. When you get seasons like that, for us to start the season off with two wins…man, we have to keep this rolling.”

Bell on Dixon, who won by nearly 20 seconds today and who won at Texas last month: “Utter dominance in two races to start the season.”

Diffey on Dixon: “He is the picture of consistency…there is so much respect for Scott Dixon in this NTT INDYCAR Series for what he has done year-in and year-out.”

Bell on second-place finisher Graham Rahal: “Terrific drive for Graham Rahal. That yellow flag really took away what was a likely win for Rahal…I can argue that Graham Rahal had the drive of the day. That two-stop strategy was on-course for a victory until the yellow…I think that’s one of his best drives ever.”

Tracy on third-place finisher Simon Pagenaud: “I’ve got to give the drive of the day to Simon Pagenaud. He started the race all the way down in 20^th and worked his way all the way through the field to challenge Graham Rahal.”

Diffey on Scott Dixon on Lap 53: “Let’s not lose sight of the fact that Scott Dixon was also part of the Rolex 24 at Daytona overall race-winning team. 2020 could be one of Scott Dixon’s best racing years on record.”

Bell on issues for Alexander Rossi on Lap 42: “We’re only a race-and-a-half into this season and Alexander Rossi has had 5-6 major issues…what a frustrating start to this season. Two races in a row, big drama and none of it his fault.”

Tracy on team’s strategies following caution on Lap 36: “This is really going to throw a monkey wrench into things.”

Bell on Rahal’s two-stop strategy on Lap 26: “Looking like a great day for Graham Rahal – not only the pace, but he’s done 26 laps along with three pace laps to start this race to put himself in contention with this two-stop strategy. I didn’t think anybody could go this far…I think he can make it.”

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES PENNZOIL 150

Earnhardt Jr. on new tradition of NASCAR competing in Indianapolis on July 4^th weekend instead of at Daytona International Speedway: “If they’re going to make a change and start a new tradition, I couldn’t think of a better place than Indy. I don’t know that we would be at Daytona if it weren’t for Indy. Indy is where it all started for motorsports in America. It’s fitting for us to be able to celebrate this amazing holiday at such an incredible race track with so much history.”

Letarte on the crossover weekend: “As a motorsports fan, it can’t (get better than this). As a sports fan, I’m not sure it can. When you think about national holidays, the only thing that matches better than a barbecue, is a great sporting event and that’s what Indianapolis Motor Speedway has provided.”

Allen on Chase Briscoe: “He calls this his home track, the Indiana boy. Has suffered through highs and lows this season…The first-ever running of the Xfinity Series on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indiana boy is going to win it.”

Letarte on Briscoe: “He loved Tony Stewart’s win, now he’s won with Tony’s crew chief Greg Zipadelli and they’re going to climb the fence.”

Race-winner Briscoe to Snider: “My hero in racing was Tony Stewart and to race for him, watch him win the Brickyard, that (climbing the fence) was always his signature thing, so I just wanted to do it…growing up, coming here all the time, it’s unbelievable to think I just won here…tough to put it into words.”

Earnhardt Jr. on the restart with 8 laps to go: “The gloves are off. Going into turn one on this restart, everyone has been pretty nice most of the day. That’s coming to an end right now.”

Letarte on A.J. Allmendinger attempting to pit before the first caution at the end of Stage 1, but arriving too late and losing four spots: “It’s just unfortunate timing for A.J…I like the gamble, but the gamble is going to hurt him.”

2020 Brickyard 400 Starting Lineup

William Hill Brickyard Betting Update: 2020 Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400

Denny Hamlin is a 4/1 co-favorite to win Sunday at Brickyard.

William Hill Posts Futures for 37 NASCAR Drivers Ahead of Sunday’s Race

NASCAR is taking a special trip to “The Brickyard” this holiday weekend, as the Cup Series heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Sunday’s Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400.

William Hill has futures posted for 37 drivers for the race, with Kevin Harvick leading the way as the 7/2 favorite. Harvick finished in first in last Saturday’s Pocono Organics 325, and also tops the Cup Series standings.

Denny Hamlin is next behind Harvick at 4/1. Hamlin captured his Cup Series-leading fourth checkered flag of the season last Sunday at the Pocono 350.

Kyle Busch at 9/2, Martin Truex Jr. at 17/2 and Brad Keselowski at 9/1 round out the five drivers with the lowest odds.

Yet, others further down the board have been drawing significant attention from William Hill bettors.

Joey Logano (12/1) leads everyone with 10% of the total number of tickets to win the Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400. Logano and Keselowski are also at 11% apiece for total dollars wagered.

The only other driver who is currently at the double-digit mark in either category is Ryan Blaney (12/1), who has received 10% of the total dollars wagered. Blaney has also attracted the biggest wager on the race thus far at William Hill, as a Nevada bettor put down $225 on Blaney 12/1 for a potential total payout of $2,925.

Among the longer shots, Clint Bowyer (40/1) has gotten 7% of the total dollars wagered and 5% of the total number of tickets. That includes another Nevada bettor placing $175 on Bowyer 40/1 for a potential total payout of $7,175. Additionally, Jimmie Johnson (50/1) joins Keselowski by drawing 8% of the total number of tickets.

William Hill also has 10 head-to-head matchups available for the Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400, headlined by Harvick (-135) vs. Hamlin (+115) and Busch (-155) vs. Truex Jr. (+135).

For all of William Hill’s latest odds and trends for the Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400, which is available to bet in Nevada, New Jersey and Iowa, check out the full write-up on our website:

https://www.williamhill.us/big-machine-hand-sanitizer-400-early-odds-trends-for-sundays-race/

Chase Elliott is 16/1 to win 2020 Brickyard 400

Chase Elliott racing at Pocono last weekend. He finished fourth on Sunday.

Driver Chase Elliott on racing at Indy:
“I’ve really struggled at Indy. We’ve just been trying to get better there. It has just consistently been a huge challenge for me every year. My excitement level probably isn’t as high as some others about going to Indy, but that’s just because of how hard it has been. I would love to get over the hump. I think it would be such a cool place to run well and have success at. We are looking forward to giving it our best shot this weekend.”


STRONG SHOWING: Chase Elliott, the driver of the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, continues to lead all NASCAR Cup Series drivers with a 7.80 average running position and five stage wins this season. He has collected the third-highest number of stage points (150) in the series and has led the fourth-most laps (425). His 11 races led are second-most in the series résumé behind only Joey Logano (12).

NAPA IN INDY: This weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE will don the familiar blue, white and yellow NAPA AUTO PARTS paint scheme. The Atlanta-based company is serving as majority sponsor for Elliott and the No. 9 team for a total of 26 NASCAR Cup Series races this season.

LOOKING BACK: Elliott and the NAPA AUTO PARTS team started last year’s race at historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 24th and rebounded after being collected in multiple on-track incidents to finish ninth. It was the 24-year-old driver’s best career finish at the 2.5-mile venue.

INDY RÉSUMÉ: In addition to Elliott’s five NASCAR Cup Series races at Indianapolis, he has three starts at the track in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with one top-five finish and two top-10s.

GUSTAFSON AT THE BRICKYARD: On Sunday, No. 9 team crew chief Alan Gustafson will call his 16th NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis. In his previous 15 races calling the shots for five different drivers (Elliott, Kyle Busch, Casey Mears, Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon) at the famed speedway, Gustafson has collected five top-five finishes – including a win in 2015 with Gordon – and one runner-up result, nine top-10s and 137 laps led.

PIT CREW POWER: Among the teams competing in the NASCAR Cup Series, the No. 9 pit crew ranks second in best average time for four-tire stops at 13.95 seconds through 15 races in 2020.

HOME SWEET HOME: No. 9 team engineer Tom Gray hails from Indianapolis. Gray attended Purdue University and majored in mechanical engineering technology. The Indy native was recently interviewed by Gustafson on “Behind the 9.” Watch the episode here.

BEHIND THE 9: Gustafson is trying his hand as a host in a new Hendrick Motorsports video series called “Behind the 9” in which he interviews each member of the No. 9 crew. Fans can learn about where they came from and the role they serve on the team, with each bringing a unique personality and skillset. Episodes are released every Tuesday on the Hendrick Motorsports Facebook page and YouTube channel. The most recent episode features mechanic Cole Timm.

Indianapolis Betting Preview: 2020 Brickyard 400

Kevin Harvick won last year and is the 4/1 favorite in 2020.

Race: Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400
Date: Sunday, July 5, 2020
TV-Time: NBC, 4:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana

Hit the Bricks

It’s crazy to believe that the NASCAR Cup Series has managed 15 races so far this season and 11 since the coronavirus shutdown while most other American sports leagues figure out a way to start or restart their seasons.

Without the NASCAR races during the shutdown, including iRacing, I think I would have gone absolutely mad without being able to bet on sports I regularly follow in the spring and summer. But my good old buddy NASCAR had my back, and I think millions of my fellow Americans feel the same way and are thankful for making the weekly events happen.

Sunday’s event will be the 27th running of the Brickyard 400 at the world’s most famous track, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The fabled bricks are only shown at the start-finish line where the winning team kneels and kisses the bricks as NASCAR’s tradition on a track with 111 years of tradition.

“I think the biggest thing about the Brickyard is the prestige – the track’s history and quality of racing, all the historic finishes it’s had over the years, whether it’s been IndyCar or NASCAR,” Kyle Busch said. “To me, it’s a special place to go to because of its heritage of being Indianapolis. Every guy in NASCAR, and especially every guy in IndyCar, they want to win there. So hoping we can get our first win of the season there and bring our Skittles America Mix Camry to victory lane there again and be known as a three-time winner there.”

Busch has kissed the bricks twice in 2016 and 2017 but has yet to win in 2020 with more than a third of the season having raced already. The defending Cup Champion has seven top-fives so far, but there wasn’t a race where I said, ”wow, Kyle Busch should have won that race,” as I do with other drivers that appeared to have the best car but couldn’t put the win away.

Handicapping the Favorites
Brickyard 400

What is odd about Busch not winning yet is that his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin is having another career year and leads the series with four wins and nine top-fives. He’s won three of the 10 races using this week’s race package featuring engines with 550 horsepower. But both Busch and Hamlin each come in with 9/2 odds to win. Hamlin has never won at the Brickyard despite the flat layout being right up his alley. In 14 Cup starts, Hamlin has a 12th-place average finish and five top-fives.

Kevin Harvick comes in as the 4/1 favorite (Bet $100 to win $400) based on winning two times at the Brickyard, including last year, but more importantly, he has won three times this season using this week’s package.

The most important showing relative to who might do well Sunday is the two races at Pocono last weekend. Everyone who was good last week should be good Sunday and everyone who struggled has to work harder to try and find speed right off the hauler. Harvick and Hamlin traded 1-2 finishes between both races in an incredible display of dominance. Because Indy requires similar set-ups there’s no reason to believe that Harvick and Hamlin won’t still have a slight edge over everyone else.

Long Shot with the No. 10?

The driver I’m most excited about this week is Aric Almirola and it’s not just because he’s scored top-five finishes in his last four starts after having none in his first 11 this season. It’s because of what he did last weekend in the two Pocono races where he joined Hamlin and SHR teammate Harvick as the only drivers with top-fives in both races.

“Indy is a place that is very similar to the tunnel turn at Pocono,” Almirola said. “I felt like we were really good in that turn last weekend. As a driver, it always feels good to know you’re heading to a track that has a similar feel to the one you just earned a third- and fifth-place finish at. ‘Buga’ (crew chief Mike Bugarewicz) and all the guys back at the shop have been working their tails off to keep up with the new schedule and it’s really showing. We have showed up as a completely new team in the last four races. If we can continue to race as clean as we have been, with no hiccups or bad luck, we’re going to be serious contenders this year.”

We don’t have practices or qualifying this week but we have two complete races at the track most similar to Indy. His 61 laps led on Saturday before finishing third were the most on the day of any driver. How often do you bet something at 30/1 odds and can easily visualize it happening with no deep fantasies or other wishes having to happen to cash? That’s Almirola this week, get on board with a piece of the action.

Read More Here.....Top-5 Finish Prediction on VegasInsider.com

Independence Day weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

For the first time in NASCAR Cup Series history, the series will compete at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Independence Day weekend, Sunday, July 5 ,at 4 p.m. ET on NBC, IMS Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio in the Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 Powered by Big Machine Records.

This weekend’s race will be 400 miles (160 laps) and broken up into three stages. The first two stages will be 50 laps each and the final stage will be 60 laps.

This weekend will mark the 27th running of a NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The first Cup race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway took place on August 6, 1994; Rick Mast won the pole with a speed of 172.414 mph and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon took home the checkered flag.

The 26 NASCAR Cup Series races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway have produced 19 different pole winners and 15 different race winners. Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick lead the series in poles at Indianapolis with three each. Gordon also leads the series in wins at the Brickyard with five victories (1994, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2014).

Five former Indianapolis race winners are entered this weekend, led by seven-time series champion Jimmie Johnson with four wins (2006, 2008, 2009, 2012); followed by Kevin Harvick (2003, 2019), Kyle Busch (2015, 2016), Brad Keselowski (2018) and Ryan Newman (2013).

The pole position is the most proficient starting positions in the field, producing five wins. The most recent driver to accomplish the feat was Kevin Harvick last season. In 2016, Kyle Busch became the first driver in history to sweep both the NASCAR Xfinity Series race from the pole and the NASCAR Cup Series race from the pole in the same weekend at Indianapolis.

The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Indianapolis is 27th, by Jeff Gordon in 2001. The deepest an active race winner has started is 16th by Jimmie Johnson in 2009.

NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola kicks off at IMS

Beginning this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and running through July 31, the NASCAR industry will honor United States Armed Forces and frontline healthcare heroes as part of this year’s expanded NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola – an industry-wide opportunity to recognize and thank those who have gone above and beyond to keep society safe and healthy.

For the first time ever, NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola will kick off with the Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 at the Brickyard (Sunday, July 5 at 4 p.m. ET on NBC, IMS Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), as the platform shifts to a mid-summer window due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We take pride in honoring all who work tirelessly to keep our nation safe, whether a frontline worker in the fight against COVID-19 or part of our U.S. Armed Forces protecting us around the world,” said Jill Gregory, executive vice president and chief marketing and content officer, NASCAR. “The NASCAR industry has always been passionate about saluting our nation’s heroes both past and present, and we once again look forward to recognizing those who serve.”

As part of the evolved campaign for 2020, NASCAR and Coca-Cola will create content opportunities to celebrate heroic work from our military and first responder community during the COVID-19 pandemic. In partnership with NBC, NASCAR and Coca-Cola will celebrate heroes in the military and medical community, and NASCAR and Coca-Cola’s dedicated actions to support our community. Through NASCAR digital and social channels, the industry will spotlight even more stories with a new “NASCAR Salutes Refreshing Moments” feature that will also be hosted on NASCAR.com/Salutes.

“While this crisis has impacted everyone’s daily lives, we are able to race because of the selfless acts by our military community and frontline workers,” said John Mount, vice president, sports marketing and region assets, Coca-Cola North America. “NASCAR Salutes offers an impactful opportunity to showcase our pride and appreciation for these heroes and their families.”

While NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola shifted due to COVID-19, the industry continued its tradition honoring fallen service members during the annual Memorial Day Weekend 600 Miles of Remembrance at the Coca-Cola 600. All 40 NASCAR Cup Series cars featured the name of a fallen service member on the windshield during the race in honor of those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Harvick and Hamlin the favorites to win 2020 Brickyard 400

The Westgate Superbook has Hamlin 9/2 this week at Indy.

Sunday’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be the 16th race of the modified 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season and 27th NASCAR race held on the most famous track in the world. There won’t be any practices or qualifying before the race, but we should have more than enough data to go off of to make some educated selections at the sportsbooks.

To begin the handicapping process, we have 10 races to reference that used the race package with 550 horsepower that will be employed Sunday and the most important results came last weekend in the two races at Pocono Raceway where Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin traded 1-2 finishes. Both of those guys have each won three times using this week’s race package. Any betting conversation regarding who is going to win starts with Hamlin and Harvick.

I’ve created driver ratings and odds for every NASCAR race at Indianapolis since Jeff Gordon won the inaugural race there in 1994 and the main theme always has been “What happened at Pocono.” I always heard crew chiefs and drivers use the two tracks as a reference, so I used it myself and the trends always correlate.

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Video: Micah Roberts Discusses 2020 Brickyard 400 Odds, Top-5 Finish

Kyle Busch is 9/2 to win third Brickyard 400

KYLE BUSCH Looking to Join Elite Company at Indianapolis Kyle Busch has two Indy wins. HUNTERSVILLE, North Carolina (July 1, 2020) – As far as auto racing in the United States, the two racing facilities fans think of first more times than not are Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Ever since the 2.5-mile high-banked Daytona oval opened in 1959, the NASCAR Cup Series has competed at Daytona on Fourth of July weekend. From 1959 to 1997, the series competed on the morning of July 4, no matter what day of the week the holiday fell on. Starting in 1998, the event was moved to the first Saturday night in July after lights made their debut at the World Center of Racing that season. The Daytona Fourth of July tradition will finally come to an end in 2020 as its traditional second Cup Series race each season has moved to the end of August as the regular-season finale. Meanwhile, another iconic track filled with history takes its place this weekend – the 111-year old Indianapolis oval – by way of Sunday’s Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400.  Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Skittles America Mix Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), loves making history, and there’s nothing more he would like than to win his third career race on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis oval and add himself to an elite list of stock-car winners. With his Brickyard 400 wins in 2015 and 2016, Busch became just the second driver to win the event back-to-back. The only other driver to do so is seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, who accomplished the feat in 2008 and 2009. There are relatively few winners of multiple stock car races at Indianapolis to begin with in the race’s 26-year history. Just four drivers reside on that list, and Busch wants to add his name as the fifth driver to win at least three Cup Series races at the Brickyard. Busch hopes to one day catch five-time Brickyard 400 winner Jeff Gordon, who scored his wins in 1994, 1998, 2001, 2004 and 2014, and four-time winner Johnson, who sandwiched his back-to-back victories with his first win there in 2006 and his most recent win in 2012. Busch also looks to break his tie with Indiana native Tony Stewart, who won in 2005 and 2007, and Dale Jarrett, who won in 1996 and 1999, as two-time Brickyard 400 winners. Busch has always been a frontrunner at Indianapolis with an impressive 11 top-10 finishes in 15 starts there for an average finish of 12.5. But until he led the final 19 laps in his first Brickyard 400 victory in 2015, and a whopping 149 of the 170 laps in his 2016 victory, Busch had led just 42 laps there in his 10 visits prior to 2015. In addition to his strong Cup Series record at Indianapolis, he also has four wins and five top-five finishes in his seven NASCAR Xfinity Series races at Indianapolis, including a victory last year. To get further into celebrating Independence Day this weekend, Busch’s No. 18 Toyota will feature the Skittles America Mix scheme.Each bag of Skittles America Mix contains a fun, fruit flavored, and patriotic mix of red, white and blue candies.  The patriotic-themed Skittles are a must-have for celebrating this weekend – and of course – a great snack while watching a NASCAR Cup Series race. They available at retailers nationwide through the end of August. So it goes without saying Busch would like nothing more than to enjoy the taste of Skittles America Mix, along with the taste of kissing the famous Yard of Bricks for a third time in his Cup Series career. While twice is nice, the third time would put him in elite company in stock-car history at Indianapolis on NASCAR’s first ever trip away from Daytona on Fourth of July weekend.

KYLE BUSCH, Driver of the No. 18 Skittles America Mix Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing:

What makes the Indianapolis Motor Speedway so special for you as a driver? “I think the biggest thing about the Brickyard is the prestige – the track’s history and quality of racing, all the historic finishes it’s had over the years, whether it’s been IndyCar or NASCAR. To me, it’s a special place to go to because of its heritage of being Indianapolis. Every guy in NASCAR, and especially every guy in IndyCar, they want to win there. So hoping we can get our first win of the season there and bring our Skittles America Mix Camry to victory lane there again and be known as a three-time winner there.” Is it still important to a driver to win a Daytona 500, Southern 500 and Brickyard 400? “It is. It certainly was special winning both of the Brickyard races. I think that, for myself and the 18 team, winning there two years in a row was thrilling. It was really special as a whole team, and they treat it very special there, as well, with the whole ceremony postrace and everything that goes on there with taking the ride around the track and the owner being with you. J.D. (Gibbs) being there with us on that first Brickyard win was very special and a memory I will always have. That was pretty cool. It is a big deal. I feel like it is for us. For our team, we circle it on the calendar every year – that’s one we want to win. We always circle the Daytona 500, the Coke 600, the All-Star Race, the Brickyard 400, the Southern 500 and the Championship Race. There are probably a couple more in there that you want to win, such as any one race within each round of the playoffs. You want to win any of those to get yourself locked in and moving on to the next round just to solidify your chances of being able to win a championship. But it’s obviously a big race, and I guess it still pays pretty decent, so you might as well win it and we are going to try just that this weekend with our Skittles America Mix Camry.” Can you carry anything over from Pocono to Indy since there’s no practice, now? “That’s definitely a question for Adam (Stevens, crew chief). I can do my best here, but I would think there are definitely some similarities in setup you can kind of look at and we’ll definitely take notice, especially with what we learned at Pocono over those two races. Is Indy typically closer to our first Pocono race or our second Pocono race that’s usually on the schedule, I’m not sure. As far as the overall skeptic of it, you would think whatever you have or some ideas you have that are good at Pocono can transfer to Indy. And having those races in back-to-back weeks could act as somewhat of a simulation to where you’re fine-tuning your stuff from the simulator to the real thing at Pocono. And then having someone go back and redoing the simulator to make sure it’s right, and then the data that they are looking at to get ready for Indy is the exact stuff that you want.” Is there something you’ve figured out there, or have you just run well there?  “I think it’s a little bit of both. I think I figured a little bit of something out, but I also think that me figuring something out has helped us be able to develop our car better, too. Like, setup-wise, I know what I need within the car now that makes you faster at Indy than what I had been running in the past.” What is it about Indianapolis Motor Speedway that makes it unique compared to other tracks the NASCAR Cup Series visits? “It’s very tight down the straightaways. You roll through (turns) one and two and there are people on the inside, there are people on the outside, there are people in the grass, just sitting along the back straightaway on the inside. You’ve got the golf course there and fans sitting on the hills underneath the trees. You start back up into turn three, with the grandstands going around (turns) three and four, and then down the frontstretch and, again, there are two tunnels. There’s a tunnel at the (turns) one and two side, and on the (turns) three and four side. There’s a center road that runs all the way through and then, coming down the frontstretch again, looking on both sides of you, you’ve got the pit road, which is really narrow and really tight, and the grandstands on the inside and the outside. So, you’re going down a ‘V’ of just people in most years. Coming to the Pagoda and the media center, the way it is, and of course the scoring pylon being as tall as it is, you come down there and, if you’re leading the race, sometimes you can’t see that high, so you’re kind of wondering who is second and third, or who is behind you. It stinks when you’re running in the back because you can see yourself (car number) right there.”