FORD PERFORMANCE NASCAR: INDIANAPOLIS NOTES
The NASCAR Cup Series will experience something new this weekend as drivers compete on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway infield road course for the first time. Last season, the NASCAR XFINITY Series ran the debut race on the course and Chase Briscoe came away with the victory. Here’s a look at how Ford has done at IMS since the circuit began racing there in 1994.
This Week’s Schedule:
Saturday, August 14 – NASCAR XFINITY Series, 4 p.m. (NBCSN)
Sunday, August 15 – NASCAR Cup Series, 1 p.m. (NBC)
FORD IN THE NASCAR CUP SERIES AT IMS
- Ford has 6 all-time series wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
- Ford has won the last 3 Cup races.
- Dale Jarrett and Kevin Harvick have two Ford victories each at the track.
FORD IN THE NASCAR XFINITY SERIES AT IMS
- Ford is looking for its second straight series win at the IMS road course.
- Chase Briscoe won last year’s inaugural event.
- Team Penske has one series win at the track (2012).
FORD GOING FOR FOUR IN A ROW
Ford comes into this weekend’s event having won the last three NASCAR Cup Series races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Brad Keselowski started the streak by winning the regular-season finale in 2018 while Kevin Harvick has posted back-to-back victories in 2019 and 2020. Ford is coming of a weekend sweep last season when Chase Briscoe won the first race on the IMS road course and Harvick followed with his third career Brickyard victory on the oval.
FORD’S ACTIVE ROAD COURSE CUP WINNERS
There are three current drivers who have won a NASCAR Cup Series race on a road course with Ford. The most recent winner was Ryan Blaney, who captured the inaugural event at the Charlotte Roval in 2018. Kevin Harvick, who goes into this weekend with 23 career Ford victories in just over four years, got his first with the Blue Oval in 2017 when he won at Sonoma. Joey Logano scored his Cup victory at Watkins Glen International in 2015, which completed a weekend sweep after he won the NASCAR XFINITY Series race one day earlier.
OTHER FORD ROAD COURSE CUP WINNERS
Besides the drivers mentioned above, Ford has five other competitors who have won on a road course in either the NASCAR Cup or NASCAR XFINITY Series. Ryan Newman (Watkins Glen NXS, 2005); Brad Keselowski (Watkins Glen NXS with Ford, 2013); Chris Buescher (Mid-Ohio NXS with Ford, 2014); Michael McDowell (Road America NXS, 2016); and Austin Cindric (Watkins Glen, 2019; Mid-Ohio, 2019; Road America and Daytona, 2020 with Ford).
FORD ROAD COURSE CUP WINS IN THE MODERN ERA (1972-Present)
Indianapolis will represent the eighth different road course the NASCAR Cup Series has competed on in the modern era, joining Riverside International Raceway (1958-88), Watkins Glen International (1957-Present), Sonoma Raceway (1989-Present), Charlotte Motor Speedway (2018-Present), Daytona International Speedway (2020-Present), Circuit of the Americas (2021) and Road America (2021). Ford has produced a total of 19 combined wins at those facilities from 1972-Present. Mark Martin leads the way with four victories, including three straight years at Watkins Glen, while Ricky Rudd, Marcos Ambrose and Geoffrey Bodine have two each.
FORD NASCAR CUP SERIES WINNERS AT THE BRICKYARD
1996 – Dale Jarrett (Oval)
1997 – Ricky Rudd (Oval)
1999 – Dale Jarrett (Oval)
2018 – Brad Keselowski (Oval)
2019 – Kevin Harvick (Oval)
2020 – Kevin Harvick (Oval)
FORD NASCAR XFINITY SERIES WINNERS AT THE BRICKYARD
2020 – Chase Briscoe (Road Course)
