NASCAR at Indianapolis 2017: Start Time, Ticket Info, Lineup, TV Schedule, More

One of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series' biggest events of the season has a new feel to it with musician Brantley Gilbert now sponsoring Sunday's Brantley Gilbert Big Machine Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 

Arguably the biggest race of the summer—especially this year with how the playoff picture continues to take shape—has an even bigger feel to it as the sport's biggest names jockey for position at a historic venue.

"Racing has always been part of Big Machine's DNA, and we're thrilled to partner with the world's most iconic racing brands," Big Machine Label Group CEO Scott Borchetta said when the pairing was announced, according to Jayski.com (via ESPN.com).

Superb sponsor or not, the playoff picture muddied further last week with Denny Hamlin picking up his first win. Now the series heads into an event where Kyle Busch looks to win his third checkered flag in a row there, which would also be his first of this season, really throwing the postseason outlook into chaos.

Viewing Details

Where: Indianapolis Motor Speedway

When: Sunday, 2:30 p.m. ET

Watch: NBCS

Live Stream: NBC Sports

Tickets: ScoreBig.com

Brantley Gilbert Big Machine Brickyard 400 Entries

1. Kyle Larson (42)

2. Martin Truex Jr. (78)

3. Jimmie Johnson (48)

4. Matt Kenseth (20)

5. Jamie McMurray (1)

6. Kasey Kahne (5)

7. Erik Jones (77)

8. Kyle Busch (18)

9. Denny Hamlin (11)

10. Kurt Busch (41)

11. Brad Keselowski (2)

12. Chase Elliott (24)

13. Kevin Harvick (4)

14. Joey Logano (22)

15. Daniel Suarez (19)

16. Ryan Blaney (21)

17. Matt DiBenedetto (32)

18. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (17)

19. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (88)

20. Clint Bowyer (14)

21. Michael McDowell (95)

22. Aric Almirola (43)

23. Chris Buescher (37)

24. AJ Allmendinger (47)

25. Ryan Newman (31)

26. Ty Dillon (13)

27. Austin Dillon (3)

28. Trevor Bayne (6)

29. Landon Cassill (34)

30. Paul Menard (27)

31. Danica Patrick (10)

32. Corey LaJoie (23)

33. David Ragan (38)

34. Cole Whitt (72)

35. Gray Gaulding (55)

36. Reed Sorenson (15)

37. Ryan Sieg (83)

38. Jeffrey Earnhardt (33)

39. Josh Bilicki (51)

2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Standings

DRIVER	POINTS
1. Martin Truex Jr.	758
2. Jimmie Johnson	552
3. Kyle Larson	720
4. Brad Keselowski	564
5. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	441
6. Kevin Harvick	639
7. Denny Hamlin	589
8. Ryan Blaney	486
9. Kurt Busch	455
10.Ryan Newman	428
11. Austin Dillon	363
12. Kyle Busch	650
13. Chase Elliott	587
14. Jamie McMurray	572
15. Clint Bowyer	526
16. Matt Kenseth	524

Drivers to Watch

Denny Hamlin

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

The series could've gone without another first-time winner this season—Hamlin didn't feel like cooperating. 

Last week in New Hampshire, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver only led 54 laps on the way to taking the checkered flag, making 95 from Busch an afterthought and ruining what looked like another dominant performance by Martin Truex Jr., who led 137 laps.

NASCAR captured Hamlin's epic celebration:

“Everything went right to win the race. It is a great feeling and I know we’ve been getting better and better as the year’s gone on. We definitely needed a win for the organization and to get some momentum going with the playoffs coming up,” Hamlin said after the win, according to Rich Thompson of the Boston Herald.

Indeed, it seemed like only a matter of time before Hamlin seized a checkered flag based on his six top-five performances and double-digit appearances in the top 10. 

Like any summer winner, the trick now becomes keeping the momentum during the fall stretch and on into the playoffs. Hamlin seems to think he's hitting a stride, so the No. 11 Toyota is one to watch again this weekend.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the driver on the series who feels like he's due even though he doesn't have the performance to back up such a statement.

Earnhardt has had a rough go of it this year despite it being a farewell tour of sorts. He's well on the outside of the playoff hunt with all of 351 points and just four top-10 performances, so fans can expect some high-risk driving if it means stealing a checkered flag and getting into the postseason.

This approach is exactly what happened last week as Earnhardt and his team took a shot at the win instead of settling for a top-10 performance, as he told ESPN.com's Bob Pockrass:

The gamble had Earnhardt finish 18th, though he led 10 laps in the process, the most he's led all season. Last week also marks his second top-20 outing in a row, giving him four over his last five appearances, the outlier the odd 32nd-place finish in Dayton despite starting on the pole.

At the least, Earnhardt gunning for wins and nothing more in the hopes of making the postseason will make for one of the most thrilling storylines Sunday and the rest of the way.

Kyle Busch 

Carlos Osorio/Associated Press

Speaking of feeling due, Busch has to win at some point, right? 

Busch continues to hang around on the leaderboard by way of three poles, seven top-five finishes and 10 top-10 appearances. A checkered flag, though, eludes him and makes the journey more difficult than it needs to be.

This isn't the first time it's been said and it won't be the last—but this weekend seems like a good opportunity for Busch to grab his first win and coast the rest of the way.

After all, Busch has won this event two years in a row, leading 149 laps last year and only 19 in 2015. So yes, IMS could certainly be the cure for one of the sport's biggest names.

“We would certainly like to get it three in a row,” Busch said, according to NASCAR.com's Holly Cain. “That would be nice. That would be special. That would be something unprecedented no one’s ever done, so I look forward to that and seeing what this new aero package at Indy has in store for us.”

Busch has led 207 laps over the last two events and has three poles to his name since the start of June. His also taking an aggressive stance going into Sunday is nothing but a good thing for all involved.

Call Busch's win-seeking ways another layer of intrigue to what annually stands out as one of the sport's best events.

Stats and info courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.