Below is a look at some of the top statistical performers at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana, going into the Brickyard 400 Presented by PPG on Sunday, July 21 at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, IMS Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
At Indianapolis Motor Speedway Stats & Tidbits:
TRACK DATA
Season Race #: 22 of 36 (07-21-24)
Track Length: 2.5 Mile Asphalt Oval
Race Purse: $9,596,601
Banking/Turns (all four): 9 degrees
Banking/Straights: 0 degrees
Frontstretch Length: 3,330 feet
Backstretch Length: 3,300 feet
Race Length: 160 laps / 400 miles
Stages 1 Length: 50 laps
Stages 2 Length: 50 laps (Ends on Lap 100)
Final Stage Length: 60 laps (Ends on Lap 160)
TRACK QUALIFYING & RACE RECORDS
Track Qualifying Record:
Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 188.889 mph, 47.647 secs., (Set in Round 1 of 3), July 25, 2014
Track Race Record (160 laps/400 miles):
Bobby Labonte, Pontiac, 155.912 mph, (02:33:56), August 5, 2000
2020 Pole Winner (Most Recent):
None — Drew for Starting Lineup due to the pandemic restrictions.
2020 Race Winner (Most Recent):
Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 123.162 MPH, (03:16:05), July 5, 2020
HISTORY
Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) has existed since 1909, and is the original “Speedway”, the first racing facility to incorporate the word into its name.Located just west of downtown Indianapolis, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the third oldest permanent automobile race track in the world, behind Brooklands and the Milwaukee Mile.With a permanent seating capacity for more than 250,000-plus people and infield seating that raises capacity to an approximate 400,000, it is the largest and highest-capacity sporting facility in history.The track is a 2.5-mile long rectangular shaped oval.The first NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway was August 6, 1994. The first Cup race won by Hendrick Motorsport‘s driver Jeff Gordon in the No. 24 Chevrolet. Gordon led 93 laps in the 160 lap event and beat Brett Bodine to the finish line by 0.530-second to win. The average speed of the race was 131.977 MPH, and it took 3 hours, 1 minute and 51 seconds to complete.In total, there have been 27 NASCAR Cup races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway; one per year from 1994 through 2020. This season marks the first-time since 2020 the series has competed on the oval.From 2021 — 2023, the NASCAR Cup Series did not compete on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval, but instead competed on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course producing three different winners — AJ Allmendinger (2021), Tyler Reddick (2022) and Michael McDowell (2023).
STARTS
A total of 171 different drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway; 132 have competed in more than one Cup Series race at Indianapolis.NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon leads the NASCAR Cup Series in starts at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with 23.Top Five In Cup Indianapolis Starts (All-Time): Jeff Gordon (23), Bobby Labonte (21), Jeff Burton (20), Kevin Harvick (20), Kurt Busch (20), Mark Martin (20), Matt Kenseth (20), Ryan Newman (20).NASCAR Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in starts at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with 18.Top five in Cup Starts at Indianapolis (Active): Jimmie Johnson (18), Kyle Busch (16), Martin Truex Jr. (16), Denny Hamlin (15), Joey Logano (12), Brad Keselowski (11).A total of three different drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have made their series debut at Indianapolis Motor Speedway — Danny Sullivan (8/6/1994), Geoff Brabham (8/6/1994), Ron Barfield Jr. (8/3/1997).Of the three drivers that made their first NASCAR Cup Series career start at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Ron Barfield Jr. posted the best finish with an 22nd-place result on August 3, 1997. Barfield started in the 23rd position.
Average Starting Position
David Green (two starts) leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a 6.000.Joey Logano (12 starts) leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in average starting position at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a 10.667.
Top 10 in Average Starting Position at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (All-Time & Active)
RankAll-Time DriversAvg StartRacesRankActive DriversAvg StartRaces1David Green6.00021Joey Logano10.667122Juan Pablo Montoya6.62582Brad Keselowski11.000113Kenny Irwin Jr9.50023Jimmie Johnson11.667184Ryan Newman10.500204Denny Hamlin13.333155Joey Logano10.667125Kyle Larson13.50066Brad Keselowski11.000116Kyle Busch14.125167Jimmie Johnson11.667187Ryan Blaney14.50068Kasey Kahne11.929148Erik Jones14.75049Kevin Harvick12.050209Chase Elliott17.333610Dale Earnhardt12.286710Austin Dillon18.2508
POLES
A total of 19 different drivers have won the pole at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series.Driver Rick Mast won the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series pole at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1994 with a speed of 172.414 MPH. Mast, driving a Richard Jackson owned Ford, led two laps and finished 22nd in the event.NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon (1995, 1996, 1999) and Kevin Harvick (2003, 2014, 2019) lead the NASCAR Cup Series in poles at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with three poles each.A total of three of the 19 Indianapolis Motor Speedway Cup Series pole winners are active this weekend.Active Indianapolis Pole WinnersPolesSeasonsKyle Busch22017, 2016Denny Hamlin12012Jimmie Johnson12008Kyle Busch leads all active Cup Series drivers in Indianapolis Motor Speedway poles with two (2016, 2017).Of the 19 Cup Series pole winners at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, only three have won consecutive poles: Jeff Gordon (1995-1996), Ernie Irvan (1997-1998) and Kyle Busch (2016-2017).Youngest Cup Series Indianapolis pole winner: Reed Sorenson (July 29, 2007 — 21 years, 5 months, 24 days).Oldest Cup Series Indianapolis pole winner: Mark Martin (July 26, 2009 — 50 years, 6 months, 17 days).Reed Sorenson (07/29/07) is the only driver to post his first career NASCAR Cup Series pole at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.A total of 10 different organizations have won the pole in the NASCAR Cup Series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.Five of the 10 NASCAR Cup Series organizations with poles at Indianapolis Motor Speedway are active this weekend.Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports are tied for the NASCAR Cup Series most poles at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with five each.OrganizationsPolesSeasonsJoe Gibbs Racing52017, 2016, 2015, 2012, 2002Hendrick Motorsports52009, 2008, 1999, 1996, 1995Chip Ganassi Racing32010, 2007, 2004Robert Yates Racing32005, 2000, 1997Stewart-Haas Racing32019, 2014, 2013Richard Childress Racing22006, 2003RFK Racing12011MB2 Motorsports11998Precision Products Racing11994Travis Carter Motorsports12001Four different manufacturers have won a NASCAR Cup Series pole at Indianapolis Motor Speedway; led by Chevrolet with 10 poles, followed by Ford (seven), Toyota (four), Dodge (two), and Pontiac (2).
WINS
A total of 15 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and six of the 15 have won multiple times at the 2.5-mile rectangular-shaped track.NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon won the first NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1994. Gordon ran 400 miles (160 laps) in 3 hours, 1 minute and 51 seconds with an average speed of 131.977 MPH driving the famed Hendrick Motorsports‘ No. 24 Chevrolet. He started from the third position and led 93 laps enroute to the victory.NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon leads the NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with five victories (1994, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2014) — all with Hendrick Motorsports.NASCAR Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson leads all active Cup Series drivers in wins at Indianapolis with four victories (2006, 2008, 2009, 2012).This weekend, three of the 15 NASCAR Cup Series Indianapolis Motor Speedway race winners are active.Active Indianapolis WinnersWinsSeasonsJimmie Johnson42012, 2009, 2008, 2006Kyle Busch22016, 2015Brad Keselowski12018Jimmie Johnson (2008-09) and Kyle Busch (2015-16) are the only two drivers to win consecutive NASCAR Cup Series races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.Youngest Cup Series Indianapolis winner: Jeff Gordon (August 6, 1994 — 23 years, 0 months, 2 days).Oldest Cup Series Indianapolis winner: Bill Elliott (August 4, 2002 — 46 years, 9 months, 27 days).On July 31, 2011, Paul Menard became the first and only NASCAR Cup Series driver to post his first career win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.Martin Truex Jr. leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Cup Series starts at Indianapolis without visiting Victory Lane at 16.A total of 17 different starting positions on the grid have resulted in wins in the NASCAR Cup Series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.The first starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (five) than any other starting position at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series — a 18.52% winning percentage.The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is 27th, by Jeff Gordon in 2001.
NASCAR Cup Series Wins by Starting Positions at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Starting PositionWinsWinning %Starting PositionWinsWinning %1518.52%1313.70%227.41%1413.70%3311.11%1513.70%427.41%1613.70%513.70%1913.70%627.41%2213.70%713.70%2413.70%913.70%2713.70%1127.41%Additional Starting Position StatsWinning %WinsWinning from the First Starting Position:18.52%5Winning from the Front Row:25.93%7Winning from a Top-Five Starting Position:48.15%13Winning from a Top-10 Starting Position:62.96%17Winning After Starting Outside the Top 10:37.04%10Winning After Starting Outside the Top 20:11.11%3In 2016, Kyle Busch became the first driver in history to sweep both the NASCAR Xfinity Series race from the pole and the NASCAR Cup Series race from the pole in the same weekend at Indianapolis.Indianapolis Motor Speedway‘s Brickyard 400 is considered one of the NASCAR Cup Series‘ Crown Jewel events, along with the Daytona 500, the Coca-Cola 600 and the Southern 500. Only four drivers in NASCAR Cup Series history have won all four events in their careers — Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt.NASCAR Crown Jewel Events & WinnersDriversBrickyard 400Daytona 500Coke 600Southern 500TotalJeff Gordon533617Jimmie Johnson424212Kevin Harvick31228Dale Earnhardt11338Drivers with Three of the Four Crown Jewel WinsRichard Petty072110Bobby Allison03339Denny Hamlin03137Darrell Waltrip01517David Pearson01337Dale Jarrett23106Bill Elliott12036Buddy Baker01315Kyle Busch20114Matt Kenseth02114Bobby Labonte10113Brad Keselowski10113LeeRoy Yarbrough01113Active Drivers with at least one Crown Jewel winMartin Truex Jr00213Austin Dillon01102Kyle Larson00112Erik Jones00022Austin Cindric01001Joey Logano01001Michael McDowell01001Ricky Stenhouse Jr01001William Byron01001Christopher Bell00101Ryan Blaney00101A total of nine different organizations have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.Hendrick Motorsports leads the NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with 10 wins among three drivers: Jeff Gordon (five: 1994, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2014), Jimmie Johnson (four: 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012), Kasey Kahne (one: 2017).OrganizationsWinsSeasonsHendrick Motorsports102017, 2014, 2012, 2009, 2008, 2006, 2004, 2001, 1998, 1994Joe Gibbs Racing52016, 2015, 2007, 2005, 2000Stewart-Haas Racing32020, 2019, 2013Richard Childress Racing32011, 2003, 1995Robert Yates Racing21999, 1996Evernham Motorsports12002Ricky Rudd Motorsports11997Team Penske12018Chip Ganassi Racing12010Four different manufacturers have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway; led by Chevrolet with 17 victories; followed by Ford with six, Toyota (two), Dodge (one) and Pontiac (one).The most consecutive wins by a manufacturer in the NASCAR Cup Series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is 12 straight wins by Chevrolet from 2003 — 2014.Ford has won the last three consecutive Indianapolis Motor Speedway NASCAR Cup Series races (2018-2020).
ADDITIONAL FINISHING POSITIONS
Runner-Up Finishes
A total of 18 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have finished runner-up at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.NASCAR Hall of Famer Matt Kenseth leads the NASCAR Cup Series in runner-up finishes at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with four second-place finishes.Joey Logano and Kyle Busch lead all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in runner-up finishes at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with four.
Top Five in Runner-Up Finishes at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (All-Time & Active)
RankAll-Time DriversRunner-UpsRankActive DriversRunner-Ups1Matt Kenseth41Joey Logano22Rusty Wallace32Kyle Busch23Bobby Labonte23Brad Keselowski14Joey Logano24Erik Jones15Kyle Busch25Jimmie Johnson1Mark Martin2
Top-Five Finishes
A total of 47 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have finished in the top-five at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon leads the NASCAR Cup Series in top fives at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with 12.NASCAR Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in top fives at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with six.
Top Five in Top-Five Finishes at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (All-Time & Active)
RankAll-Time DriversTop FivesRankActive DriversTop Fives1Jeff Gordon121Jimmie Johnson62Matt Kenseth102Denny Hamlin53Kevin Harvick83Kyle Busch54Tony Stewart74Joey Logano45Jimmie Johnson65Brad Keselowski3Mark Martin6
Top-10 Finishes
A total of 71 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have finished in the top-10 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon leads the Cup Series in top-10 finishes at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with 17 top 10s.Kyle Busch leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in top-10 finishes at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with 12.
Top Five in Top-10 Finishes at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (All-Time & Active)
RankAll-Time DriversTop 10sRankActive DriversTop 10s1Jeff Gordon171Kyle Busch122Kevin Harvick142Denny Hamlin83Matt Kenseth133Joey Logano84Kyle Busch124Jimmie Johnson75Mark Martin115Brad Keselowski6Tony Stewart11
Average Finish
Kevin Harvick leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with an 8.550 in 20 starts.Joey Logano leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in average finishing position at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a 10.833 in 12 starts.
Top 10 in Average Finishing Positions at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (All-Time & Active)
RankAll-Time DriversAvg FinishRacesRankActive DriversAvg FinishRaces1Kevin Harvick8.550201Joey Logano10.833122Tony Stewart9.722182Kyle Busch12.063163Morgan Shepherd10.00043Brad Keselowski12.909114Jeff Gordon10.043234Denny Hamlin13.400155Rusty Wallace10.250125Daniel Suarez14.00046Dale Earnhardt10.42976Kyle Larson16.00067Joey Logano10.833127Jimmie Johnson16.500188Ernie Irvan11.80058Bubba Wallace16.66739Daniel Suarez12.00039William Byron16.667310Kyle Busch12.0631610Chase Elliott17.8336
LAP LEADERS
A total of 85 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have led at least one lap at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Top 10 Lap Leaders at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (All-Time & Active)
RankAll-Time Lap LeadersRacesLedCompleted% Led1Jeff Gordon235283,51915%2Kevin Harvick203893,21112%3Kyle Busch163242,40413%4Jimmie Johnson183062,64812%5Tony Stewart182272,8958%6Juan Pablo Montoya82031,22917%7Dale Jarrett131862,0039%8Kasey Kahne141702,1408%9Bill Elliott161572,5586%10Rusty Wallace121481,8528%RankActive Lap LeadersRacesLedCompleted% Led1Kyle Busch163242,40413%2Jimmie Johnson183062,64812%3Denny Hamlin151312,3965%4Brad Keselowski111081,6706%5Joey Logano12801,9264%6Chase Elliott6268583%7Ryan Blaney6268943%8William Byron3194764%9Martin Truex Jr16112,1581%10Erik Jones4104292%Kyle Larson6109371%NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon leads the NASCAR Cup Series in laps led at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with 528 laps led in 23 starts.Kyle Busch leads all active Cup Series drivers in laps led at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with 324 laps led in 16 starts.Most laps led in a single NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway by the race winner was 149 of the 170 laps completed (87.6%) on July 24, 2016, by race winner Kyle Busch.Most laps led in a single NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway by a driver that did not win the race was 116 of the scheduled 160 laps (72.5%) on July 26, 2009, by Juan Pablo Montoya; he started in second and finished 11th.The fewest laps led in a single NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway by the race winner is just nine laps led on September 10, 2018, by Brad Keselowski; he started the race from the sixth starting position.
FEMALE COMPETITORS
Danica Patrick became the first female driver to compete in the NASCAR Cup Series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2013.
Female Competitor Stats at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
DriverStarting PositionFinishing PositionDriver RatingDateDanica Patrick231162.3Sunday, July 23, 2017Danica Patrick242257.8Sunday, July 24, 2016Danica Patrick152776Sunday, July 26, 2015Danica Patrick144267Sunday, July 27, 2014Danica Patrick333048.5Sunday, July 28, 2013Averages21.826.462.3
TRACK SPECIFIC STATS
Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory (MOV) in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the August 3, 1997 race, that was won by Ricky Rudd over Bobby Labonte with a margin of victory of 0.183 second.
Top 10 Closest Margins of Victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series
RankMargin of VictoryRace WinnerRunner-UpDate10.183Ricky RuddBobby LabonteSunday, August 3, 199720.332Jimmie JohnsonCarl EdwardsSunday, July 27, 200830.332Kyle BuschJoey LoganoSunday, July 26, 201540.370Dale EarnhardtRusty WallaceSaturday, August 5, 199550.400Jimmie JohnsonMark MartinSunday, July 26, 200960.530Jeff GordonBrett BodineSaturday, August 6, 199470.725Paul MenardJeff GordonSunday, July 31, 201180.743Kevin HarvickMatt KensethSunday, July 5, 202090.794Tony StewartKasey KahneSunday, August 7, 2005100.904Brad KeselowskiErik JonesMonday, September 10, 2018Since the advent of electronic scoring the largest margin of victory (MOV) in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the September 8, 2019 race, that was won by Kevin Harvick over Joey Logano with a margin of victory of 6.118 seconds.
Top Five Largest Margins of Victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series
RankMargin of VictoryRace WinnerRunner-UpDate16.118Kevin HarvickJoey LoganoSunday, September 8, 201924.758Jimmie JohnsonKyle BuschSunday, July 29, 201234.229Bobby LabonteRusty WallaceSaturday, August 5, 200043.351Dale JarrettBobby LabonteSaturday, August 7, 199952.982Tony StewartJuan Pablo MontoyaSunday, July 29, 2007There have been five NASCAR Cup Series races resulting with NASCAR Overtime at Indianapolis Motor Speedway since its inception into the series in 2005.
NASCAR Overtime Races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series
DateScheduled LapsActual LapsNASCAR Overtime LapsRace WinnerSunday, August 8, 20041601611Jeff GordonSunday, July 26, 20151601644Kyle BuschSunday, July 24, 201616017010Kyle BuschSunday, July 23, 20171601677Kasey KahneSunday, July 5, 20201601611Kevin HarvickQualifying has been cancelled twice in the NASCAR Cup Series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway — in 2018 due to weather conditions and in 2020 due to pandemic restrictions.None of the 27 NASCAR Cup Series races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway have been shortened due to weather conditions.The race has been postponed due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Cup Series to another date only once — the 2018 race was scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 9, but due to weather was not run till Monday, Sept. 10.The most leaders in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is 16 set in the July 27, 2008 race.The most leader changes in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is 26 set in the July 27, 2008 race.The fewest leaders in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is four set in the July 24, 2016 race.The fewest leader changes in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is three set in the July 24, 2016 race.The most cautions in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is 14 set in the July 23, 2017 race.The fewest cautions in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is one set in the August 5, 1995 race.
NASCAR IN INDIANA
There have been 93 NASCAR national series races among five tracks in the state of Indiana.Among the five tracks in Indiana, Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park has hosted the most NASCAR national series events at 49.The first NASCAR national series race held in the state of Indiana was the NASCAR Cup Series event held on October 15, 1950 at Winchester ‘Funks‘ Speedway and the race was won by Loyd Moore (Mercury).NASCAR Tracks in IndianaCityCupXfinityTruckCombinedFirst YearIndianapolis Motor SpeedwaySpeedway2780351994Indianapolis Motor Speedway RoadIndianapolis34072020Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway ParkIndianapolis03019491982Funks SpeedwayWinchester10011950Playland Park SpeedwaySouth Bend10011952Totals32421993
INDIANA DRIVERS IN NASCAR
A total of 88 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Indiana.A total of 12 drivers from Indiana have won in NASCAR‘s national series, led by Tony Stewart with 62 combined national series wins.NASCAR Winners From IndianaCupXfinityTruckCombinedTony Stewart4911262Ryan Newman187126Darel Dieringer7007Charlie Glotzbach4004John Andretti2002Earl Balmer1001Chase Briscoe111214Larry Frank1001Justin Haley1438Dick Passwater1001Tony Raines0044Kenny Irwin Jr0022Totals853314132
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