Brad Keselowski won the rain-delayed Big Machine Vodka 400 at The Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Monday (9/10).
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway (like most of the middle of the country) was inundated by rain for a few days by the remains of Tropical Storm Gordon after it pummeled the Gulf Coast area. That forced NASCAR to postpone the Brickyard 400 from Sunday (9/9) to Monday.
The race had its share of incidents when it finally got to take place 24 hours after it was scheduled to be run. There were two competition cautions and two cautions for the end of the first two stages of the race. That accounted for four of the ten times the yellow flag waived in Indy. The rest were for on-track incidents.
Clint Bowyer tied Denny Hamlin for the most laps let with each being out in front for 37 of the 160 laps. Clint was the winner of stage one of the race while Matt Kenseth was out front when stage two ended.
Denny Hamlin looked as though he would claim his first ever victory in the Brickyard 400 until a late race incident (the final caution period of the race) brought the cars back together for the final laps.
With under two laps remaining in the race Brad Keselowski was able to get to Denny back bumper, then next to him and eventually pass him for the lead. This was the 14th and final time the lead of the race would exchange hands among nine different drivers during the race.
Brad was able to hold on to the lead of the race to claim his first ever Brickyard 400 win. It also gave him back-to-back wins to end the regular season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series after winning at Darlington a week and a day ago. That gives him two wins for season after struggling to get a win for most of the regular season.
Erik Jones was also able to make a pass during the final laps to claim the runner-up finish in the Brickyard 400 with Denny Hamlin being relegated to a third place finish. Kevin Harvick claimed fourth place with Clint Bowyer rounding out the top five. See the complete race results for the Big Machine Vodka 400 at The Brickyard here.
Kyle Busch finished with an 8th place in the Brickyard 400 and claimed the “Regular Season Championship” in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series for being the point leader at the end of the first 26 races if the 2018 season (the “Regular Season”). The title comes with a trophy and bonus points that will help Kyle in the final ten races of the season, the “NASCAR Playoffs.”
The sixteen drivers that have made the 2018 Chase Grid for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series are pictured below. Front row (L-R) Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon, Kurt Busch, Kyle Larson and Erik Jones. Back row (L-R) Aric Almirola, Joey Logano, Alex Bowman, Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr. (the defending 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Champion).
The 10-race NASCAR Playoffs begin this Sunday, September 16th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with the South Point 400.
By: Buck Stevens
