INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY (2.5-MILE OVAL)
LOCATION: SPEEDWAY, INDIANA
EVENT: NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES (RACE 20 OF 36)
TUNE IN: 3 P.M. ET, SUNDAY, JULY 24 (NBCSN/IMS/SIRIUSXM)
No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS / Kasey Kahne
Driver Kasey Kahne Hometown Enumclaw, Washington
Age 36 Resides Mooresville, North Carolina
2016 Season
18th in standings
19 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
2 top-five finishes
6 top-10 finishes
0 laps led
Career
451 starts
17 wins
27 pole positions
88 top-five finishes
162 top-10 finishes
4,607 laps led
Track Career
12 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
3 top-five finishes
6 top-10 finishes
158 laps led
FARMERS INSURANCE: Kasey Kahne will pilot the No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS at Indianapolis. This weekend’s primary sponsor for the No. 5 team has four races remaining this season — at Michigan International Speedway, Richmond International Raceway, Kansas Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway.
KAHNE AT INDY: Kahne is fourth among active drivers for laps led at the 2.5-mile track with 158. His best finish at the Speedway, Indiana, track is second, which he accomplished in only his second start at the venue. In two of Kahne’s last three starts at Indianapolis he has earned a top-10 finish – third in 2013 and sixth in 2014.
INDIANAPOLIS LOOP DATA: According to NASCAR’s loop data since 2005, Kahne has an average driver rating of 97.4, which ranks him fifth out of active drivers. In the average speed early in a run category, Kahne is third at 171.940 mph. He is also third-fastest on restarts at 166.301 mph. The 36-year-old has spent 72.8 percent of his laps run at Indianapolis in the top 15, which ranks him fourth among active drivers. Kahne is also fourth in quality passes with 319.
QUALIFYING PRO AT INDY: Kahne’s average starting position of 10.2 ranks third for the best average starting position among active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers at Indianapolis. In 12 Brickyard 400 starts, the Enumclaw, Washington, native has started in the top five a total of five times, including on the outside pole in 2011.
SCHOOL SUPPLIES: For the month of August, Farmers Insurance will be holding the Thank America’s Teachers school supply drive. Visit a participating Farmers agent office to donate back-to-school supplies to local teachers in your community. Teachers can also enter to win a $2,500 grant at ThankAmericasTeachers.com throughout August and September.
GOING HOME: No. 5 team mechanic Ty Sipes hails from Bloomfield, Indiana, which is located approximately one hour and 45 minutes southwest of Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
SEE KAHNE: Kahne will appear in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway infield at the Team Chevy stage for a question-and-answer session on Sunday, July 24, at 12:05 p.m. local time.
No. 24 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet SS / Chase Elliott
Driver Chase Elliott Hometown Dawsonville, Georgia
Age 20 Resides Mooresville, North Carolina
2016 Season
11th in standings
19 starts
0 wins
2 pole positions
6 top-five finishes
11 top-10 finishes
118 laps led
Career
24 starts
0 wins
2 pole positions
6 top-five finishes
11 top-10 finishes
118 laps led
Track Career
1 start
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
0 top-10 finishes
0 laps led
KISSING THE BRICKS: Chase Elliott had an opportunity to kiss the bricks after a Brickyard 400 victory once before; however, the now 20-year-old driver was only 6 at the time. Elliott’s father, Bill Elliott, captured the checkered flag at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2002 with the younger Elliott watching from the pit wall outside of Gasoline Alley. Now, as Elliott looks back on one of the only trips to Victory Lane that he remembers with his dad, one thing stands out – Elliott did not kiss the bricks. Elliott is seen in several of the photographs standing in the background while his father carried on the tradition, but if he wins this weekend it will be Elliott’s first time kissing the legendary bricks.
SEASON STANDINGS: Elliott currently sits 11th in the standings with 499 points. The rookie trails leader Kevin Harvick by 137 markers. The 20-year-old is younger than any other driver currently inside the top 16 – the amount of drivers NASCAR takes into its playoffs – while also being the highest ranked rookie.
GOING HOME: No. 24 team engineers Dustin Shoulders and Thomas Gray both originate from Indiana – Shoulders lived approximately 16 miles west of the Brickyard in Danville, and Gray was located just south in Indianapolis. Shoulders and Gray both earned their degrees in mechanical engineering with Shoulders graduating from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana, while Gray earned his degree from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. The No. 24 engineers also both have a passion for driving. Shoulders raced dirt late models capturing titles such as the 2010 Lincoln Park Speedway Track Champion as well as the 2015 ILMS Series Rookie of the Year. Gray also competed in late models as well as ARCA and ASA divisions before moving to the engineering side. During the NASCAR season, the duos’ view is a little different as they are atop the pit box alongside No. 24 team crew chief Alan Gustafson and the other No. 24 NAPA AUTO PARTS engineers.
TOP-RANKED ROOKIE: Elliott leads the 2016 Rookie of the Year contender standings heading into Indianapolis by 48 points over second-place Ryan Blaney and 90 points over third-place Brian Scott. Elliott has accumulated a total of 242 rookie points this year through the first 19 points-paying races.
TOP-10 FINISHES: Elliott earned his career-best finish last month at Michigan International Speedway, when he led 35 laps en route to a second-place finish. Only six drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series have more top-10 finishes than Elliott’s 11 with all but one driver (Carl Edwards) being a Sprint Cup champion.
GET BACK AND GIVE BACK: NAPA AUTO PARTS has a long history of supporting the men and women of the United States Armed Forces and their families. In February, the company announced that it had raised more than $2.1 million for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund through its annual “Get Back and Give Back” campaign. This July, NAPA AUTO PARTS is donating $1 for each redeemed mail-in rebate for batteries, alternators and starters purchased, and $2 for qualifying installations. Customers also have the ability to donate all or a portion of their mail-in rebates directly to the IFHF. One hundred percent of the donation goes to the IFHF’s mission of building nine Intrepid Spirit centers around the country. Read more here.
No. 48 Lowe’s Red Vest Chevrolet SS / Jimmie Johnson
Driver Jimmie Johnson Hometown El Cajon, California
Age 40 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina
2016 Season
9th in standings
19 starts
2 wins
1 pole position
6 top-five finishes
7 top-10 finishes
229 laps led
Career
526 starts
77 wins
35 pole positions
213 top-five finishes
321 top-10 finishes
17,938 laps led
Track Career
14 starts
4 wins
1 pole position
5 top-five finishes
6 top-10 finishes
302 laps led
Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Red Vest Chevrolet SS, will be available to members of the media on Friday, July 22, at 12:30 p.m. ET in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway media center.
RED VEST PAINT SCHEME FOR THE BRICKYARD: To celebrate Lowe’s 285,000 employees who help drive the business every day, Jimmie Johnson will be running the Lowe’s Red Vest Chevrolet SS this weekend at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This is the third consecutive year the No. 48 car will feature a red paint scheme after debuting in 2014, when Johnson drove it to Victory Lane at Texas Motor Speedway. The signature red vests Lowe’s employees wear symbolize the outstanding service they provide customers each and every day.
SERIES-HIGH DRIVER RATING: According to NASCAR’s loop data statistics, Johnson has the series-best driver rating at Indianapolis with a score of 106.5 during the past 10 races at the track. The driver rating is a formula that combines wins, top-15 finishes, average running position while on the lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, most laps led and lead-lap finishes. The maximum a driver can earn in each race is 150 points. The driver rating number is used pre-race as a prediction tool and post-race as a performance evaluator. Johnson’s average finish at Indianapolis is 15.4.
FOUR-TIME BRICK-KISSER: Johnson has won the prestigious Brickyard 400 four times in his career. His first win came in the 2006 season, followed by back-to-back wins in 2008 and 2009. He is the only driver to have ever recorded consecutive wins. Johnson’s latest win at the Brickyard was in 2012. Johnson’s four wins are one less than Jeff Gordon’s five for most wins at the track.
RED-VESTED GARAGE DECOR: No. 48 team crew chief Chad Knaus takes full advantage of the ample garage stall space at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Normally, the No. 48 team works out of its transporter, but this weekend it will have a custom-designed, Lowe’s-sponsored garage setup complete with individual work stations for the engineers and other crew members.
INDY TESTER: Johnson, Knaus and the No. 48 team spent two days at the Speedway, Indiana, track on July 12 and 13 testing the lower downforce package for 2016. Out of the nine teams testing, Johnson’s Lowe’s Chevrolet was fastest, unofficially, during day one’s morning session, and had the top overall speed at the close of the second day as well.
JOHNSON AT TEAM CHEVY STAGE: Johnson will be at the Team Chevy stage for a question-and-answer session in the infield of Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 24, at 12:05 p.m. local time. This appearance is open to the public.
JIMMIE JOHNSON WELLNESS CHALLENGE TRIATHLON: The second event in the Jimmie Johnson Wellness Challenge is just one week away. The Cane Creek Sprint Triathlon will take place in Waxhaw, North Carolina, on July 26. To enter click here: http://jimmiejohnsontri.racesonline.com/.
No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet SS / Jeff Gordon
Driver Jeff Gordon Hometown Pittsboro, Indiana
Age 44 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina
2016 Season
0 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
0 top-10 finishes
0 laps led
Career
797 starts
93 wins
81 pole positions
325 top-five finishes
475 top-10 finishes
24,929 laps led
Track Career
22 starts
5 wins
3 pole positions
12 top-five finish
17 top-10 finishes
528 laps led
Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick and Jeff Gordon, substitute driver of the No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet SS, will be available to members of the media on Friday, July 22, at 10:30 a.m. ET in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway media center.
EARNHARDT UPDATE: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet SS for Hendrick Motorsports, has not been cleared by physicians to compete in at least the next two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events as he continues to recover from concussion-like symptoms. He will miss the races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (July 24) and Pocono Raceway (July 31). Indianapolis will mark the second consecutive event he will miss after not competing Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Earnhardt underwent further evaluation Tuesday at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports Medicine Concussion Program. The driver said this week on his “The Dale Jr. Download” podcast that he has been experiencing issues with balance and nausea. He will not travel to Indianapolis or Pocono. A timetable has not yet been established for his return.
GORDON RETURNS: Four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon will return to step in for Earnhardt and drive the No. 88 Chevrolet SS at both Indianapolis and Pocono. Gordon, who grew up in nearby Pittsboro, Indiana, most recently raced in the 2015 Sprint Cup season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway and started a new role in the broadcast booth with FOX this season, in addition to continuing his role as an equity owner of Hendrick Motorsports. Gordon has made all 797 of his career Cup starts for car owner Rick Hendrick. He competed in his 23rd and final full-time Sprint Cup Series season in 2015.
TOPS AT INDY: Gordon, driver of the No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet SS, leads the following NASCAR Sprint Cup Series statistical categories at Indianapolis Motor Speedway: wins (five), poles (three), top-five finishes (12, five more than any other driver), top-10s (17, six more than second) and laps led (528). Gordon is also the youngest Cup Series winner at the 2.5-mile oval, having earned his first victory there on Aug. 6, 1994, when he was just 23 years and two days old.
TIED WITH SCHUMACHER: The 44-year-old driver’s five victories at the Brickyard are tied with former Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher for most among drivers at the famed speedway. Gordon visited Victory Lane in the inaugural event in 1994 and again in 1998, 2001, 2004 and 2014 on the 2.5-mile oval. Schumacher’s wins occurred on the road-course layout at the historic track.
AXALTA: Gordon will fill in starting during a week when the familiar yellow, orange and red Axalta colors will adorn the No. 88 Chevy. Axalta, formerly known as DuPont Performance Coatings, was a 23-year partner on Gordon’s famed No. 24 Chevrolet, and he continues to have a role with the company as its global ambassador. As part of its business-to-business marketing model, Axalta will place one of its vendors, Precoat Metals, on the TV panel of the No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet SS at Indy. Precoat Metals is a leading supplier of coil coating services. For more news and updates on the Axalta Racing program, check out their new website: http://www.axaltaracing.com/.
BOWMAN RECAP: Last weekend in Loudon, New Hampshire, Alex Bowman filled in for Earnhardt and drove the No. 88 Nationwide Chevy to a 26th-place finish. The result didn’t reflect Bowman’s efforts, as he was running solidly inside the top 10 before a flat tire caused him to make contact with the outside wall. Bowman, who races part-time for Earnhardt’s JR Motorsports team in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, was making his fifth Sprint Cup start at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He also drove the No. 88 for JR Motorsports in Saturday’s XFINITY race, earning an eighth-place finish.
TEAM CHEVY STAGE: Gordon will be at the Team Chevy stage alongside teammate Johnson for a question-and-answer session in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway infield on Sunday, July 24, at 12:05 p.m. local time.
Hendrick Motorsports
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT INDIANAPOLIS: Hendrick Motorsports has won nine of the 22 Sprint Cup races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Gordon’s five wins are the most all-time, and Johnson’s four rank second among all drivers. The organization has also earned five pole positions, 24 top-five finishes and 38 top-10 finishes in addition to 1,010 laps led.
DOUBLE DIGITS: A Hendrick Motorsports win this weekend would mark its 10th at Indianapolis. Currently, the organization has double-digit victory totals at 12 active Sprint Cup Series tracks: Martinsville (23), Charlotte (18), Dover (18), Pocono (17), Darlington (14), Daytona (14), Atlanta (14), Talladega (12), Bristol (10), Fontana (10), Phoenix (10) and Richmond (10). Hendrick Motorsports has nine wins at two different tracks: Indianapolis and New Hampshire.
NEARING 1,000: Cars fielded by Hendrick Motorsports have recorded 999 top-five finishes since the team was founded by Rick Hendrick in 1984. The owner’s first Sprint Cup top-five also was his first win — with driver Geoff Bodine on April 29, 1984, at Martinsville Speedway. This season, the organization has recorded 19 top-fives among its four drivers. Hendrick Motorsports posted a team record 57 top-five finishes in 2007.
ORGANIZATION STATS: To date, Hendrick Motorsports has totals of 242 victories, 209 pole positions, 999 top-five finishes and 1,667 top-10 finishes in Sprint Cup competition. Its teams have led 65,417 laps since 1984.
QUOTABLE /
“Both short chutes off of Turns 1 and 3 are really important to set you up for the next corner. A lot of the times if you are racing somebody in the short chutes, it ruins your next corner, Turns 2 and 4 coming up to the super long straightaways. So if you are racing somebody through the short chute and don’t get off of one of those corners good, the car that’s two or three cars behind you that runs a great exit off the corner before the long straightaway will pass you and the car you are battling — so it’s interesting how that works. You have to know how the momentum is and where the other cars are around you if you try and make a move in that area.”
Kasey Kahne on racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
“Indy is such a special place. It’s definitely even more special to me with my dad having won there in the early 2000s – one of the first handful of races that NASCAR held there. That was one of the few races that I vaguely remember going to Victory Lane with him and being a part of. Even if I don’t remember a lot of it, just being in the pictures is neat. I think Indy is already special with a lot of the history that they have there from the Indianapolis 500 for so many years, and I think with my dad’s success to me it’s always been a special place. I enjoy going there and am looking to get back there and hopefully bettering the run we had last year.”
Chase Elliott on Indianapolis Motor Speedway
“Based on the test session, one thing I forgot from only going there once a year is how temperature-sensitive that racetrack really is. The morning sessions opened up with a ton of grip and the car was pretty comfortable. That afternoon once the heat of the day set in it got really, really tricky. With a three o’clock start time I think that will allow for the track to cool down and it will be a little more forgiving. Indy has four distinct and unique corners. I will be happy with myself to get three of the four corners right each lap – it’s a very, very challenging track. Lots of concentration required. It sure does feel good when you win there. It’s a celebration like no other.”
Jimmie Johnson on racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
“First and foremost, the main goal right now is to make sure Dale (Earnhardt Jr.) is on the proper path to recovery and that he doesn’t have the stress of having to return to the car before he is completely ready. Our thoughts are with him through all the testing and waiting that he has to go through.
“As far as going to Indy with Jeff Gordon, it’s definitely going to be a little bit of a different atmosphere. With him coming back for the two fill-in races, there is going to be a lot of media attention, especially in his home state, so we’ll just need to concentrate and focus on the task at hand. We are getting to work with one of the most iconic figures in NASCAR, who has helped get the sport to where it is today.”
No. 88 team crew chief Greg Ives on Jeff Gordon subbing in the No. 88
“The difference from what we had to prep for with Alex (Bowman) last week is that Alex fit in Dale’s seat and we didn’t have to make a lot of adjustments to the steering wheel, headrests or seatbelts. But with Jeff (Gordon), we already know all of his dimensions and have the seats, seatbelts and everything that he felt comfortable in when he ran the last race at Homestead in 2015, so we were able to have access to all that. Everyone in the 5/24 shop, the 48/88 shop and the composite shop have all been able to work together so we have the ability to get Jeff’s seat and everything in the car just exactly the way he last remembered it.”
Ives on prepping the car for Gordon at Indianapolis
