Short list of dominant drivers at Brickyard 400
By: Steve Makinen
Seven races remain until the NASCAR Cup Series reaches the Chase, or the postseason if you will. After enjoying the last weekend off, the drivers get back to work at famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where they’ve been coming once annually for the Brickyard 400 ever since ’94. There has been just a short list of dominant drivers here historically, with Jeff Gordon and Dale Jarrett sharing honors in the early years and since passing the torch on to Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson. In fact, those latter two have won the last five races at Indy and for good reason are listed as the favorites for Sunday according to Sportsbook.com.
When NASCAR’s Cup Series last left you, it was David Reutimann basking in the limelight of a second career win. This time around however, it was no fluke, as he was upfront for most of the Lifelock.com 400, a much different scenario to his first win at Charlotte in 2009, a rain-shortened event. Perhaps more important to Reutimann than the win was the ground he made up in the points standings. He was able to climb two spots up to 15th and now finds himself just 96-points out of the Chase behind Clint Bowyer. In between him and Bowyer are Dale Earnhardt, Jr (-15) and Mark Martin (-37). At this point, you’d have to believe that anyone beyond Kasey Kahne (-120) in 17th is in trouble. Remaining at the top of the standings is Kevin Harvick, 103 points out in front of Jeff Gordon. Jimmie Johnson (-188), Denny Hamlin (-203) and Kurt Busch (-221) round out the top 5.
With just seven races remaining to qualify for the Chase, this race takes on significance, perhaps even more than usual, since Indianapolis’ sister track, Pocono Raceway, also is on the upcoming schedule. Drivers that fare well at this 2-1/2 mile flat superspeedway typically do well at Pocono, which has similar features. That said, a victory this week is a much-coveted one, both for the pageantry of the host venue, the Brickyard, as well as the prize money disbursed to the winner. As is usually the case, the stars tend shine brightest on the biggest stage, as the last seven winners of this race are mega-stars. Jimmie Johnson & Tony Stewart have won the last five Brickyard 400’s, with Johnson being the defending two-time champion. Jeff Gordon won the 2004 event and Kevin Harvick reached Victory Lane in 2003. Of course, those latter two are currently the 2010 standings.It’s interesting to note that Johnson, winner of three of the last four races here, went on to his first of four straight series titles after taking home his first Checkered Flag from Indy. In fact, that feat has happened now eight times in 16 years, further signifying the importance of winning the Brickyard 400.
The 2009 race was described as “boring”, with a record-low tying nine lead changes and only three cautions disrupting the green flag action. However, for Indy officials, the results were just fine when considering the debacle of 2008, when tire problems dominated the race. They were so severe that the longest green flag run was 12 laps. Goodyear has done continuous testing in the two years since and judging by the lack of trouble a year ago, the tire problems seem to be behind them. That said, there are still many fans that may be growing weary of Indy anyhow. The racing at the Brickyard has always been more conducive to open-wheel cars. As for the stock cars, track positioning and pit strategy have always been key at IMS, as the minimal banking on the track has mandated cautious driving with minimal passing. Naturally, fans aren’t turned on by that type of racing.
Most experts believe that there is only a slight difference between the car setups used at Indianapolis to those at Pocono. Keep that in mind when handicapping, since coincidentally, another trip to Pocono follows this week’s event. The top three in the June race at Pocono were Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, and Tony Stewart. Looking at the results at the two tracks combined in the COT (since ’08), you’ll find Jimmie Johnson atop the heap in almost every key statistical category. In seven total races, he leads in Poles (2), Wins (2), Average Finish (5.1), Top 5’s (4), Top 10’s (6), and Laps Led (241). It’s no wonder that oddsmakers have established him as the 7-2 favorite. Stewart is next at 7-1, and he boasts four Top 5’s as well in that 7-race stretch, along with an average finish of 11.0. Denny Hamlin is listed at 8-1, with 222 laps led and four Top 5’s. However, his success has come mostly at Pocono, with his average finish at Indy in four career starts just 17.3.
Beyond the three favorites in terms of stats and odds, you’ll find a handful of other drivers capable of competing for the win on Sunday. Jeff Gordon, at 8-1 heads that list. He has a remarkable 10 Top 5’s in 2010, though he’s yet to reach Victory Lane. Having spent time in his childhood in Indiana, many consider this Gordon’s home track, and he could break the winless drought on Sunday. It would be his career-leading 5th Indy win. Kyle Busch also shares 8-1 odds, although he has not won in five Inday starts, and has averaged just a 24.6 finish in the seven flat superspeedway races in the COT. Juan Montoya (12-1), Kevin Harvick (12-1), Jeff Burton (14-1), Carl Edwards (20-1) and Kasey Kahne (20-1)will wrap up my own personal short list of contenders for the weekend. Typically, a driver has to be either running very well at the time, or have a rich history at Indy to win the Brickyard 400. All five meet one or both of that criteria. Of the group, Kahne & Edwards are the only winners at a track like this in the last seven COT races, though Montoya has threatened to win and seems to love coming back to the Brickyard, a track he ran while in open wheel racing. The Childress guys, Harvick and Burton, are running very well over the last month.
Among the drivers you may want to avoid this week, at least in terms of the numbers, are Kurt Busch (12-1), Matt Kenseth (25-1), Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (30-1), Martin Truex (35-1), and Jamie McMurray (35-1).Busch has surprisingly bad numbers at Pocono and Indy in the COT, with an average finish of 23.6 and two DNF’s. Kenseth is struggling to put things together during his break-in period with his new crew chief, and has averaged just 15.7 in the past seven flat superspeedway races. Junior, Truex, and McMurray are longshots as the odds suggest, and have combined for only three Top 10 finishes and 17 laps led in 21 starts.
This week’s qualifying for the Brickyard 400 begins Saturday at 10:10 AM ET, with the race green flag scheduled for Sunday at 1:19 PM ET. With track position being critical, the qualifying usually plays a huge factor, with eight of the previous 16 winners starting in the top 5. Jimmie Johnson started 16th a year ago and won. No winner has ever come from worse than the 27th starting spot. Johnson has also finished 3rd in ’09, and 1st in ’08 in Happy Hour, so if he demonstrates similar speed this weekend in practice, look out. As always, the StatFox NASCAR FoxSheet, Driver Pages, and Matchup Analyzer are ready to prepare you for all of the racing action…
Brickyard 400 Odds & Ends
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Data
Race # 20 of 36 (7-25-10)
Track Size: 2.5 miles
Race Length: 400 miles (160 laps)
Banking/Corners: 9 degrees
Banking/Straights: 0 degrees
Driver Rating at Indianapolis
Tony Stewart 111.8
Jimmie Johnson 104.9
Mark Martin 104.8
Juan Pablo Montoya 102
Jeff Gordon 96.2
Matt Kenseth 93.6
Denny Hamlin 93.3
Jeff Burton 93.1
Kyle Busch 92.8
Kevin Harvick 91.9
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2009 races (5 total) at Indianapolis.
Qualifying/Race Data
2009 pole winner: Mark Martin (182.054 mph, 49.436 seconds)
2009 race winner: Jimmie Johnson, 145.882 mph, 7-26-09)
Track qualifying record: Casey Mears (186.293 mph, 48.311 secs., 8-7-04)
Track race record: Bobby Labonte (155.912 mph, 8-5-00)
Estimated Pit Window: Every 30-32 laps, based on fuel mileage
Brickyard 400 preview
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com
After a much deserved week off, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series takes its traveling road show to the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway for racing on the bricks. This will be the 17th NASCAR race held on the sacred racing grounds that has been in existence for over 100 years.
The track’s all-time leader in wins is also the driver who won the first race ever at the Brickyard. Jeff Gordon has racked up three other Indy wins as well, but none since 2004. Over the last five years of NASCAR racing at the Brickyard, there have been only two winners. Tony Stewart has won twice while Jimmie Johnson has won three times, including the last two races held there.
Both Stewart and Johnson can be expected to be contenders this week, but not necessarily just because of their great Brickyard history. Indianapolis is a very unique track -- unlike any other layout on tour -- but one that does have similarities to Pocono Raceway because of its long flat straightaways and flat sweeping turns. To be successful at Indy, it takes an engine with a lot of horsepower and car with good handling. Stewart finished third at Pocono but has opted to take his Coca-Cola 600 chassis that finished 15th.
For Johnson, he’s either hit or miss at Indy and when he hits, it’s good for a win. His only top-five finishes at the track have been wins while he’s also had three finishes of 36th or worse. Johnson will be using his fifth-place Pocono chassis this week.
Denny Hamlin led the most laps and won at Pocono last month with Johnson and Stewart both finishing within the top-five. Kyle Busch and all three Childress cars ran strong in that race and look to be the leading contenders to win this week.
Both Hamlin and Kyle Busch will be looking to capture Joe Gibbs Racing’s fourth Brickyard 400 win. Bobby Labonte won in 200 with Stewart winning in 2005 and 2007. Busch finished runner-up to Hamlin at Pocono, but surprisingly isn’t bringing the same chassis from that race opting to go with a first time starter instead.
During the Pocono practice sessions, all signals indicated that the Childress cars would be strong for that race. Clint Bowyer dominated the early portion of that race with Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton finishing strong. Hamlin would be too tough on this day as he took his fourth career Pocono win, but I kept a note on my schedule to strongly look at what happened in that race to help early handicapping for this weeks race. Burton looks live this week and will be using the same exact car from Pocono that ran very well despite a disappointing seventh-place finish.
Another driver to keep an eye on this week during the four practice sessions is Juan Pablo Montoya who got caught speeding on pit road while leading late in last years Brickyard 400. Montoya is a past Indy 500 race winner and gets in and out of those tight turns better than most. He’ll be debuting a brand new chassis this week that tested at Indy in April.
There likely won’t be any surprises this week as only the best of the best win on the famed bricks. In the 16 races run there, only two have been won by drivers that never won a Sprint Cup championship -- Ricky Rudd and Kevin Harvick. That list of drivers is dwindling as past champions have either passed away or retired, while not gaining any new members as Johnson has hogged all the titles.
There are a lot of chassis’ running this week that have had success on the season such as the 1-2 finishers from Charlotte in May. Kurt Busch and Jamie McMurray are both using their Coca-Cola 600 cars. Kasey Kahne will be using his runner-up Michigan chassis while Mark Martin will be using the same car from last year’s Indy race that led 14 laps and finished second.
This looks like a great week to go against the trend, one that could include a Toyota winning for the first time with Kyle Busch. Busch is likely to become a champion some day, but should he win, it would be the first non-Chevy to win since Bill Elliott in his Evernham Dodge in 2002, a year Elliott also won at Pocono.
Next week, everyone should be a head of the handicapping game early because the series travels back to Pocono for the second date this season. Keep an eye on who runs well this week throughout the final practices and during the race, but not necessarily where they finish.
Top-5 Finish Prediction:
1) #18 Kyle Busch (8/1)
2) #11 Denny Hamlin (8/1)
3) #31 Jeff Burton (15/1)
4) #48 Jimmie Johnson (7/2)
5) #24 Jeff Gordon (8/1)
BRICKYARD 400 Notes & Quotes: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
DALE EARNHARDT JR. ON WHAT A WIN AT INDIANAPOLIS WOULD MEAN TO HIM: "When somebody asks me what it would feel like to win here, I think about the open-wheel history of this track, and I think about drivers like (Mario) Andretti and (A.J.) Foyt and the guys even before them. I think about the history of this track and how it's survived the war and closed down and opened back up and everything that it's been through. When they first brought stock cars here to practice, it was a realization for a lot of people, including myself, being an aspiring driver at the time, that I may have a chance one day to race at Indianapolis that I otherwise didn't think that I would have unless I was to go in the open-wheel series."
EARNHARDT JR. CREW CHIEF LANCE McGREW ON RUNNING LAST YEAR'S SETUP AT INDIANAPOLIS: "I think you always look at your past setups. There are some places we go where you will carbon copy it. But you continue to evolve. I think some of the stuff we ran at Indy last year, we now have better stuff. Sometimes we will try our old packages and then may migrate more toward what we've been racing lately. I think that Indy race was a good one for us. We had a car capable of finishing in the top five but didn't end up with the finish. This season we've managed to run up front and stay up front when we've had cars capable of doing so and doing it pretty consistently."
EARNHARDT JR.INDIANAPOLIS CHASSIS SELECTION: Crew chief Lance McGrew and the No. 88 team will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-612. This is a new chassis that has not been raced or tested.
MARK MARTIN ON RACING AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY: "When NASCAR first started coming to Indy, I thought it was a mistake. I knew what it would mean to the sport to have a race there, but I just didn't think it would happen. I didn't think this type of car, a stock car, would be good on that kind of track. I can honestly say now that I was wrong. I love going back to Indy to race. It's been a tremendous addition to the NASCAR schedule, and I think it's great for all of the stock car fans that NASCAR races on that track."
MARTIN ON HIS EUROPEAN VACATION DURING THE SPRINT CUP OFF WEEKEND: "I had a great time over there with (son) Matt and (wife) Arlene. The most amazing thing to me was the architecture and history of the area. There are buildings over there still standing from the 13th century. That is incredible. The human race is so incredibly smart. I'm not sure anything we're building today will still be around in 700 or 800 years. The biggest highlight of the trip was our visit to Stonehenge. It's incredible to look at something and know that it has been standing there for 4,000 years. The entire trip was awesome and something I'll never forget."
MARTIN'S INDY CHASSIS CHOICE: Gustafson has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-550 for Sunday's race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This is the same chassis that Martin drove to a second-place finish in last year's Brickyard 400.
GREG BIFFLE ON RACING AT INDY: "Indy is a unique track and passing can be difficult so track position will be crucial. We will have to be on our toes as far as pit strategy goes because fuel mileage can become a factor. We have run well there the last couple of years and if we can go back there and run as well as we did last year, I’ll be happy. Needless to say, our last couple of races have been disappointing and we really can’t afford any more bad races before the Chase. We are looking forward to this weekend at Indy though as an opportunity to get some points back."
BIFFLE CREW CHIEF GREG ERWIN ON CHASSIS SELECTION AND RACING AT INDY: "We have a brand new car for the race this weekend in Indy. Qualifying will be important because passing is difficult and there are generally very few cautions. Goodyear gave us a great tire last year so I don’t foresee any problems there. Fuel mileage can come into play so we have to be smart about pit strategy. Indy is a great opportunity for us to turn things around and gain back the ground we’ve lost the last couple of weeks to be in a better position heading into the Chase."
JIMMIE JOHNSON ON BEING EITHER HIT OR MISS AT INDY WITH THREE TOP FIVES BEING ALL WINS AND THREE OTHER FINISHES ON 36TH OR WORSE: "Yea, that seems to be the pattern. I'm certainly hopeful for another win. I think at the beginning I wasn't driving the track right. And it took me a year or two to get the track figured out. And then I could lead the team in the right direction with the setup. And then we had some luck from there. We got the right baseline setup under the car and I was driving it right and we were able to get some results. So I feel good about what I'm doing. I feel good about the direction of the team and what we're taking there. We'll just have to see what kind of luck we have."
JOHNSON INDY CHASSIS SELECTION: Johnson will be piloting chassis No. 558 in Sunday's event. Johnson last drove that car to a fifth-place finish at Pocono Raceway in June. Backup chassis No. 553 was driven to Victory Lane by Johnson at Auto Club Speedway in February.
JEFF GORDON ON WHERE HIS FOUR BRICKYARD 400 WINS RANK ON A PERSONAL LEVEL: "They're huge for me. I wasn't born there, but went to high school there, growing up there. Not just that, but being born in California, racing was everything to me. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy 500, guys like Rick Mears and A.J. Foyt, Johnny Rutherford, Al Unser, all those guys were heroes of mine that I aspired to be."
"Living in Indiana, racing around Indiana, Indianapolis Raceway Park, the fairgrounds, Bloomington, all over the place, it was every short track open wheel Sprint Cup driver's dream to race at Indianapolis one day. To be able to do that in the very first ever stock car race there, NASCAR race in '94, win it, then go on to win it three more times is something that I probably put up as the highest accomplishments of my career."
GORDON SPEAKING ABOUT THE EDWARDS-KESELOWSKI NATIONWIDE RACE INCIDENT: "Well, just glad that I'm not the one making those decisions. You know, I think it's been well documented this year that NASCAR is allowing the racing to be more in the drivers' hands, to try to stay out of some of those incidents that are judgment calls. Probably it's hard to really say just because there is a little bit of a past history with those two. You don't really know what all has gone on over the years with them that has brought it to this point."
"But just looking at the incidents, looked to me like Brad got into him a little bit getting into one, but was just racing hard for the position, for the win. Then what Carl did I felt like was definitely out of line. I felt like it was over and above what needed to be done. Again, you don't know what kind of bad blood there is between the two. Whether or not NASCAR gets involved in it, I think two, three, four, five years ago, I would have thought absolutely they would have done something, maybe taken the win away or docked points or a fine or something like that. Today, it's letting the guys race. That means that I'm sure you'll want to watch the future Nationwide races and those guys battling one another, and in the Cup Series as well. You just know there's going to be more to come."
Driver Handicaps: Indianapolis
Racingone.com
This weekend the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Sunday's Brickyard 400. To help you make your fantasy racing picks, Motor Racing Network brings you our weekly detailed look at some of the field for the 160-lap event.
Who's HOT at Indianapolis
• Jeff Gordon leads all drivers in wins (4), top 10s (13), laps led (440).
• Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson are the only other multiple winners.
• Mark Martin has the best average finish (6.0) in the last four races.
• Kevin Harvick, the 2003 winner, has finished in the top 10 in six of his nine starts.
• Kasey Kahne and Greg Biffle each have finished in the top 10 in the last two races.
Keep an Eye on at Indianapolis
• Juan Pablo Montoya dominated this race last year up until a pit road speeding penalty.
• Denny Hamlin, who is coming off his fourth Pocono win, performs well on the flat tracks. His teammate Kyle Busch finished second at Pocono.
• Chicago winner David Reutimann scored his first top 10 at Indy in 2009.
• Jeff Burton, who holds the fifth-best average running position at Indy in the last five races, will be driving a car that is coming off consecutive seventh-place finishes.
• Carl Edwards has an 8.5 average finish in the two races at Indy with the COT.
• Matt Kenseth has finished in the top 10 in four of his last five Indy starts.
• Joey Logano finished 12th in his first start at Indy in 2009.
• Kurt Busch, who finished sixth at Pocono in June, will be racing the same car that dominated the Coca-Cola 600 in its debut.
Top 30 Driver Notes - Ordered by current standings
(All stats/notes are in regards to Indianapolis Motor Speedway unless noted)
1. Kevin Harvick: Coming off sixth top 10 in nine starts; Winner of the 2003 Allstate 400; 21.5 average finish in two starts with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 288) that most recently finished seventh at Dover.
2. Jeff Gordon: Leads all drivers in wins (4), top fives (9), top 10s (13), laps led (440); Has finished in the top 10 in last three starts; Last win came in 2004; Tied for the fourth-best average finish (7.0) in the two races with the COT.
3. Jimmie Johnson: Coming off third win in eight starts: 2009 win was second consecutive, both coming with the COT; Has combined to lead 128 laps in three of the last four races; Two crashes and one engine failure have relegated his overall average finish to 17.9; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 558) that finished fifth last month at Pocono.
4. Denny Hamlin: Recorded first top five in 2008 race after leading 26 laps; 18.5 average finish in the two races with the COT; Won his fourth race at the 2.5-mile Pocono Raceway in June.
5. Kurt Busch: 22.5 average finish in four starts with Penske Racing; Best finish with Penske was a 12th in 2006; Three top 10s came with Roush Racing (2001-2004); Will return in the same car (chassis No. 728) that went to Victory Lane in the Coca-Cola 600 after leading 252 laps.
6. Kyle Busch: 26.5 average finish and 14 laps led in two starts with Joe Gibbs Racing; Scored consecutive top 10s with Hendrick Motorsports in his three other starts; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 274) in the Brickyard 400.
7. Jeff Burton: 15.4 average finish in five starts with Richard Childress Racing; 25th-place finish last year snapped streak of two consecutive top 10s; Only top five (fifth) came with Roush Racing in 1999; Only driver that has been running at the finish of all 16 Brickyard 400s; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 305) that finished seventh in its last two starts at Pocono and Chicago.
8. Matt Kenseth: Coming off sixth top 10 in 10 starts; Best finish is a pair of runner-ups in 2003 and 2006; 24.0 average finish in the two races with the COT; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 694) in the Brickyard 400.
9. Tony Stewart: Finished third in first track start with Stewart-Haas Racing in 2009; Posted two wins and six top 10s in previous 10 starts with Joe Gibbs Racing; Leads all drivers with a 8.5 average finish; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 591) that finished 15th in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte.
10. Carl Edwards: Sixth-best finishing average (8.5) in the two races with the COT; Finished second in 2008 for second top 10 in five starts; Qualified 41st and finished 15th in 2009; Has completed 100 percent of his laps attempted; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 695) in the Brickyard 400.
11. Greg Biffle: Coming off consecutive top 10s; Fourth-place finish last season was first top five in seven starts; Second-best finishing average (6.0) in the two races with the COT; Only laps led (11) came in the 2007 race.
12. Clint Bowyer: 13.5 average finish in four starts; Best finish (fourth) came in 2006; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 310) in the Brickyard 400.
13. Dale Earnhardt Jr: Finished 12th in first track start with Hendrick Motorsports in 2008; Engine problems relegated him to a 36th-place finish in 2009; Only top 10s in nine starts came with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. in 2001 and 2006; Led 33 laps in 2007, but an engine failure relegated him to a 34th-place finish; Will debut a new car (No. 612) in the Brickyard 400.
14. Mark Martin: Won the pole and finished second in 2009 in first track start with Hendrick Motorsports; Nine top 10s in previous 15 starts including eight with Roush Racing; Third-best average finish (6.5) in the three races with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 550) that led 14 laps in last year's Brickyard 400.
15. David Reutimann: Coming off first top 10 in three starts; Eighth-place finish lowered his finishing average to 25.3; 19.0 average finish in the two races with the COT; Currently tied for the fourth-best average finish (11.6) in the last 10 races this season.
16. Ryan Newman: 13.5 average finish in the two races with the COT; Finished 14th in 2009 in first track start with Stewart-Haas Racing; Only top 10 in eight starts came in 2002; Two crashes have relegated his average finish to 21.4; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 609) in the Brickyard 400.
17. Kasey Kahne: Coming off consecutive seventh-place finishes; Tied for the fourth-best average finish in the two races with the COT; Four top 10s in six starts came in the races he was running at the finish; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 275) that finished second at Michigan.
18. Jamie McMurray: Three top 10s in seven starts; Best finish (third) came with Chip Ganassi in first track start in 2003; will pilot the same car (chassis No. 905) that finished second in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte.
19. Joey Logano: Finished 12th in first start in 2009; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 275) in the Brickyard 400.
20. Martin Truex Jr.: Has yest to finish in the top 10 in five starts; Posted his track best finish of 12th in 2007; 22.8 average finish with three finishes inside the top 20; Making track debut in a Toyota this weekend.
21. Juan Pablo Montoya: Dominated 2009 race, leading 116 laps up until a late race pit road speeding penalty; Finished second in his Indy debut in 2007; A crash in 2008 season raised his average finish to 17.3; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 1011) that was tested at Indy in April.
22. AJ Allmendinger: 15.0 average finish in two starts; Best finish came in 2008 in 10th; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 276) that finished 38th at Martinsville.
23. Paul Menard: Posted best finish in three starts at track (20th) in debut in 2007; 30.0 average finish; Bringing a brand-new chassis No. 693 to track this weekend.
24. Scott Speed: Making second Cup start; Finished 31st last year.
25. David Ragan: 18.0 average finish in three starts; Will race the same car (chassis No. 668) that finished seventh at Auto Club last fall.
26. Brad Keselowski: Making his first Cup start at track this weekend; Will use same chassis (PRS-720) that he scored a 12th-place finish with at Darlington.
27. Elliott Sadler: Has posted two top-five finishes in 11 starts; Most recent was a fourth-place finish in 2008; Has led a total of 76 laps in three races; 27.7 average finish; Piloting same chassis (No. 280) that he raced to 19th-place finish at Atlanta and 21st-place finish at Charlotte this year.
28. Marcos Ambrose: Making third track start this weekend, after making oval Cup debut at the track in 2008; Has finished 22nd in both of his two Indianapolis starts.
29. Sam Hornish Jr.: Trying to become first driver to win both Indianapolis 500 IndyCar race and Brickyard 400 as he makes his third Cup start at track; Finished 21st in debut in 2008 and 37th last year after running much of the race within the top 15; Contact with Turn 1 wall led to the bad finish last year.
30. Regan Smith: Making third career start; Finished 39th last year in track debut with Furniture Row Racing; Other start resulted in 31st-place finish.
Brickyard 400 Preview
Battle at the Brickyard
The most attended event in NASCAR is this Sunday’s Brickyard 400 at famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Jimmy Johnson is the 7/2 favorite this week. He’s won at Indianapolis the last two years and three times overall. Johnson and the rest of the drivers are refreshed after a week off.
There are four drivers (Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gordon, Juan Pablo Montoya, Kyle Busch) who come in next at 8/1 odds. Gordon is the only four-time winner at Indianapolis, the last one coming in 2004.
Montoya is the surprise name as he’s struggling this year (21st in the standings). However, he has plenty of experience at Indianapolis and finished second in 2007.
Tony Stewart (10/1) and Kevin Harvick (12/1) are two additional previous winners here. Stewart (two-time winner) is the trendy pick this week by a bunch of the experts.
Season title odds heating up
Johnson (2/1) is the season leader as he looks for his unprecedented fifth straight title. Hamlin (9/2) has five wins this year, tied for the most with Johnson.
Kyle Busch (9/2) could be ready to break through with his first win. He was left out of The Chase last year, but has always had the talent. Kyle’s bother Kurt won the championship back in 2004.
Gordon is second in points even though he’s been shut out in wins. He’s the four-time season champion, most recently in 2001. Kevin Harvick (9/1) is the season leader in points as he has the most top-10 finishes (13).
Two time champ Stewart (10/1) is the last driver to win the title before Johnson (in 2005). Earnhardt Jr is once again making himself relevant. He’s 13th in the standings (one spot out of The Chase). Oddsmakers have him pegged at 35/1.
Updated Sprint Cup Title Odds (NASCAR points in parenthesis)
Jimmie Johnson 2/1 (2,557)
Denny Hamlin 4/1 (2,542)
Kyle Busch 9/2 (2,488)
Jeff Gordon 6/1 (2,642)
Kevin Harvick 9/1 (2,745)
Tony Stewart 10/1 (2,389)
Kurt Busch 12/1 (2,524)
Jeff Burton 15/1 (2,465)
Carl Edwards 25/1 (2,345)
Matt Kenseth 25/1 (2,446)
Brickyard 400: NASCAR Betting Preview and Picks
By GREG ENGLE
After a rare off week, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series gets back to action this week and heads to the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Sunday’s Brickyard 400.
But this is more than just another race. Sure, the points in the season championship are the same as any other race, but winning at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is an accomplishment that a racer in any form of motorsport wants to have. Because of that, look for everyone in the field to put forth a little extra effort Sunday to try and earn a chance to ‘kiss the bricks’.
That tradition is something that my top pick for this week, Jeff Gordon (+800), has done four times in his career, more than any other driver in NASCAR.
There is, though, one new variable this weekend. For the first time, NASCAR’s new generation stock cars have abandoned the wing for a spoiler. Some have speculated that the spoiler has changed the fortunes of several drivers since it was introduced in the spring. According to Gordon though, the spoiler shouldn’t be a big factor come Sunday.
“I like the spoiler.” Gordon said this week. “I like what it's doing to the cars. I like the way it looks. But from a performance standpoint, you know, it's very small change in performance. “
A winning plan will have to include Sunday will not only be performance, but reliability as well. And reliability is something Gordon and the No. 24 team has shown this season. Coming off the momentum of a third at the last stop in Chicagoland, look for them to be the ones to beat Sunday.
You certainly can’t count out last year’s winner. Jimmie Johnson (+400) has three wins here including back to back victories in 2008 and 2009. But unlike last year, there have been some chinks in the once seemingly impenetrable championship armor. So while he can’t be counted out, Johnson will be the hunter instead of the hunted this weekend.
Others to watch
Kevin Harvick (+1200)
Harvick won here from the pole in 2003. In addition to his win and the one pole, he has three top five and six top 10 finishes at Indy. So far this season Harvick has been leading the points for longer than at any other time in his career; combine that with his on-track success this season and Harvick will definitely be a threat Sunday.
Tony Stewart (+1000)
Stewart is the one of the clutch players in NASCAR. When the odds seem to be at their lowest is when Stewart seems to shine. After growing up near the track and beginning his career in Indy cars this place holds a special place in his heart. After scoring two wins here, Stewart is able to back up that sentimentality with results; in addition to his two wins, he has five top five and seven top 10 finishes. Look for him to give that little extra this week as he tries to finish in front.
Head to head picks
Denny Hamlin vs. Kurt Busch
Hamlin has one top five and two top 10’s here while Busch has one top five and three top 10 finishes. So far this season both drivers have had some great runs. Hamlin has had the better year to date but Busch has the added pressure of working for Roger Penske who has enjoyed success at Indy on the open wheel side; look for Busch to step up his game in order to impress his boss and finish ahead of Hamlin this week.
Kyle Busch vs. Jeff Burton
Both have near equal records here; Busch one top five and three top 10s while Burton has one top five and four top 10s. Busch wants to win everywhere as does Burton, but Burton and his Richard Childress Racing team have shown more consistency and Burton himself more tenacity; look for Burton to prevail in this showdown.
Practice Notes - Indy
By Micah Roberts
Brickyard 400
Top 8 Driver Rating Following All Daytona Practice Sessions
Rating Driver Odds Practice 1 Practice 2 Qualifying Practice 3 Practice 4
1 Jeff Burton 18/1 6th 19th 10th 1st 2nd
Notes: Using same chassis that had a strong run at Pocono. Most impressive during Saturday practices.
2 Juan Pablo Montoya 5/1 1st 1st 1st 14th 18th
Notes:The 2000 Indy 500 winner led 116 laps in last years race; Debuting new chassis this week.
3 Jimmie Johnson 9/4 2nd 5th 2nd 13th 6th
Notes:Won the last two Indy races; has three overall. Using fifth-place Pocono chassis this week.
4 Kevin Harvick 15/1 33rd 6th 9th 3rd 12th
Notes:Won 2003 Indy race; has career average finish of 10.8 in nine races. Using Dover chassis.
5 Tony Stewart 10/1 10th 26th 15th 19th 27th
Notes:Two-time Indy winner; one of two drivers with a career Indy average finish in top-10 (8.5).
6 Mark Martin 40/1 15th 3rd 3rd 8th 5th
Notes:Using same chassis that led 14 laps en route to runner-up finish in last years Indy race.
7 Clint Bowyer 20/1 13th 4th 6th 2nd 3rd
Notes:Debuting new chassis this week; best career Indy finish was fourth-place during rookie season.
8 Jeff Gordon 9/1 17th 17th 8th 18th 15th
Notes:Leads all driver with four Indy wins, the last coming in 2004; has career average finish of 8.6.
Note: The one track similar to Indy on the circuit is Pocono because of the long straightaways and flat, sweeping turns each possess.
Ran across this blog for practice times and you might want to bookmark it.
http://looptyloopdata.blogspot.com/2010/07/indianapolis-motor-speedway-practice.html