The NASCAR Cup Series returns to the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 27 for the Brickyard 400 at the 2.5-mile track.
Chase Briscoe is on the pole, leading a group of Toyotas at the top of the leaderboard.
It is officially playoff picture time with five races remaining in the regular season, as Alex Bowman, Chris Buescher, Bubba Wallace and Ryan Preece are all near the cutline.
Can a driver outside the playoff picture, like Ty Gibbs or Brad Keselowski, upset the playoff picture with a win on Sunday?
Denny Hamlin crashed in qualifying and will start last with a backup car.
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Additionally, the in-season tournament concludes with the final matchup between Gibbs and Ty Dillon. The former will start fifth, while the latter is once more the underdog as the No. 32 overall seed.
Follow along with the Tennessean’s race updates below, with the green flag set for just after 1 p.m. CT on Sunday:
NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis: Live updates, highlights, live leaderboard for the Brickyard 400
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LIVE LEADERBOARD: Full field leaderboard of NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400
NASCAR Brickyard 400 news, stories
Recap | Results | Points standings | Winners and losers | In-season tournament final results
GWC attempt #2: Bubba Wallace wins the Brickyard 400!
Chase Briscoe pits for fuel from the top 10 as the field gets the 1-to-go. Bubba Wallace will start on the inside again with Kyle Larson on his outside. Wallace is told to flip the switch for fuel reserves heading to the green flag.
Wallace clears Larson through turns 1 and 2, and he is going away from the No. 5.
Wallace takes the white flag. Larson is four car lengths behind.
Wallace defends through turns 3 and 4, and he’s going to win. Bubba Wallace, Brickyard 400 winner.
“This is why they make trophy cases: to fill them,” Wallace says on the radio.
GWC attempt #1: Caution for Zane Smith, others
Kyle Larson is on the outside, with Bubba Wallace on the inside. Wallace is the control car. He is told to flip the fuel switch for the reserve coming to the white flag.
Bubba Wallace clears Kyle Larson off of turn 2, but there is a multi-car crash behind them on the backstretch. Zane Smith is turned into the outside wall by Christopher Bell, and Tyler Reddick hits him. Joey Logano is also involved.
Cliff Daniels tells Kyle Larson he should be OK on fuel for another attempt. Not a lot of optimism on Bubba Wallace’s radio, but they are staying out. “Save for your life,” Wallace is told.
Red flag lifted, GWC upcoming
The red flag has been lifted, and the caution flag is back out. A green-white-checkered finish is upcoming.
Tyler Reddick pits, but the rest of the leaders stay out. Bubba Wallace was told he will have enough for one green-white-checkered attempt.
Lap 157: Red flag for rain
The cars are stopped down pit road, and the red flag has been displayed. The track has been lost in turn 1, but it is not raining all the way around the track.
Should be about 5:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. CT or so for a resumption.
Lap 154: Caution for rain!
Caution is out for rain through turn 1 and now into turn 3, per the NASCAR officials radio chatter. Bubba Wallace is told to save.
Lap 142: Ryan Blaney pits, giving lead to Bubba Wallace
Bubba Wallace is the new leader as Ryan Blaney pits from the lead. Wallace leads Tyler Reddick by about five seconds, so it’s Wallace’s race to lose barring a caution or a fuel miscalculation in the No. 23 pits.
Lap 134: Joey Logano cuts down tire
Joey Logano cuts his right-rear tire down, similar to teammate Austin Cindric, and is coming down pit road. He’ll be at least one lap down.
Now it’s only Ryan Blaney and Katherine Legge who need to pit ahead of Bubba Wallace. It could be a 23XI Racing battle to the win, barring a Blaney fuel mileage gamble (miracle?) in the final laps.
Lap 123: After pit stops shake out, Joey Logano holds all the cards
Joey Logano leads among those who have pitted so far, and he should inherit the lead once the cycle completes ahead of Bubba Wallace. Logano short-pitted with two tires and fuel. Kyle Larson is fourth among those that have pitted.
Lap 106: Kyle Larson holds off Denny Hamlin for the lead
Kyle Larson controls the top spot after Ryan Blaney pits during the stage break, just ahead of Denny Hamlin. More stops are coming soon.
Ryan Blaney wins Stage 2
Ryan Blaney gets the playoff point via a win in Stage 2.
The top 10:
- Ryan Blaney
- Kyle Larson
- Denny Hamlin
- William Byron
- Brad Keselowski
- Alex Bowman
- Carson Hocevar
- Joey Logano
- Chris Buescher
- Bubba Wallace
Lap 97: Ryan Blaney vs. Kyle Larson for the stage win
Ryan Blaney gets the jump, with Kyle Larson rooting and gauging to get to second. Brad Keselowski slips back to fifth.
Resetting the running order
Ryan Blaney, who has not pitted since the Stage 1 break, stayed out and will be the leader at the restart. Brad Keselowski, William Byron, Alex Bowman and Kyle Larson make up the rest of the top five. Chase Elliott, in 12th, was the final car that was on the lead lap and had pitted under green earlier in the stage. The next 11 cars pitted under caution just now, with 23 cars on the lead lap.
Chase Briscoe and a host of others pitted and will restart outside the top 10. Their issue, from a track position standpoint, is a lot of the drivers ahead of them should not have to pit during the end of Stage 2. Those who pitted at around Lap 93 will have less fuel to put in the car, but that’s only so much track position given that those stops will happen 15 or so laps into a run in Stage 3. That being said, cautions change everything.
Lap 89: Erik Jones loses wheel, pounds the wall
Erik Jones, who had a fast race car, loses a wheel and pounds the wall in the corner after just pitting. Caution is out.
That is a wild sight, no matter how many times it happens.
Lap 85: Austin Cindric cuts down tire from the lead
Austin Cindric’s chances to win may now be over. Cindric cuts down a right-rear tire from the lead down the frontstretch and slowly makes his way around back to pit road. He is a lap down now, and that’ll be a tough one to take for the No. 2 Team Penske group.
Lap 79: Cole Custer cuts down tire
Cole Custer has a tire come apart in turns 3 and 4, and leader William Byron dives down pit road to benefit from a potential caution. No caution, but Byron should only need one more stop today.
Lap 66: Ryan Preece, Alex Bowman, Justin Haley pit from the front
The trio that stayed out during the Stage 1 end have pitted, with Ryan Preece and Justin Haley falling a lap down. Preece had a slow stop with the jack falling off on the left side.
Austin Cindric leads William Byron, Carson Hocevar, Bubba Wallace and Joey Logano.
Austin Dillon, Cody Ware to the garage
Austin Dillon needs a new radiator after the restart stack up, and he’s behind the wall. Cody Ware also drives to the garage area.
Lap 60: William Byron back into the top five
William Byron, with four fresh tires, drives into the top five. Chase Briscoe has slipped back to 13th. Tyler Reddick is about to 16th with damage from the stacked-up restart.
Denny Hamlin is up to 14th, while Chase Elliott is 18th. They are steadily moving up as halfway approaches.
Lap 57: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in the wall on the restart
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. gets turned as the field gets stacked up on the outside on the restart, and he has significant damage. No caution, but Stenhouse is going behind the wall.
Ryan Preece leads Alex Bowman and Justin Haley, with none of the others penetrating the top three who stayed out. Welcome to the Brickyard 400, where car quality and tire wear matters less than fuel strategy and clean air.
Several different pit strategies
Alex Bowman and Ryan Preece are among a few drivers who stay out along with the Fords and Erik Jones. Carson Hocevar takes two tires while the leaders almost all take four tires.
Noah Gragson is going to the garage after complaining about an issue with his race car.
Chase Briscoe wins Stage 1
Chase Briscoe wins Stage 1, and if you like fuel strategy and last lap pit numbers, this is the race for you.
The top 10:
- Chase Briscoe
- Bubba Wallace
- William Byron
- Tyler Reddick
- Chris Buescher
- Kyle Busch
- Carson Hocevar
- Kyle Larson
- Austin Dillon
- AJ Allmendinger
Lap 47: Erik Jones pits ahead of the stage
Erik Jones pits ahead of the stage end from fourth, and he comes out just ahead of Chase Briscoe to remain on the lead lap. So Jones joins the Fords on that strategy.
Lap 42: Pit stops for the Fords off strategy
Joey Logano pits first, with Austin Cindric pitting on the next lap. Josh Berry is coming on the next lap, and all stops were clean.
Chase Briscoe regains the lead.
Lap 38: Three leaders on different strategies to pit soon
Austin Cindric continues to lead, but he, Joey Logano and Josh Berry will need to pit just before the end of the stage. Berry, by the way, passed Bubba Wallace for fourth with a 20-lap difference in tires. Logano is told that by his team and is told that tire wear means little today.
Lap 23: Austin Cindric in the lead
Austin Cindric had the preferred inside line and bests Joey Logano through turns 1 and 2. Josh Berry gets split by Chase Briscoe and Bubba Wallace. Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell nearly crash on the straightaway with the darting and blocking.
Austin Cindric, Joey Logano, Josh Berry stay out as most take two tires
Austin Cindric, Joey Logano and Josh Berry stayed out during the caution, and they will be ahead of previous leader Chase Briscoe.
Track position is going to matter so much today. Surprised more did not stay out. With that caution timing, one can short pit the stage end and be on a reasonable strategy.
Lap 18: Ross Chastain crashes
Ross Chastain crashes in turn 3, with heavy damage all around his No. 1 Chevrolet. Caution is out. Chastain blocked the entry of Michael McDowell into the corner while racing in 34th, and McDowell made contact with Chastain in the rear.
Chastain does drive away, but visible suspension damage apparent. McDowell’s team is concerned about the No. 71’a splitter.
Not much happening in the first 15 laps or so once the field got strung out, with most discussion on radios up front about taking care of equipment and maximizing fuel mileage.
Lap 10: Tyler Reddick to P2
Tyler Reddick passes teammate Bubba Wallace for second, and Reddick is the fastest among the top five right now.
Lap 1: Green flag!
Chase Briscoe goes, and not everyone else does behind him on the inside. Not a good jump for Erik Jones.
Briscoe leads an orderly start, with Bubba Wallace in second. We’ll keep tabs on Denny Hamlin (39th) and Chase Elliott (30th) as they come from the back of the field.
Cars rolling at IMS
The 39-car field is moving along the 2.5-mile track for pace laps. Green flag upcoming.
Drivers going to the back for unapproved adjustments
Among those starting at the rear today:
- Denny Hamlin (backup car)
- Michael McDowell (unapproved adjustments)
- John Hunter Nemechek (unapproved adjustments)
- Zane Smith (unapproved adjustments)
- Jesse Love (unapproved adjustments)
Chase Briscoe on the pole; full NASCAR Cup Series Indianapolis starting lineup
Chase Briscoe will lead four other Toyotas at the front to the green flag on Sunday.
The top 10:
- Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
- Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
- Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
- Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota
- Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
- William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
- Chris Buescher, No. 17 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford
- Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
- AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
- Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford
Find the full starting lineup here.
NASCAR race radio coverage: How to listen to NASCAR Cup race at Indianapolis
The Brickyard 400 will be aired on the radio by the IMS Radio Network. IMS Radio has affiliates all across the country, and their feed can also be streamed on NASCAR.com as well as the NASCAR app. The race can also be heard on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.
NASCAR Indianapolis race TV schedule, start time
- Green Flag Time: Approx. 1:15 p.m. CT on Sunday, July 27
- Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2.5-mile rectangular oval) in Speedway, Indiana
- Length: 160 laps, 400 miles
- Stages: 50 laps, 50 laps, 60 laps
- TV coverage: TNT
- Radio: IMS Radio
- Streaming: Watch FREE on Fubo;; MAX app for in-car cameras (subscription required); NASCAR.com and SiriusXM on Channel 90 for audio (subscription required)
The Brickyard 400 will be broadcast nationally on TNT. Other streaming options for the race include MAX for in-car cameras for each driver.
Recent NASCAR Cup Series winners at Indianapolis
- 2024: Kyle Larson
- 2020: Kevin Harvick
- 2019: Kevin Harvick
- 2018: Brad Keselowski
