NASCAR

NASCAR at the Brickyard: Schedule, watch info, favorites for Indianapolis

Here's a full preview for the 2024 Brickyard 400, which is set for Sunday on NBC.

NBCUniversal Media, LLC

The first race of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season kicks off Feb. 18. Here are the keys dates for the upcoming season.v

NASCAR is back at the Brickyard.

While Indianapolis Motor Speedway is traditionally reserved for open-wheel cars, stock cars will take the track this weekend. This year marks the 30th anniversary of NASCAR’s first visit to the Brickyard, which was famously won by a 23-year-old named Jeff Gordon.

Since Gordon’s debut win, NASCAR has made annual trips to Indy and created its own legacy. From the kissing of the bricks tradition to the move to the road course, the series has made its mark on the iconic speedway.

So, who is racing in Indy? What’s the schedule for TV and streaming? And what drivers could contend for the win on Sunday? Here’s everything you need to know for 2024 Brickyard 400:

NASCAR Brickyard 400 entry list, drivers

Thirty-nine drivers will race in Indianapolis – the 34 full-timers, plus five others.

Four-time Brickyard 400 winner Jimmie Johnson headlines the “open” entries, as he makes his sixth start of the season for Legacy Motor Club. Other part-time entries include A.J. Allmendinger for Kaulig Racing, Ty Dillon for Richard Childress Racing, Cody Ware for Rick Ware Racing and B.J. McLeod for MBM Motorsports.

Here’s the full entry list for the Brickyard:

Car numberDriverTeamSponsor
1Ross ChastainTrackhouse RacingMoose Fraternity
2Austin CindricTeam PenskeDiscount Tire
3Austin DillonRichard Childress RacingSENIX Tools
4Josh BerryStewart-Haas RacingPanini/Caitlin Clark
5Kyle LarsonHendrick MotorsportsHendrickCars.com
6Brad KeselowskiRFK RacingBody Guard
7Corey LaJoieSpire MotorsportsGainbridge
8Kyle BuschRichard Childress RacingCheddar's
9Chase ElliottHendrick MotorsportsNAPA Auto Parts
10Noah GragsonStewart-Haas RacingBass Pro Shops
11Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingSport Clips
12Ryan BlaneyTeam PenskeMenards
14Chase BriscoeStewart-Haas RacingHighPoint.com
15Cody WareRick Ware RacingZeam
16A.J. AllmendingerKaulig RacingCampers Inn RV
17Chris BuescherRFK RacingCastrol
19Martin Truex Jr.Joe Gibbs RacingAuto-Owners Insurance
20Christopher BellJoe Gibbs RacingRheem
21Harrison BurtonWood Brothers RacingDraiver
22Joey LoganoTeam PenskeShell/Pennzoil
23Bubba Wallace23XI RacingU.S. Air Force
24William ByronHendrick MotorsportsValvoline
31Daniel HemricKaulig RacingCirkul
33Ty DillonRichard Childress RacingTitan Risk Solutions
34Michael McDowellFront Row MotorsportsHorizon Hobby
38Todd GillilandFront Row MotorsportsGener8tor
41Ryan PreeceStewart-Haas RacingHaas Tooling
42John Hunter NemechekLegacy Motor ClubPye Barker Fire & Safety
43Erik JonesLegacy Motor ClubDollar Tree
45Tyler Reddick23XI RacingMonster Energy
47Ricky Stenhouse Jr.JTG Daugherty RacingKleenex
48Alex BowmanHendrick MotorsportsAlly
51Justin HaleyRick Ware RacingFraternal Order of Eagles
54Ty GibbsJoe Gibbs RacingMonster Energy
66B.J. McLeodMBM MotorsportsCoble Enterprises
71Zane SmithSpire MotorsportsFocused Health
77Carson HocevarSpire MotorsportsZeigler Auto Group
84Jimmie JohnsonLegacy Motor ClubCarvana
99Daniel SuarezTrackhouse RacingFreeway Insurance
2024 Brickyard 400 entry list

Is the Brickyard 400 a road course?

No, the Brickyard 400 is not a road course in 2024.

NASCAR will return to the iconic oval course this season after three years using the track’s infield road course. The circuit had mixed results, but drivers are thrilled to be returning to the “big” track as the Brickyard 400 once again becomes a crown jewel event for the series.

When is the Brickyard 400 this year?

The Brickyard 400 is set for Sunday, July 21, at 2:30 p.m. ET.

Before the race, there will be a practice session on Friday and qualifying on Saturday. All 39 drivers will participate in a 50-minute free practice session. Then, the 39 drivers will be split into two groups (found here) for two-round qualifying.

Here’s how it works:

  • Each driver will make one lap in the first round, with the five fastest drivers in each group advancing.
  • In the final round, the remaining drivers each get one lap to set the top 10 starting order. The fastest driver overall will start on the pole, the fastest driver in the other group will start second.
  • Positions 3 through 10 are set on final round times – Group A filling the even-numbered positions (4th, 6th, 8th, 10th), Group B filling the odd-numbered positions (3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th).
  • Positions 11 through 37 are set based on first round times – Group A filling the even-numbered positions, Group B filling the odd-numbered positions.

What is the NASCAR TV schedule this weekend?

Rick Allen (play-by-play), Jeff Burton (analyst) and Steve Letarte (analyst) will be on the call for NBC Sports all weekend. Marty Snider, Kim Coon and Dave Burns will serve as pit reporters.

Here’s the full TV and streaming schedule:

Friday, July 19 (streaming)

Saturday, July 13 (USA Network and streaming)

Sunday, July 14 (NBC and streaming)

NASCAR Brickyard winners list, race history

Just three of the 39 drivers in the field are past winners in Indy.

Johnson leads the way with four victories (2006, 2008, 2009, 2012), but he’s struggled in his part-time return to the series over the past two seasons. The semi-retired Hall of Famer hasn’t finished better than 28th in five starts this year.

After Johnson, past Brickyard winners include Busch (2015, 2016) and Keselowski (2018).

Brickyard 400 predictions, picks, favorites

Elite drivers rise to the top at the Brickyard.

Of the 27 races held on the Indy oval, 22 were won by series champions. The other five include 2025 Hall of Fame inductee Ricky Rudd, 18-race winners Kasey Kahne and Ryan Newman and former Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray. The only true outlier is Paul Menard, whose only career Cup win came at the Brickyard in a 2011 fuel-mileage race.

So, where does that send us as we look to predict this race? All eyes should be on Hamlin.

He isn’t a champion, but he has the most wins ever by a driver without a title. The 43-year-old driver has seven career crown jewel wins (three Daytona 500s, three Southern 500s, one Coke 600), leaving just the Brickyard left. Hamlin has five top-fives in 15 Brickyard starts.

Then there’s the past champions, who have all been contenders in this race. Johnson, Busch and Keselowski are the only former winners, but Truex, Larson and Logano have all been close. Truex had four top-10s in his last five Indy starts, Larson finished fifth in 2017 and Logano has a series-best 10.6 average finish in 12 starts.

The series’ two youngest champions, Blaney and Elliott, could also challenge for the win. Blaney won in Pocono last Sunday at a track somewhat comparable to Indy. Elliott, meanwhile, had the second-most green flag passes in Pocono (98) before finishing ninth.

With all that being said, expect a Hall of Fame-caliber driver to be kissing the bricks on Sunday.

Indianapolis weather for NASCAR

As of Thursday afternoon, NBC Chicago is predicting a beautiful weekend in Speedway, Indiana.

There’s a 7% chance of rain on Saturday and a 6% chance of rain on Sunday. There will be partly cloudy skies on race day as temperatures could reach 84 degrees.

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