Officially it is called the Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 Powered by Big Machine Records. However, most NASCAR fans will simply call it the Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
That was the name of the race from the beginning and what most will always call it. It is the NASCAR Cup Series racing at one of the most iconic tracks in auto racing. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is unlike any other on the circuit. That presents the drivers and teams with unique challenges. However, it also means that winning on the track is one of the highest achievements a drive can achieve. It makes the Brickyard 400 one of NASCAR’s “Crown Jewel” races.
Here is what the drivers and teams will be facing this weekend.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Data
Track Size: 2.5-miles
Banking/Turns 1 & 2: 9 degrees
Banking/Turns 3 & 4: 9 degrees
Banking/Straights: 0 degrees
Frontstretch Length: 3,330 feet
Backstretch Length: 3,300 feet
Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 Data
Season Race #: 16 of 36 (07-05-20)
Race Length: 160 laps / 400 miles
Stages 1 & 2 Length: 50 laps (each)
Final Stage Length: 60 laps
Competing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a challenge in normal years. The 2020 season has been anything but normal. That will make this year’s Brickyard 400 perhaps the most challenging of all time. Let’s look at the drivers that have performed well at the track during their careers.
Top 10 Driver Ratings at Indianapolis
Kyle Busch ……………………………. 104.8
Kevin Harvick ………………………… 102.1
Matt Kenseth ………………………….. 98.9
Jimmie Johnson ………………………. 98.8
Denny Hamlin …………………………. 94.1
Joey Logano …………………………… 92.5
Brad Keselowski ……………………… 89.8
Ryan Blaney …………………………… 89.3
Clint Bowyer …………………………… 87.3
William Byron ………………………….. 84.9
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2019 races (15 total) among active drivers at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Including the inaugural Brickyard 400 in 1994 won by NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Jeff Gordon, there have been 15 drivers win in the NASCAR Cup Series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Let’s look at the active drivers that are on that list.
Active Drivers with Race Win(s) at Indianapolis
Jimmie Johnson – 4 Wins
Kevin Harvick – 2 Wins
Kyle Busch – 2 Wins
Brad Keselowski – 1 Win
Ryan Newman – 1 Win
It has been 110 races since seven-time NASCAR Champion Jimmie Johnson has been to Victory Lane. He is second on the all-time list of race winners at Indianapolis. (Jeff Gordon is the all-time leader with 5 wins.) Jimmie is racing his final full-time year as a Cup Series driver. That means this could be the last time he races in the Brickyard 400. It could be a storybook race for him if he can break his winless streak, move to a tie for all-time wins at Indianapolis and score a win in his final year to make the playoffs.
Of course there will be 39 other drivers on the track doing everything they can to prevent that from happening.
We will all watch what happens in the Brickyard 400 (Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 Powered by Big Machine Records) this Sunday, July 5th starting at 3 PM central time (4 PM eastern time) at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
By: Buck Stevens
