NASCAR, IndyCar weekend race schedule at the Indianapolis road course
NASCAR returns with a twist (and right turns) on its annual weekend at the Brickyard. The Cup Series will race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course for the first time in series history on Sunday.
The Verizon 200 at the Brickyard starts at 1 p.m. on NBC and caps NASCAR’s crossover weekend with the IndyCar series, which raced at the same track on Saturday. That race featured seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, who finished 19th and told the Observer earlier this week that he’s open to making a NASCAR return.
“If a good opportunity came along I would seriously consider it,” Johnson said.
“There is some interest from other NASCAR teams out there,” he added. “I wish that the rules would allow Hendrick to run a fifth car because I would love to come back with Mr. Hendrick and moonlight a little bit in one of his cars, but I don’t know if there’s a realistic way to pull that off.”
Johnson also mentioned that his former Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott, as well as Penske’s Ryan Blaney, were among the Cup drivers interested in checking out the IndyCar garage over the weekend. But drivers will only have so much time for mingling, as the track schedule is packed with racing Friday through Sunday. (A full weekend schedule is below.)
Cup qualifying on Sunday morning will set the starting order for the race in the afternoon on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile paved asphalt road course.
In terms of betting odds, Hendrick and Gibbs drivers lead the books. Elliott is the favorite to win (+210) followed by Kyle Larson (+280), Martin Truex Jr. (+600), Kyle Busch (+1000) and Denny Hamlin (+1200), according to BetMGM.
Larson won last weekend’s road course race at Watkins Glen to tie Hamlin in points (917), but Elliott, who’s chasing his eighth career road course victory, made an impressive recovery after pre-race penalties and a flat-spotted tire to finish second.
NASCAR Cup race predictions
This seems like Elliott’s race to win given the speed the No. 9 team demonstrated last weekend, barring unforeseen issues. The so-close finish last weekend could serve as motivation to clean up the penalties and unplanned pit stops.
Top drivers will also be relegated to rookies at the Indy road course, but some will have the advantage of racing in both the Xfinity and Cup events. Kevin Harvick and Austin Dillon are entered in the Xfinity race. And as of Saturday morning, Elliott also entered Saturday’s race as a substitute for Michael Annett in the No. 1 Chevy while Annett recovers from leg surgery.
Regardless of the extra seat time, Elliott won at Circuit of the Americas as a new addition to the schedule this year, and at Road America without a Cup race there last season. The biggest hurdle for the No. 9 team this weekend (besides maybe Larson) is the No. 9 team.
Race weekend at Indianapolis: How to watch
Saturday, August 14
- 10:05 a.m. EST Xfinity qualifying (impound car/multi-vehicle, two rounds) streaming on NBC Sports
- 11:05 a.m. Cup practice (50 minutes) streaming on NBC Sports
- 1 p.m. IndyCar race (85 laps, 207.32 miles) on NBCSN
- 4 p.m. Xfinity race (62 laps, 151.22 miles with stage breaks on laps 20, 40 and 62) on NBCSN
Sunday, August 15
- 9 a.m. Cup qualifying (impound car/multi-vehicle, two rounds) on CNBC
- 1 p.m. Cup race (82 laps, 200 miles with stage breaks on laps 15, 35 and 82) on NBC and IMS radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90
This story was originally published August 14, 2021 at 7:00 AM.
