INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, July 20, 2024) – NASCAR’s return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval was worth the wait, if Riley Herbst’s thrilling victory Saturday in the Pennzoil 250 presented by Advance Auto Parts was any indication.
Herbst prevailed in a wild final two laps to win the first NASCAR Xfinity Series race on the fabled 2.5-mile oval since 2019, edging Cole Custer and Aric Almirola to open race competition on Brickyard Weekend. The NASCAR Cup Series will race on the oval for the first time since 2020 with the Brickyard 400 presented by PPG at 2:30 p.m. ET Sunday.
“This is Indianapolis; this is the most famous racetrack in the world,” Herbst said. “It’s an honor just to walk in this place, let alone win.
“This is hallowed ground. Every person in the world wants to race here, and I won here. I don’t care if it’s the Xfinity Series, the Cup Series, the go-kart track out back, this is the Brickyard. This is the coolest racetrack in the world. This is pretty sweet.”
Herbst, who started second in the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford, held off Stewart-Haas Racing teammate and pole sitter Cole Custer by .167 of a second for his second career Xfinity Series victory. Almirola was third in the No. 20 He Gets Us Toyota of Joe Gibbs Racing, .224 of a second behind the winner after a sizzling three-way fight for the lead on the last two laps of the 100-lap race.
The 1-2 finish for Stewart-Haas Racing – co-owned by two-time Brickyard 400 winner Tony Stewart and Gene Haas – was bittersweet as the team is disbanding after this season.
“Proud of everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing,” Herbst said. “Obviously, the news of us shutting down, these guys could have given up on me, gone to other teams, but they stuck behind me and Cole.”
Herbst lost the lead to Custer on a restart on Lap 90, and it appeared Custer might cruise to victory. He built a lead of 1.384 seconds by Lap 95. But Herbst began to chip away, trimming that lead to .649 of a second on Lap 97 and .270 of a second on Lap 98.
Almirola also was gaining ground on the two leaders and took the lead on the front straightaway at the end of Lap 99 on a breathtaking move with the white flag in the air. Herbst and Custer were racing side-by-side for the lead low on the straightaway, and Almirola moved within inches of the wall to clear the dueling pair and slice down across the noses of their Fords for the top spot.
On the final lap, Herbst chased Almirola, dove under him for the lead in the short chute between Turns 3 and 4 and held on to the checkered flag. It was the last of 12 lead changes in the race.
“When he (Herbst) was within a car length or so from behind, I was just so tight,” Almirola said of his car’s handling. “I got to the bottom, but I was just so tight. They were the class of the field. They ran the 00 (Custer) down. Those two cars were certainly better than us.”
Herbst and Custer combined to lead 77 of the 100 laps, with Custer out front for a race-high 47 and Herbst 30.
Indianapolis 500 veteran Conor Daly finished 14th in the No. 26 Polkadot Toyota of Sam Hunt Racing after running in the top 10 for a portion of the race.
In two rounds of qualifying for the Brickyard 400 presented by PPG, Tyler Reddick continued the strong form he showed in leading practice Friday by winning the pole for the 160-lap NASCAR Cup Series race Sunday.
Reddick turned a top lap of 181.932 mph in the No. 45 The Beast Unleashed Toyota of 23XI Racing, co-owned by basketball superstar Michael Jordan and Cup Series star Denny Hamlin. This is Reddick’s second Cup Series pole at IMS, as he won the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard from the pole in 2022 on the IMS road course.
This is the first time the NASCAR Cup Series has raced its Next Gen car, which debuted in 2022, on the IMS oval. The Cup Series last raced on the fabled oval in 2020.
“Round two, I knew what the target lap time was,” Reddick said. “I did not feel great about my Turn 1, but the rest of the lap this The Beast Unleashed Toyota Camry was really stout.
“It’s really cool. I’ve been very fortunate to come here and have a lot of speed on the road course, and it’s great to be back on the oval here and have that speed again. Excited for tomorrow.”
Reddick’s boss, Hamlin, qualified second at 181.492 in the No. 11 Sport Clips Haircuts Toyota of Joe Gibbs Racing. Hamlin seeks his first Brickyard 400 start in his 16th start on the IMS oval.
2020 Cup Series champion Chase Elliott will start third in the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet fielded by Hendrick Motorsports after his best lap of 181.803. Teammate William Byron will join him in Row 2 after his qualifying lap of 180.155 in the No. 24 Valvoline Chevrolet.
2021 Cup Series champion Kyle Larson helped Hendrick Motorsports put three cars in the top five qualifying spots with his best lap of 181.298 in the No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet. Larson is racing on the IMS oval for the second time this season, as he earned Rookie of the Year honors in the 108th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge after qualifying fifth and finishing 18th in a Hendrick-Arrow McLaren entry.
Ty Gibbs filled Row 3 after qualifying sixth at 180.043 in the No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota of Joe Gibbs Racing.
The Brickyard 400 presented by PPG starts at 2:30 p.m. ET Sunday. Visit IMS.com to buy tickets or for more information.
