NASCAR race at Indianapolis: Story lines, betting odds, starting lineup, how to watch

In the throes of one of the most thrilling NASCAR seasons to date, a unique speedway takes the spotlight.

The NASCAR Cup Series descends on Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. The race will be broadcast on NBC and Sirius XM.

For the first time, fans will be able to see NASCAR’s new Next Gen car navigate the 14-turn, 2.5-mile road course. They’ll also see an important race in a tight push for the 2022 playoffs: 14 drivers have already clinched race wins this season — somewhat securing their spots in the playoffs come September — and there are still five more races to go.

All this considered: Can anything that happens this weekend upstage the strangeness of last weekend?

Last Sunday, NASCAR did something it hadn’t done in 62 years when it disqualified an apparent winner. The association pushed the top-two finishers at Pocono, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch, to the back of the field after they failed their post-race inspections. NASCAR then declared third-place finisher Chase Elliott as the winner — delivering the Dawsonville, Georgia native his fourth win of the 2022 season and a substantial lead in playoff points over the rest of the field.

In qualifying on Saturday morning, Tyler Reddick won the pole with a lap of 88.35. Austin Cindric of Team Penske will start with Reddick in the front row. Ty Gibbs, who made a respectable Cup debut for JGR last weekend in the stead of an injured Kurt Busch, will have the 45 car begin in the 26th position.

Elliot (7-2), Kyle Larson (11-2), Ross Chastain (15-2) and Reddick (10-1) have the best odds to win at the Brickyard, per CBS Sports.

AJ Allmendinger won last year’s Verizon 200. The race is 82 laps long (200 miles) with stages ending on Laps 15, 35 and 82.

How to watch NASCAR race at Indianapolis

• Race: Verizon 200
• Distance: 200 miles, 82 laps (stages ending on Laps 15, 35 and 82)
• Where: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
• When: Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
• TV: NBC
• Radio: SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
• Purse: $8,671,417

Starting lineup for NASCAR at Indy

This story was originally published July 31, 2022 at 7:00 AM.

Alex Zietlow

The Charlotte Observer

Alex Zietlow writes about the Carolina Panthers and the ways in which sports intersect with life for The Charlotte Observer, where he has been a reporter since August 2022. Zietlow’s work has been honored by the Pro Football Writers Association, the N.C. and S.C. Press Associations, as well as the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) group. He’s earned six APSE Top 10 distinctions for his coverage on a variety of topics, from billion-dollar stadium renovations to the small moments of triumph that helped a Panthers kicker defy the steepest odds in sports. Zietlow previously wrote for The Herald in Rock Hill (S.C.) from 2019-22. Support my work with a digital subscription