Michael McDowell wins at Indy Road Course, actually he dominated.

 

STEWART-HAAS RACING Verizon 200 at the Brickyard

Date:  Aug. 13, 2023 Event:  Verizon 200 at the Brickyard (Round 24 of 36) Series:  NASCAR Cup Series Location:  Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2.439-mile, 14-turn road course) Format:  82 laps, broken into three stages (15 laps/20 laps/47 laps)   Race Winner:  Michael McDowell of Front Row Motorsports (Ford) Stage 1 Winner:  Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) Stage 2 Winner:  Michael McDowell of Front Row Motorsports (Ford)   SHR Race Finish:             ●  Chase Briscoe (Started 13th, Finished 6th / Running, completed 82 of 82 laps)   ●  Kevin Harvick (Started 38th, Finished 23rd / Running, completed 81 of 82 laps) ●  Ryan Preece (Started 30th, Finished 31st / Running, completed 81 of 82 laps) ●  Aric Almirola (Started 33rd, Finished 39th / Running, completed 79 of 82 laps)   SHR Points: ●  Kevin Harvick (6th with 677 points, 153 out of first) ●  Aric Almirola (24th with 406 points, 424 out of first) ●  Ryan Preece (25th with 409 points, 427 out of first) ●  Chase Briscoe (31st with 322 points, 508 out of first)   SHR Notes:         ●  Briscoe earned his sixth top-10 of the season and his first top-10 in three career NASCAR Cup Series starts on the road course at Indianapolis. ●  Briscoe’s sixth-place result bettered his previous best finish on the road course at Indianapolis – 23rd, earned in last year’s race. ●  Briscoe finished ninth in Stage 2 to earn two bonus points.     Race Notes:        ●  Michael McDowell won the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard to score his second career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his first on the road course at Indianapolis. His margin over second-place Chase Elliott was .937 of a second. ●  McDowell was the 14th different winner in the 24 NASCAR Cup Series races run this season. ●  This was Ford’s 725th all-time NASCAR Cup Series victory, its fourth of the season and its third straight. Chris Buescher drove his Ford to the win July 30 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway and last Monday at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. ●  This was Ford’s first NASCAR Cup Series victory on the road course at Indianapolis. ●  There was one caution period for a total of three laps. ●  Only 22 of the 39 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap. ●  Martin Truex Jr., remains the championship leader after Indianapolis with a 60-point advantage over second-place Denny Hamlin.   Sound Bites: “Today was a solid day. From a speed standpoint, we had a top-three car. We just could never get the track position when it goes green like that. There are just no opportunities. I feel like we did everything right from a strategy standpoint, trying to play our cards right. Just a difference from starting 13th versus starting in the first two rows. I felt like that’s what cost us there. I knew yesterday when I didn’t make the final round that it was going to be very hard to win. It proved itself today. Just kicking myself knowing I had a great shot at it. But overall, I’m proud of our team. We really needed a good run like this. I feel like we really learned something.” – Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang   Next Up: The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Go Bowling at The Glen on Sunday, Aug. 20 at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. The race begins at 3 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by USA and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Micah Roberts' Top-10 Finish Prediction: 2023 Verizon 200 at Indy

Read my full Indy write-up at Sportsline.com

1 #9 Chase Elliott (15/2) - He’s averaged an eighth-place finish in 27 road starts in the Cup Series with seven wins and 16 top-fives. But the new car has been kryptonite for the road course Superman. He’s gone 11 straight road races without a win after winning seven of 11 road races. The new car hasn’t stopped him from running well – he was third at Chicago – but the new car brought him back to the pack. And with that, I get some decent odds on him. This is it. He needs to win to get into the playoffs and I’m betting he will as my top bet.

2 #5 Kyle Larson (11/1) - He’s been 29th or worse in seven races this season but he also leads the Cup Series with 10 top-fives. He grabbed his first road course win in 2021 and he notched three wins. That was with the old car. He’s had one win on the roads in his last nine starts with the new car. He was third at Indy in 2021 and 35th last season. I’ll have a bet on him to win.

3 #91 Shane Van Gisbergen (6/1) - The road course ringer shook the NASCAR world with a win on the Chicago streets. Boris Said couldn’t do it, Ron Fellows couldn’t do it, and every other ringer dating back to the great Dan Gurney couldn’t do it. SVG had the skills to win, but his car was amazing. It’s a Trackhouse Racing car that was fast off the hauler and stayed fast all race at Chicago. He showed all the roundy-rounders in NASCAR how to do it. Now let’s see him do it again.

4 #45 Tyler Reddick (6/1) - He’s had some trouble on the courses his last two at Sonoma and Chicago but he’s won three of the last seven on road courses. And he’s led lots of laps in five of his last seven road races, He won at Indy last season leading 38 of the 86 laps. I think he’ll be back to normal this week running in the top-five most of the race.

5 #19 Martin Truex Jr. (9/2) - In 47 road course starts he has five wins and 14 top-fives and he added to his win total at Sonoma in June in a dominating performance leading 51 laps. It’s as if all the JGR Toyotas got road course fast at the same time. Truex is one of the best on the roads, but now he’s the favorite so I’ve left him out of my betting portfolio this week.

6 #8 Kyle Busch (11/1) - He has four road course wins over his career but the reason you bet him this week is that he’s knocking on the door of a win each time out with his 2023 car, the one Reddick used to drive to wins. He’s been runner-up twice in it at COTA and Sonoma and then was fifth with it at Chicago. I’ll be looking for better odds, but I’ll have something on him to win.

7 #11 Denny Hamlin (16/1) - He hasn’t been as good as his past in his last nine road course events but I think his car is better now than in those previous attempts. He won at Watkins Glen in 2016 and has 13 top-fives on the roads. He’s also been on the pole in the last two road races at Chicago and at Sonoma. He’ll have a good run this week.

8 #17 Chris Buescher (20/1) - You drop $5 on him only because he’s won the last two races on the schedule and the road course is his thing. It’s what got him discovered in NASCAR. You also bet him because he’s had eight straight top-10s on road courses (Chicago included). RFK Racing is putting fast cars out there every week. They’re getting stronger and they were already strong on the roads with Buescher. Yes, he’s worth a bet to win this week. Shop around.

9 #99 Daniel Suarez (22/1) - He hasn’t been able to achieve the same success he had last season this season, but you know he’s still the same driver that likes road racing. He won his first career race at Sonoma last season and was fifth at both Road America and Watkins Glen. The problem with betting on him this week is that he’s desperate for solid points. He’s only 5-points behind the 16th and final playoff spot. If he drives for the win, he puts himself in a more volatile situation.

10 #2 Austin Cindric (28/1) - This is the driver I recommend throwing $5 on because he’s in NASCAR due to his road skills and he’s desperate to make the playoffs with three races in the regular season remaining. He’s 53 points from the transfer position, or he could just go win the race and get the auto-qualifier. In 12 road races in Cup, he has seven top-10s. He was sixth at COTA and also sixth at Chicago. You’ll waste $5 on far worse things this weekend.

Desperate Chase Elliott is +750 to win at Indy

 

9 CHASE ELLIOTT   Age: 27 (Nov. 28, 1995)   Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia   Resides: Dawsonville, Georgia   Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson   Standings: 22nd

No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1   INDY REWIND: Last year at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, Chase Elliott started eighth and overcame an early race spin to earn a fifth-place finish in stage one. He followed that up with a fourth-place result in the second stage. In an eventful final stage, the Dawsonville, Georgia, native raced as high as second and was in that spot when a caution came out with five laps to go for debris. On the restart, Elliott was collected in a multi-car incident in turn one but was able to battle his way to 16th after the race was sent into overtime. In the NASCAR Cup Series’ inaugural road racing event at Indianapolis in 2021, Elliott drove to a fourth-place result. In the two races at the 14-turn layout, he holds the best average running position (7.91).  KEEP THE TOP FIVES ALIVE: This season, Elliott has two road course starts in the series and has finished inside the top five in each of them. The 27-year-old driver paced the field for seven laps at Sonoma Raceway en route to a fifth-place result and followed that up with a third-place effort in the inaugural Chicago Street Course race. Elliott’s average finish (4.00) across those two races is the second-best mark in the series. ROAD RACING RUNDOWN: Since the start of 2022, Elliott’s best finish on a road course is second, achieved at Road America last season. In that span, he has five top-five finishes and six top-10s (tied for second-most) across eight starts on serpentine tracks. The Hendrick Motorsports driver has paced the field for 128 laps on road courses since the beginning of last season, which is tied for the most circuits out front. He has also earned two pole awards (Road America and Watkins Glen International in 2022) and has a series-leading average finish of 7.75. Despite missing the race at Circuit of The Americas in March 2023 due to his leg injury, Elliott has the sixth-most points earned (262) in that span.  LEGEND IN THE MAKING: In 27 Cup Series starts on road courses, Elliott has an average finish of 7.85, with seven wins, 16 top-five finishes and 19 top-10s. His average finish is not only the best among active drivers, but third all-time among drivers (with four or more starts), behind NASCAR legends Fireball Roberts and Buck Baker.   WINNING WAYS: Elliott has proven his road-racing prowess, leading all active drivers with seven wins on road courses – most recently at Road America in 2021. He is also third on the overall list of drivers with road course victories, trailing only NASCAR Hall of Famers Jeff Gordon (nine) and Tony Stewart (eight). Elliott has victories across five different road courses, which is the most in series history.  MEMORABLE MOMENT: Aug. 5 marked the five-year anniversary of Elliott’s first career Cup Series win, which came at a road course. The five-time National Motorsports Press Association’s Most Popular Driver Award recipient emerged victorious at Watkins Glen in 2018, leading 52 of 90 laps.   VIEW FROM THE TOP: Veteran crew chief Alan Gustafson has plenty of experience on tracks where left and right turns are made. Across 48 Cup Series races on road courses, the Ormond Beach, Florida, native has led his team to seven wins (all with Elliott) – a series-high among active crew chiefs – 19 top-five finishes and 26 top-10s.    WIN AND IN: Elliott sits 22nd in the driver points standings, 55 markers below the provisional playoff cutline with three races remaining in the regular season. A victory would lock Elliott into the playoffs and the team is up to the task. Across the three tracks remaining, Elliott and the No. 9 crew have two wins at Watkins Glen, a best effort of second (twice) at Daytona International Speedway and a best finish of fourth at the road course in Indianapolis. Currently, the No. 9 team is in the provisional field for the owner’s title as the team ranks 14th in those standings.  GET UP AND GO: NAPA Auto Parts is back on board the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 this weekend at Indianapolis. The Atlanta-based company was the primary partner for one other road course race this season. NAPA’s yellow and blue colors were on Elliott’s Chevrolet when he drove to a fifth-place finish at Sonoma. Get a look at all the angles of the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet here.  Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on racing on the Indianapolis Road Course: "For me personally, I feel like it is one of the harder ones, if not the toughest for me. Most road courses that we go to have a little bit of character at some point, little bit of banking or a little bit of something. That place is just flat. Not really a lot of character to the road itself. Imperfections, bumps. Things like that. Just a very flat road course, which I find challenging because it’s hard to find ways to be different." Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the team's outlook for the remainder of the regular season: "Our goal is the same as it’s always been. Go out and execute to the best of our ability, minimize mistakes and be in position to battle for the win at the end. We have three great opportunities coming up to be able to do that and Chase (Elliott) is one of the best at being able to tune out all the noise and focus on the task at hand."

Alex Bowman is 65/1 to win at Indy road course

 

48 Alex Bowman   Age: 30 (April 25, 1993)   Hometown: Tucson, Arizona   Resides: Concord, North Carolina   Crew Chief: Blake Harris   Standings: 20th

No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1   PUSH TO THE PLAYOFFS: With just three races left in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series regular season, Alex Bowman is currently ranked 20th in the driver points standings. He is 44 markers behind the provisional playoff cutoff line. As it stands now, Bowman needs to gain an average of 15 points per race on the cutline to point his way into the postseason. Despite a 60-point penalty in April and missing three points-paying races in the spring with an injury, Bowman still can make the top 16 for the playoffs. The 30-year-old driver has three top-five finishes, six top-10s and the DAYTONA 500 pole award in 20 starts this season. ROAD TESTED: Bowman has two runner-up finishes on road courses in his time at Hendrick Motorsports -- at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL in 2019 and Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in 2022. The Tucson, Arizona, native is one of two drivers with multiple second-place showings without a win on this track type. Earlier this year, he finished third at COTA for his fourth career top-five result at a road course. INDY FLASHBACK: Last year, Bowman pulled double duty at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, running the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro for Hendrick Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series on Saturday before Sunday’s Cup Series race. He started the Xfinity race in fourth and finished the first stage in third en route to his runner-up result at the 2.439-mile road course. Bowman will run next weekend’s Xfinity Series race at Watkins Glen International in the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevy. HARRIS IN INDY: No. 48 crew chief Blake Harris has one start atop the pit box at the serpentine layout of Indianapolis. The 36-year-old shot caller’s driver in 2022 started the event in seventh before finishing the 86-lap race in eighth. As a crew chief, Harris has one top-five finish and three top-10s in seven career road course starts.  SAVE THEM ALL: Bowman and primary partner Ally are teaming up this year to bring back the Best Friends Animal Society donation effort. This week, the duo will make charitable contributions to Medical Mutts Service Dogs, which serves the local community in Indianapolis. Bowman and Ally will donate $4,800 to Best Friends and Medical Mutts Service Dogs. Ally will increase its donation to $10,000 if the No. 48 team wins on Sunday. HOME SWEET HOME: No. 48 team car chief Ty Sipes hails from Bloomfield, Indiana, which is located approximately one hour and 45 minutes southwest of Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Growing up on a small hobby farm, Sipes gained experience racing at local tracks. In 2010, he started working on a small sprint car team traveling in the USAC Series. He earned his mechanical engineering degree from Purdue University in 2012 and later got an opportunity to work with Kasey Kahne’s World of Outlaws sprint car team. He joined Hendrick Motorsports during the latter part of the 2014 season and got his first Cup Series win at his home state track in 2017 on the No. 5 team of Kahne. Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the final three races in the 2023 regular season: "I think we have a shot each week to win at Hendrick Motorsports. The last few weeks we have run well and just had some bad luck. With the way this season has played out, to even be in the hunt for a spot speaks volumes about this team and how well our season started. We are all going to stay focused on the race we have each week and try to go maximize where we can." Blake Harris, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his expectations for Indianapolis: "Alex (Bowman) has had really good road course races over in the Next Gen car. Looking back at COTA, he has run super strong there. While last year his day was ended early in the Cup car (at Indy), he had a great run in the Xfinity race, so we can build off of his success there and the notes Hendrick Motorsports has as an organization and go try to compete for a win. This team is plenty of capable knocking one down before the end of the season."