Ford Performance NASCAR – 2024 Indianapolis Advance

INDIANAPOLIS

Friday, July 19 — NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series @ LOR, 8:30 p.m. ET (FS1)
Saturday, July 20 — NASCAR Xfinity Series @ IMS, 3:30 p.m. ET (USA)
Sunday, July 21 — NASCAR Cup Series @ IMS, 2:30 p.m. ET (NBC)

Indianapolis will once again serve as the auto racing hub of America this weekend as NASCAR’s top three series makes its annual stop. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series kicks off the racing action on Friday night at Lucas Oil Raceway while the NASCAR Cup and NASCAR Xfinity Series cars will return to the IMS Oval for the first time since 2020 when Ford’s Kevin Harvick was victorious.

FORD ROLL CONTINUES

Ryan Blaney’s victory on Sunday at Pocono Raceway continued Ford’s recent hot streak that has now seen a Blue Oval win six times in the last 10 events, including Joey Logano’s triumph in the All-Star Race. Blaney led the final 44 laps to register his second win of the season and 12th of his Cup career. Ford’s winning ways started when Brad Keselowski took the checkered flag at Darlington Raceway and since then Logano and Blaney each have two wins while Austin Cindric has one.

WINNING WAYS

May 12 – Brad Keselowski at Darlington
May 19 – Joey Logano at North Wilkesboro (All-Star Race)
June 2 – Austin Cindric at WWTR
June 16 – Ryan Blaney at Iowa
June 30 – Joey Logano at Nashville
July 14 – Ryan Blaney at Pocono

HARVICK LAST OVAL WINNER

Kevin Harvick holds the distinction of being the last NASCAR Cup Series driver to win on the oval at Indianapolis Motor Speedway after he took the checkered flag for the second straight year in 2020. Harvick came out on top following an overtime restart in a race that saw him lead 68 of the 161 laps and was delayed at the start for weather. Overall, six Ford drivers finished inside the top 10, including Aric Almirola (3rd), Brad Keselowski (4th), Cole Custer (5th), Michael McDowell (7th) and Joey Logano (10th).

JOSH BERRY: “I think Indianapolis Motor Speedway is so historic, and when you think of NASCAR at Indy, you think of the Brickyard 400 on the oval, right? So, to me, it’s a no-brainer to be there on the oval, and it’s going to be really special to run laps there. I’ve been to Indy on the road course but not on the oval. So, it’s going to be a challenge learning that, but it’s super exciting to go there and it’s going to be a challenge learning that. It’s a marquee event that we all want to run really well in.”

MICHAEL MCDOWELL: “It is cool to go back there because we won last year and there will be banners there with us in victory lane. That is cool. It is going to be fun. I know people won’t believe me when I say this, but I am. I wish we were still racing on the road course or had a doubleheader, but I believe we should be racing on the oval at Indy as well. Just its history, and it’s just different. The feel is different. It’s no different than the Indy 500 versus the Indy Grand Prix when the Indy Car guys run on the road course. It’s still a cool race and still a cool weekend, but it’s not the Indy 500. I’m excited about going back to the Oval and I’m looking forward to it. I’ve been in the sport a long time, so I have a lot of seat time there. Some other guys do, but a lot of the guys don’t. I look at that as an opportunity, and I’ve driven a lot of different packages there from low downforce to high downforce, no drag to a lot of drag, a thousand horsepower to five hundred horsepower. I feel like I’ve experienced a lot there, and I’m looking forward to getting the Next Gen car on the Indy Oval and see what it can do.”

NOAH GRAGSON: It’ll be awesome to get on the Oval. I’ve only run that Oval configuration once in my career, and that was in the Xfinity Series in 2019. It’ll be a little bit different because the Xfinity cars back then had the drafting, aero-duct package, and low horsepower. You had to draft the whole race, and it was kind of tricky to pass. I don’t know exactly what it’s going to be like. I haven’t been on there in five years, and on top of that, it’s a Cup car. It’s a different vehicle, but having some experience in the tunnel turn, turn two at Pocono, that corner is replicated off of Indianapolis, so to be able to get reps throughout the weekend before Indy is crucial to getting into a rhythm and at least having a little knowledge of what it might feel like when we get out there. I’ve done work on the simulators for Indianapolis and it’s a great track. There’s a lot of history there. The fans are awesome there. My first ever race as a spectator was going to the Indianapolis 500 in 2009 and to be able to go back there as a driver now and not a fan, you feel that presence of what the Brickyard means to you. Just being there as a fan back in the day, to be able to go there and remember everything that stuck out in my mind, it’s pretty cool to relive that.”

THREE JEWELS FOR DJ

The first time Ford found victory lane on the oval at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in a NASCAR Cup Series race was in 1996 when Dale Jarrett won the first of his two Brickyard 400 championships. What made the race most memorable from a Ford perspective is that it ended up being a battle between Jarrett and his Robert Yates Racing teammate, Ernie Irvan. The two ended up breaking away from the field as Irvan found himself in the lead after passing Jarrett on lap 139, but when he pushed up the track going into turn two with only seven laps to go, Jarrett was there to take advantage and make the pass. Jarrett held on to eventually win as the race ended under caution. That completed a trifecta of sorts for Jarrett, who also won the Daytona 500 and Coca-Cola 600 earlier that season, and capped a memorable day for Ford with seven finishers in the Top 10 and 11 in the top 14.

RUDD’S BIG WIN

One of the most recent NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees, Ricky Rudd, stretched his fuel to the limit in winning the 1997 Brickyard 400 as he went the final 46 laps without stopping. That decision, along with a pair of timely cautions, enabled him to gain the lead and hold it until the checkered flag. Rudd inherited the lead on lap 147 after the yellow flag came out for debris from Robby Gordon hitting the wall. While leader Dale Jarrett and fellow contender Jeff Gordon were forced to pit for fuel under the caution, Rudd stayed out. Another caution with seven laps remaining allowed Rudd to save the necessary fuel to make it the rest of the way. In a single-file restart with three laps to go, Rudd led Bobby Labonte, Johnny Benson, Mark Martin, Jarrett and Gordon. Labonte was never able to get closer than a couple of car lengths as Rudd posted his second win of the season and biggest triumph of his career.

A MAST-ERFUL START

Another memorable Brickyard highlight came in the inaugural weekend in 1994 when Rick Mast won the pole while driving the No. 1 Ford of car owner Richard Jackson. Mast went on to lead the first lap at the speedway in official NASCAR competition, but ended up finishing one lap down in 22nd place. The pole was one of four Mast earned during his 15-year NASCAR Cup Series career.

CUSTER CLIMBING WIN LIST

Defending NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Cole Custer won his first race of the 2024 season last weekend at Pocono Raceway and also increased his lead in the point standings to 51 over second-place Justin Allgaier. The win was also Custer’s 14th career series victory, moving him into a sixth-place tie with Matt Kenseth on the all-time Ford win list. The next driver on the list is Jeff Burton, who won 17 times during his career.

FORD ALL-TIME NXS WIN LIST

Mark Martin, 47
Carl Edwards, 38
Brad Keselowski, 19
Greg Biffle, 18
Jeff Burton, 17
Cole Custer, 14
Matt Kenseth, 14

TWO RACES REMAINING IN REGULAR SEASON

There are only two races remaining in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series regular season and two Ford drivers are currently inside the top 10 that will advance to the playoffs. Ty Majeski is the highest driver in the standings among those who have yet to win, sitting fourth, while defending series champion Ben Rhodes is fighting for one of the final spots as he goes into the weekend ninth in the standings. The top 10 drivers will make the playoffs and compete in a seven-race battle to determine this year’s champion.

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)

2023 – Michael McDowell (Road Course)

FORD NASCAR Xfinity Series WINNERS

AT THE BRICKYARD

2020 – Chase Briscoe (Road Course)