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| Kyle Busch has started from the pole at Indy the past two years. |
That was the beginning of NASCAR as we know it today with big TV contracts and brand new tracks spouting up all across America. It was that first Brickyard 400 that opened the eyes of those in the midwest to NASCAR. NASCAR was no longer a just a southern thing. It was now mainstream and tracks were soon built in Texas, Fontana, Las Vegas, Kansas, Chicago, and Kentucky to accommodate the popularity which also translated well through the Las Vegas bet windows. The new generation of racers who always dreamt of winning the Indy 500 as kids were now being drawn into NASCAR.
“Oh, I think it’s the racetrack, man," Clint Bowyer said. "It’s the history behind it. It’s a hard race. It’s a hard place to get around, as a driver. But it all comes down to the history, the people who have won that race and won at that racetrack before you. That’s why you want to win there so badly.”
Sunday's race is the first time the Cup Series hasn't raced in early August or late July. NASCAR is using the popularity of the track as a means to build up some momentum for what is essentially a wild card race of sorts. it's the last chance for the drivers outside the top-16 in points to make the Playoffs, which begins next week in Las Vegas.
The Playoff field is basically set with the exception of a new driver winning a race. Win the race, make the Playoffs is what drivers like Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (100/1), Ryan Newman (100/1), Paul Menard (200/1), Daniel Suarez (50/1), Jamie McMurray (100/1), and William Byron (100/1) will all be shooting for this weekend.
Those are the six drivers that have a legitimate shot of actually winning.
The first case to be made for one of those six winning is that we've seen a new driver win for the first time this season in three of the past four races, including the last two. Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, and Martin Truex Jr.have combined to win 17 of the 25 races this season, but things are evening out.
Chevrolet is finding lots of speed lately, such as the team of Hendrick Motorsports who have three cars in the Playoffs with rookie William Byron, in Gordon's famed No. 24, needing to win to join his teammates. Byron led 10 laps and finished sixth at Pocono Raceway on July 29, which is key because Indy's 2.5-mile flat layout resembles Pocono the most. He also won at the Brickyard last season in the Xfinity Series.
“It was a really awesome weekend last year," said Byron. "Winning at Indy is something that’s really cool, and it was one of my best memories from last year. I enjoy the track – it’s a cool place and a really special racetrack. The track’s really narrow, really fast and it’s kind of a mix between a Michigan or a Pocono as well. It’s hard to prepare for it because we only go to one track-type like Indy each year, but it’s an exciting race and it’s also the cutoff for playoffs, so the strategy and trying to go for a win will be pretty exciting.”
Byron's teammate Alex Bowman, who sits 16th in points, was third at Pocono. Both Indy and Pocono have the longest straightaways in the series and tight turns. Do well at Pocono, expect to do well at Indy.
Daniel Suarez also fits the bill as a possible candidate to win and make the Playoffs because he was runner-up in that Pocono race, leading three times for 29 laps. His Joe Gibbs teammate, Kyle Busch, won at Pocono and has won two of the past three at the Brickyard. Suarez has never won a Cup race, but expect him to have a great car Sunday capable of winning.
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