NASCAR Brickyard 400: Breaking it Down Brick by Brick

This week the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Indianapolis, Indiana for the Brickyard 400.

This will be the 16th time NASCAR has visited famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Jeff Gordon won the inaugural 400, and Jimmie Johnson is the defending champion.

Indiana is home to 18 Sprint Cup team members, including three drivers, Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart, and David Stremme.

Although Jeff Gordon was born in Vallejo, California, he was raised in nearby Pittsboro, Indiana.

Winning a Brickyard 400 could have lasting side effects. In the 15 races run so far at Indy, seven of those had winners who have gone on to become series champion. Gordon and Johnson have done it twice.

This has to be the most exciting race to the chase we have had in a long while. Each week has seen significant changes in the standings, especially in the bottom third.

These drivers are caught up in the middle of a chase wedgie. Don't get caught picking your seat, or someone will pass right by you in the standings.

Just ask Greg Biffle.

All photos in this article were taken by, and are copyrighted to, David Yeazell.

Sources: Nascarmedia.com, Wikipedia, and the clutter in my head.

Clint Bowyer

Clint Bowyer currently sits in 15th place.

Mathematically he still has a shot at making the chase, but he needs to post a win or improve on his three top-five finishes.

It's not clear why Bowyer's season is not as strong as it was last year, but then again, RCR is not having a great year as a whole.

Bowyer has one top-five and one top-10 finish at Indy. If he could improve on that just slightly, he might move up another spot in the chase.

David Reutimann

David Reutimann won his first race at Charlotte this year. He barely slid into the chase standings, but was quickly pushed back out.

Sitting in 14th place, like Bowyer, Reutimann still has a chance, but a very slim one. This week could be the decisive week for his chase chances.

Reutimann's average finish at Indy is 34. If he runs average this week, his chase chances will be all but gone.

Greg Biffle

Greg Biffle saw his chase chances take a nose dive last week at Chicagoland.

When he finally landed, Biffle had dropped four spots to 13th, but he did manage to stay within 10 points of chase hopes.

Biffle made last year's chase and shocked the racing world by winning the first three races. He then came back to reality and slowly melted into chase obscurity.

Biffle's best finish at Indy is seventh, in 2006. His average finish is a disappointing 17th.

If Biffle wants to get back into the chase, he needs to improve his performance at this track. If he repeats his Chicagoland performance, Biffle will once again melt into chase obscurity.

Matt Kenseth

Matt Kenseth slid another two positions last week to shotgun on the chase field.

Kenseth welcomed a new small baby this past week while his slide in the chase standings continued.

In order for Kenseth to hold onto his paltry 10 point advantage, he must improve on his average finish of 16, which is only a smidgen higher than his career average finish of 15.

Another factor not in Kenseth's favor is that Chevrolet has won the last six races at Indy.

Mark Martin

The Geriatric Geronimo continues his weekly roller coaster ride through the standings. In the chase this week, out the next.

It would be very disappointing to see Martin not make the chase.

If the chase started today, Martin's four wins would sling shot him into second place in the standings, but the chase isn't starting today.

In the past four years Martin has had an average finish of seven at Indy.

Martin's four wins have kept him in the hunt, but his inconsistency in finishing has put him on the outside looking in several times.

It's time for Martin to look at the bigger picture. Wins are great, but he needs more consistently-good finishes.

Kyle Busch

Last year at this time Kyle Busch had the whole NASCAR world in the palm of his hand.

Leading the points and assured the top spot in the chase, Busch had all but cashed the check for his first championship.

Things are different this year. A lot different.

It is no secret that Busch has been plagued by demons, bad luck, and well, Kyle Busch.

Second only to Martin with three wins, Busch would be outside pole in the chase if it were to start today. But it's not, and that might be a bad thing for Kyle Busch.

Busch has said over and over again he races to win, not for points. I hope Joe Gibbs or Steve Addington has talked to Busch about this mind set.

After falling two positions last week, Busch is sitting in a very dangerous spot. While he has only four starts at Indy, he has improved his start / finish position in each race, and has a very respectable average finish of nine.

Busch is only 13 points from being outside the chase. It's time to start racing for points, or risk a repeat performance of last years chase melt down, only this time, it happens before the chase.

Juan Pablo Montoya

At this time, JPM has quietly positioned himself inside the chase.

Montoya has no wins, no top-five finishes, and nine top-10 finishes. But yet he is sitting ninth in the points. These statistics alone speak volumes of how far Montoya has come in the past year.

Indianapolis has been good to Montoya. He won the Indy 500 on the first try, and finished second in his first Brickyard 400.

Montoya needs to remain consistent, but this weekend could be his best shot at another win, and a huge move in the points.

Kasey Kahne

Kasey Kahne has reason to be looking over his shoulder. Only 51 points separates him and the next five drivers.

Kahne capitalized at Chicagoland and moved up four very critical spots in the standings.

Hopefully he can carry some of that momentum into this weeks race.

Indy has not been kind to Kasey in the past. His average finish is a paltry 17.8, and he has two DNFs in the past three years.

Ryan Newman

Ryan Newman enters this weeks race sitting a solid seventh in the points.

Returning home should be a good thing for a race car driver. This is not the case for Newman.

Indianapolis has not been kind to Ryan. Newman has eight starts at Indy, but has only finished better than he started one time. His average finish of 22 could spell trouble for one half of this years dynamic duo.

Carl Edwards

Who would have thought Carl Edwards would be sitting sixth in the standings, but have no wins at this point in the season?

I guess he has a right to be a little hot under the collar.

With an average finish of 10, Indianapolis could be the track to break Edwards winless streak.

Edwards only has four starts at Indy, but has finished every race better than he started.

Denny Hamlin

What can you say about Denny "Mr. Hollywood" Hamlin?

After moving up one position last week, Hamlin sits a solid fifth in the standings.

Hamlin has improved from last year and is poised to make a solid run in the chase.

Indianapolis could make his chase standings even more solid. Hamlin has four starts at Indy, finishing third last year.

Kurt Busch

Kurt Bush could teach his younger brother a thing or two. If he would listen.

Busch has been quietly amassing points this year by winning one race and being solid week in and week out.

Busch has positioned himself in the chase standings, and could have a chance to make a run at his second championship.

Indianapolis could be a minor hiccup in that quest. In eight starts at Indy, Busch can only muster an average finish of 18, and one top-five.

Jimmie Johnson

Jimmie Johnson is looking for two things at Indianapolis: start on the pole and end in victory lane. He's basically looking for a repeat performance of last year.

Good news: Each time Johnson wins at Indy, he wins the championship.

Bad news: If he doesn't win, he doesn't finish.

Johnson has three DNFs in the past five years.

Barring a monumental melt down, Johnson is pretty much locked into the chase. Lets hope Indy doesn't hold the combination to that lock.

Jeff Gordon

As you can see by the picture, Jeff Gordon has the fire back in his eyes.

Even with back problems, Gordon has pushed on. Sitting second in the standings, he is certain to be in the chase.

Indianapolis has been good to Gordon. He has as many wins there as he has championships, and two of those wins came in championship years.

He has a new wife, new child, and a renewed drive for five, coupled with a stellar average finish of 8.6, Gordon will be the odds on favorite to visit victory lane this Sunday.

Tony Stewart

With two wins in his pocket and sitting atop the points standings, Tony Stewart has earned the respect of NASCAR nation as a first year owner and driver.

After flirting with victory lane most of the year, Stewart finally got there at the All Star race. Then, he got there two more times. Now, he seems obsessed.

Stewart has 10 starts at Indy and two wins. His average finish is a respectable 9.1.

A win here would put even more distance between Stewart and second place Gordon, but more important, it would give him more of those valuable bonus points for the chase.

As of now, with only two wins under his belt, Stewart would move to third in the standings behind Mark Martin and Kyle Busch.