The NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Brickyard 400 on Sunday, July 26, at 2:00 pm ET on TNT Sports, IMS Radio Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, and HBO Max.
Last season, Chase Briscoe captured the pole with a lap at 183.165 mph (49.136 secs), and Bubba Wallace survived two overtime shootouts and a late fuel-mileage battle with Kyle Larson to win the Brickyard 400 on Sunday, July 27, 2025.
The Chase For The NASCAR Cup Series Standings Outlook after North Wilkesboro Speedway
| Rank | Driver | Points | Ldr | Next | +/- Chase Cutoff | Race Wins | Stage Wins | Starts | Top 5 | Top 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denny Hamlin | 842 | 0 | 0 | Clinched | 4 | 5 | 21 | 11 | 13 |
| 2 | Tyler Reddick | 774 | -68 | 68 | Clinched | 5 | 1 | 21 | 10 | 13 |
| 3 | Ryan Blaney | 755 | -87 | 19 | Clinched | 2 | 4 | 21 | 4 | 15 |
| 4 | Ty Gibbs | 708 | -134 | 47 | 246 | 1 | 4 | 21 | 9 | 14 |
| 5 | Chase Elliott | 634 | -208 | 74 | 172 | 2 | 2 | 21 | 5 | 8 |
| 6 | Kyle Larson | 616 | -226 | 18 | 154 | 0 | 4 | 21 | 8 | 11 |
| 7 | Carson Hocevar | 598 | -244 | 18 | 136 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 5 | 8 |
| 8 | Chase Briscoe | 587 | -255 | 11 | 125 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 8 | 10 |
| 9 | Chris Buescher | 585 | -257 | 2 | 123 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 2 | 10 |
| 10 | Christopher Bell | 574 | -268 | 11 | 112 | 0 | 3 | 21 | 8 | 9 |
| 11 | Daniel Suarez | 558 | -284 | 16 | 96 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 2 | 6 |
| 12 | William Byron | 546 | -296 | 12 | 84 | 0 | 3 | 21 | 4 | 9 |
| 13 | Bubba Wallace | 531 | -311 | 15 | 69 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 3 | 10 |
| 14 | Shane Van Gisbergen | 516 | -326 | 15 | 54 | 2 | 1 | 21 | 5 | 7 |
| 15 | Joey Logano | 511 | -331 | 5 | 49 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 3 | 7 |
| 16 | Austin Cindric | 495 | -347 | 16 | 33 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 1 | 4 |
Track & Race Information for the Brickyard 400
Season Race #: 22 of 36 (July 26, 2026)
Track Length: 2.5 Mile Asphalt Oval
Race Purse: $11,233,037
Banking/Turns (all four): 9 degrees
Banking/Straights: 0 degrees
Frontstretch Length: 3,330 feet
Backstretch Length: 3,300 feet
Race Schedule, Length and Stages for the Brickyard 400
Race Length: 160 laps / 400 miles
Stage 1 Length: 50 laps
Stage 2 Length: 50 laps (Ends on Lap 100)
Final Stage Length: 60 laps (Ends on Lap 160)
FRIDAY, JULY 24
12:00 PM – 12:50 PM: NOAPS PRACTICE
1:00 PM – 1:50 PM: NCS PRACTICE
1:00 PM – 1:45 PM: AMS PRACTICE
2:00 PM – 2:20 PM: AMS QUALIFYING (IMPOUND) (TIMED – 20 MINUTES)
3:00 PM – 3:50 PM: NCTS PRACTICE
4:05 PM – 5:00 PM: NCTS QUALIFYING (IMPOUND)
5:25 PM: AMS DRIVER INTRODUCTIONS
5:30 PM: AMS RACE (150 LAPS, 102.9 MILES)
7:40 PM: NCTS DRIVER INTRODUCTIONS
8:00 PM: NCTS RACE (STAGES 60/120/200 LAPS = 137.2 MILES)
SATURDAY, JULY 25
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM: NOAPS QUALIFYING (IMPOUND)
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM: NCS QUALIFYING (IMPOUND)
3:25 PM: NOAPS DRIVER INTRODUCTIONS
4:00 PM: NOAPS RACE (STAGES 30/60/100 LAPS = 250 MILES )
SUNDAY, JULY 26
1:30 PM: NCS DRIVER INTRODUCTIONS
2:00 PM: NCS RACE (STAGES 50/100/160 LAPS = 400 MILES )
*All times are Eastern. NASCAR Cup Series (NCS), NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (NOAPS), NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS), ARCA Menards Series (AMS)
2026 In-Season Challenge Bracket – Week 5 Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The In-Season Challenge is a 32-driver, single-elimination tournament contested during the NCS season. The higher finisher in each matchup advances to the next round until a champion is crowned at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
This week features Todd Gilliland versus Ryan Blaney. The winner will be crowned after the Brickyard 400 and will receive $1 million.
| DATE | ROUND | LOCATION | TIME | NETWORK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 28 | Round 1 | Sonoma Raceway | 3:30 p.m. ET | TNT Sports |
| July 5 | Round 2 | Chicagoland Speedway | 6 p.m. ET | TNT Sports |
| July 12 | Round 3 | EchoPark Speedway | 7 p.m. ET | TNT Sports |
| July 19 | Round 4 | North Wilkesboro Speedway | 7 p.m. ET | TNT Sports |
| July 26 | Champions Round | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | 2 p.m. ET | TNT Sports |
Who and what should you look out for at Indianapolis Motor Speedway?
The first starting position is the most proficient in the field. At a 17.24% winning percentage, it has produced more winners (five) than any other starting position at Indianapolis in the NCS: Kevin Harvick (2003, 2019), Jimmie Johnson (2008), Ryan Newman (2013), and Kyle Busch (2016).
Three of the 17 Cup Series race winners are active this weekend, each with one win. They are Bubba Wallace (2025), Kyle Larson (2024), and Brad Keselowski (2018).
Joey Logano leads all active NCS drivers in runner-up finishes with two, and Hamlin leads all active drivers in top fives with six.
The Driver Picks for the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
- Denny Hamlin – One pole, six top fives, nine top 10s, and an average finish of 13.882.
- Kyle Larson – One win, three top fives, five top 10s, and an average finish of 12.375.
- Ryan Blaney – One top five, three top 10s, an average finish of 16.375.
- Christopher Bell – One top five, two top 10s, an average finish of 8.000.
- Tyler Reddick – One pole, one top five, two top 10s, and an average finish of 13.000.
