Brickyard 400
Location: Speedway, Ind.
Course: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Format: 2.5-mile oval
Laps: 160
NASCAR Cup Race Preview
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway this week after Joey Logano dominated at North Wilkesboro Speedway a week ago to earn his first victory of the season. The win helped the Team Penske driver strengthen his bid to be one of the 16 drivers eligible to race for the season championship at the end of the regular season. This week's race is one of just five remaining chances for drivers to do the same before the 10-race championship run begins at Darlington Raceway in September. Bubba Wallace won this crown jewel event last year, starting on the front row, leading 30 of 168 laps, and beating 2024 Brickyard 400 winner Kyle Larson to the line. Both races since the series returned to the oval have ended in overtime, with no fewer than 10 different leaders in each event. With the final championship spots still up in the air, every position and point will matter this week as drivers try to visit one of the most famous Victory Lanes in all of motorsport.
Key Stats at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
- Number of races: 29
- Winners from pole: 5
- Winners from top-5 starters: 15
- Winners from top-10 starters: 19
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 3
- Fastest race: 155.912 mph
Previous 10 Brickyard Winners
2025 - Bubba Wallace
2024 - Kyle Larson
2020 - Kevin Harvick
2019 - Kevin Harvick
2018 - Brad Keselowski
2017 - Kasey Kahne
2016 - Kyle Busch
2015 - Kyle Busch
2014 - Jeff Gordon
2013 - Ryan Newman
Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a massive 2.5-mile oval with four 90-degree turns and shallow banking. Passing has traditionally been difficult here, but the current generation of car has made the return to the oval more competitive by creating more room in the corners and opening the door for additional passing opportunities. Like other large ovals, the long lap can also turn this into a fuel-mileage race. If teams try to stretch final fuel loads, late cautions or a red flag can push fuel windows to the limit and force would-be contenders to pit in the final laps. Calling the right strategy, saving enough fuel through each stint, and protecting track position will be critical throughout Sunday's race. Most winners in this race's history have started inside the top 10, but cautions and fuel mileage have occasionally created opportunities for drivers deeper in the field to reach Victory Lane. That has been the exception more than the rule, though.
RotoWire NASCAR DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the Brickyard 400
Based on Standard $50k Salary Cap
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Denny Hamlin - $11,000
Ryan Blaney - $10,700
Kyle Larson - $10,500
Christopher Bell - $10,000
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
William Byron - $9,700
Chase Elliott - $9,500
Chase Briscoe - $9,200
Bubba Wallace - $9,000
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Ty Gibbs - $8,800
Joey Logano - $8,700
Chris Buescher - $8,500
Carson Hocevar - $8,300
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Austin Cindric - $7,900
Brad Keselowski - $7,700
John Hunter Nemechek - $6,600
Todd Gilliland - $5,900
Optimal DraftKings Lineup for the Brickyard 400
Denny Hamlin - $11,000
Chase Briscoe - $9,200
Carson Hocevar - $8,300
Austin Cindric - $7,900
Brad Keselowski - $7,700
Todd Gilliland - $5,900
Denny Hamlin (DK $11,000, FD $14,000) remains one of the fastest cars seemingly every week. At North Wilkesboro, he wasn't able to catch Ryan Blaney, but still finished second for his 11th top-five of the season. He also won on two other big ovals just a few months ago at Michigan and Pocono. The Brickyard 400 is one of the few high points still missing on Hamlin's illustrious resume, but this seems like a good year for him to check that box. From 17 Indy starts, he finished in the top 10 nine times and was the third-place finisher last season.
Hamlin may have to contend with hometown hero Chase Briscoe (DK $9,200, FD $12,000) for this week's victory. The Joe Gibbs Racing teammate started on pole in this race last season and led 34 laps before slipping backward to finish 18th. He has said that winning this race would mean more to him than any others, and fantasy players can be assured he is learning from his two prior ties at this track. This weekend will be just his second time on the oval with JGR and a big improvement is expected.
Fantasy players may want to keep Carson Hocevar (DK $8,300, FD $9,000) in their sights again this week. His Indy results have been quite good in the past, and he is coming off of another productive race last week. The Spire Motorsports driver was 10th in last year's Brickyard 400, but his more impressive showing might have been in 2024. He started that race 30th but drove all the way up to 12th in his first series outing on the big oval. It seems like no matter where he qualifies for this race, we should expect to see him among the leaders throughout.
Like Hocevar, Team Penske's Austin Cindric (DK $7,900, FD $7,200) also has two Brickyard 400s under his belt. Cindric's average finish is 11.0, which is even more impressive when you know that his average start is 24.0. Last year, he also led 40 laps on his way to a 15th-place finish. Strategy and tire management are two things that Penske drivers do very well, and those tend to be important skills at Indianapolis. With a spot in The Chase on the line for Cindric as well, he has some extra motivation to push himself up the order.
Not every race this season has been one to choose Brad Keselowski (DK $7,700, FD $7,800), but like last week, this one is. We expected him to outperform expectations at North Wilkesboro, and he delivered with a seventh-place finish. His past results at Indianapolis suggest that trend could continue this week, too. Keselowski finished fifth in this race last year after starting 14th and has four top-fives and win from his last six Brickyard 400s.
Eyes will be focused on Todd Gilliland (DK $5,900, FD $4,200) this week as he goes head-to-head with Ryan Blaney in the NASCAR In-Season Challenge. Not only would Gilliland be in line for a $1 million prize by finishing ahead of Blaney in this race, but this final matchup comes at the perfect venue for him to have a real shot at doing it. Gilliland has two prior Indy starts and both ended with sixth-place finishes. His average start was also just 21.5, which gives an added boost to fantasy rosters. To add to the positivity, he signed a contract extension with Front Row Motorsports last week, too.
Best Bets for the Brickyard 400
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 1:00 PM ET Friday
Race Winner - Christopher Bell +1000
Top-Five Finish - Chase Briscoe +135
Top-10 Finish - Todd Gilliland +600
Driver Matchup - Todd Gilliland +230 vs Ryan Blaney -340
Denny Hamlin enters this weekend's Brickyard 400 as the justified favorite to win, but teammate Christopher Bell is a compelling alternative. He has a Joe Gibbs Toyota at his disposal, which still seems to be the car to have this season. He also has three top-five finishes in the last five races, including two runner-up finishes, and, after the first stage, looked set for another strong run last week before a bobble caused contact and likely contributed to his slide down the order. At Indianapolis, Bell has not finished lower than 12th in three starts on the oval and has finished inside the top 10 in each of the last two years. Bell and his No. 20 Toyota team have shown plenty of potential this season and just need a mistake-free race to capitalize on it. With Bell paying more than double Hamlin's odds, he looks like the better value.
Another Toyota wager worth considering this week is Chase Briscoe. The driver of the No. 19 could be overlooked because of his 21.0 average finish at Indianapolis, but there is more to the story. Briscoe qualified on pole here last year, this is his home race, and a win would carry plenty of emotional value. He also started fifth and finished 12th earlier this season at Pocono, while running inside the top five in both stages at what is arguably the most comparable track to Indianapolis on this year's schedule. This will be just his second Indianapolis start with Gibbs, and fans should expect a stronger result this time.
The finale of the NASCAR In-Season Challenge creates some interesting betting angles around Todd Gilliland. The Front Row Motorsports driver has a strong record at Indianapolis, with two sixth-place finishes in two starts despite not starting better than 19th in either race. He is also coming off an eighth-place finish last week at North Wilkesboro, which was his second top-10 of the season. His Indianapolis stats alone make him worth a look for a top-10 finish, and the available odds offer a strong return if he gets there. If a top-10 finish seems too risky, fans should also consider Gilliland in his In-Season Challenge matchup against Ryan Blaney. Again, Gilliland has been excellent at this track. Blaney's average Indianapolis finish is 16.4 compared to Gilliland's 6.0. However, since NASCAR returned to the oval in 2024, Blaney has an average finish of 5.0 across the two races. With that in mind, this matchup is closer than many may think, creating an opportunity for Gilliland and his fans to cash in.
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