NASCAR at Brickyard 2015: Start Time, Lineup, TV Schedule and More
Sunday, the historic Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway once again challenges NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series as things heat up in the middle of summer.
It's year No. 22 the historic track has played host, and IMS isn't a stranger to putting on electric showings and competitions. Drivers seem to like the track and fans love it, so Sunday promises to live up to its label as one of the year's best events.
Last week, Kyle Busch did it yet again with a win in New Hampshire. There are plenty of other storylines to note, though, so below, let's take a look at the necessary info and provide the zoom on the top drivers.
Viewing Details
Where: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
When: Sunday, July 26, at 3:30 p.m. ET
Watch: NBCSN
Live Stream: NBC Live Extra
Tickets: ScoreBig.com
NASCAR at Indianapolis Entry List
| 1 | Jamie McMurray |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski |
| 3 | Austin Dillon |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick |
| 5 | Kasey Kahne |
| 6 | Trevor Bayne |
| 7 | Alex Bowman |
| 9 | Sam Hornish Jr |
| 10 | Danica Patrick |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin |
| 13 | Casey Mears |
| 14 | Tony Stewart |
| 15 | Clint Bowyer |
| 16 | Greg Biffle |
| 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr |
| 18 | Kyle Busch |
| 19 | Carl Edwards |
| 20 | Matt Kenseth |
| 21 | Ryan Blaney |
| 22 | Joey Logano |
| 23 | J.J. Yeley |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon |
| 25 | Chase Elliott |
| 26 | Jeb Burton |
| 27 | Paul Menard |
| 31 | Ryan Newman |
| 32 | Josh Wise |
| 33 | Brian Scott |
| 34 | Brett Moffitt |
| 35 | Cole Whitt |
| 38 | David Gilliland |
| 40 | Landon Cassill |
| 41 | Kurt Busch |
| 42 | Kyle Larson |
| 43 | Aric Almirola |
| 46 | Michael Annett |
| 47 | AJ Allmendinger |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson |
| 51 | Justin Allgaier |
| 55 | David Ragan |
| 62 | Reed Sorenson |
| 78 | Martin Truex Jr |
| 83 | Matt DiBenedetto |
| 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr |
| 95 | Michael McDowell |
| 98 | Timmy Hill |
Sprint Cup Standings
| 1 | Kevin Harvick | 734 |
| 2 | Joey Logano | 665 |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 655 |
| 4 | Jimmie Johnson | 646 |
| 5 | Martin Truex Jr. | 628 |
| 6 | Brad Keselowski | 603 |
| 7 | Matt Kenseth | 578 |
| 8 | Kurt Busch | 576 |
| 9 | Jamie McMurray | 574 |
| 10 | Jeff Gordon | 573 |
Drivers to Watch
Last year, Jeff Gordon shocked the world and grabbed win No. 5 at IMS in the same event.
This year, Gordon remains on the farewell tour at 10th in the standings but winless. The "farewell" part took another step this week when the small town of Pittsboro, Indiana, where the driver was raised, threw a parade in honor of No. 24 before his big race this weekend.
"This to me, today, has been one of the best days of my life," Gordon said, per ESPN.com's Bob Pockrass. "I say that sincerely in every way because I get to see what Pittsboro not only meant to me, but what it means to you guys."
The next step for Gordon, of course, is a win. He's looked better as of late, posting three consecutive top-10 finishes, which broke an odd slump.
If Gordon is going to pick up a win this year, it figures to come at IMS, where he's the record holder for victories. Recent momentum speaks well, and at the least, he needs to keep his foot down to stay away from the dreaded No. 16 slot on the leaderboard.
Martin Truex Jr.
One of spring's biggest stories has morphed into one of summer's quietest as Martin Truex Jr. continues to fizzle in the heat.
The Furniture Row Racing driver is a great story, which perhaps hit its peak when he won the event at Pocono at the start of June. Over his last four outings, though, Truex hasn't finished better than 12th, with a pair of finishes of 38th or worse.
Still, Truex himself doesn't sound deterred after an odd caution finish in New Hampshire and equates the rough patch to a learning experience:
Truex isn't in a terrible spot per se, sitting fifth in points with a win to his name. Things change a bit when wins get added in, but he's in good standing and even better if things turn for the better this weekend.
Last year, Truex finished 25th at the same event. He appears on an upswing right now, though, so his ability to improve on recent history and keep pace on the leaderboard makes for one of the weekend's most critical storylines.
Kyle Busch
It's hard to root against Kyle Busch.
The man suffered a serious injury, NASCAR granted him an injury waiver and, so far, he's held up his end of the bargain, winning races and looking well on his way to the cutoff point of 30th on the leaderboard.
In fact, Busch rests in 33rd and has won three of his last four, including two consecutive thanks to checkered flags at Kentucky and New Hampshire.
Perhaps scariest of all for the rest of the Cup Series?
Busch made it sound like he thinks his team can do even better when he spoke with Ed Graney of the Las Vegas Review-Journal: “I'm not sure we've unleashed the beast at all. We're just taking one race at a time and doing everything that we need to do to have the right opportunities come our way.”
It's a scary proposition, but it's hard to doubt the man at this point. Busch is on a mission to make the Chase as the season winds down, which couldn't be more apparent given his recent form.
Just 58 points out of his cutoff slot for the Chase, look for Busch to put on another show this weekend.
Stats and info courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
.png?w=600 "New NBA Mock Draft 📝")
.jpg?w=600 "Offseason Moves for Every Team 👉")
