NASCAR Cup Series

“The Brickyard 400 is the one race I look forward to every year,” said McDowell. “I know the Daytona 500 is the biggest race in NASCAR, but for me, racing at Indianapolis gives me chills.”

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.

Roush Fenway has made 88 NSCS starts at Indianapolis dating back to the inaugural event in 1994. In that timeframe, Roush Fenway has recorded 16 top-five finishes, 30 top-10 finishes, has an average finish of 17.7 and has completed 13,416 out of a possible 14,097 laps (95.2 percent).

“Track position is the key to Indy, the further you are to the front the better your car drives because you aren’t in the dirty air. Qualify up front, stay up front, I’ve done it several times there and had opportunities to win. I’m ready to get to Indy and see what we’ve got.”

NEW HAMPSHIRE ADDS TO TOYOTA SWEEPS: Camry drivers Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch won in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) and NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS), respectively, at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to tally the seventh weekend sweep for Toyota during the 2016 season.

When it comes to what is known as NASCAR’s four crown jewel races, Martin Truex Jr. is off to a pretty good start. He finished second by inches in the Daytona 500 and then went on to win the Coca-Cola 600 in record fashion at Charlotte Motor Speedway, leading 392 of 400 laps.

The record five-time champion of NASCAR's spotlight race at IMS will return to competition onSunday, July 24, at the Crown Royal presents the Combat Wounded Coalition 400 at the Brickyard, filling in for Dale Earnhardt Jr.

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.

“Winning at Indianapolis is definitely one of the goals that I have for our FedEx team, as I’m sure most drivers have. We have some big races in our sport -- Daytona 500, Coke 600, the Southern 500 and the Brickyard. I have been fortunate to win two of those during my career and adding a third this weekend would be special.

Last year at the Brickyard, Ryan Blaney drove the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion from a starting position toward the back of the field (30th) all the way to 12th by the time the checkered flag flew.