NASCAR Cup PR

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 Media Breakout Session Highlights: HOW ELATED ARE FOR THE PLAYOFFS? “I’m excited. I don’t really know what to do or what to expect or anything."

BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang -- IS YOUR DAUGHTER PRACTICING TO KISS THE BRICKS AGAIN? “Well, she remembers last time for sure. It is great to be back here. As soon as I pulled through the tunnel I thought about last year. It was so cool to win here. It was really special for me."

Roush Fenway Racing heads to the most famous speedway in the world this weekend as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) ends its regular season at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the Brickyard 400. RFR has 17 top-five finishes at the 2.5-mile track dating back to 1994, the first year of competition for NASCAR.

Chevrolet drivers have won 17 of the 25 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, including an amazing streak of 12 years (2004-13). Career Team Chevy driver Jeff Gordon, who won the inaugural event in 1994, leads all drivers with five victories on the 2.5-mile oval. In that first race, Gordon led seven different times for a total of 93 laps, including the final five. Gordon won the pole the next year and finished sixth.

There have been 25 race trophies awarded this season – 25 opportunities to lock in a Playoff berth – but for the four drivers on the bubble, the last two Playoff positions will depend on their outing in Sunday’s Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard powered by Florida Georgia Line at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on NBC, IMS and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Jimmie Johnson on one final race to make the playoffs: “Our Ally team displayed a tremendous effort in Darlington. We have a great thing going right now on our team – everyone is pulling in the right direction. There is some pressure to go out and win this weekend, but that is what we do every weekend. We go to a track with the intention to contend for wins. If I look back over the first half of the season, I see a lot of races where we gave away a few points. It’s kind of unfair to put all the pressure on one race in Indy, but that is where we are right now. It’s a great track to win at. We know what we have to do this weekend.”

When Paul Menard looks back on his 2011 win in the Brickyard 400, at Indianapolis, there’s one memory that means even more now that he’s the driver of the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford Mustang.

Indianapolis Preview: The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads next to “The Brickyard” for its regular-season finale at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, Sept. 8. Despite a disappointing finish at Darlington, ending a streak of six consecutive top-five finishes, Hamlin and team will look for a strong finish to the regular season before playoff racing begins.

Richard Childress Racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway ... In 69 previous Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Richard Childress Racing has posted two pole awards (Kevin Harvick in 2003 and Jeff Burton in 2006), three wins (Dale Earnhardt in 1995, Harvick in 2003 and Paul Menard in 2011), 12 top-five and 28 top-10 finishes. RCR Chevrolets have also been atop the leaderboard for a total of 268.

DIBENEDETTO BY THE NUMBERS: In four Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career starts at Indianapolis, Matt DiBenedetto has an average start of 32.0, an average finish of 29.0, and he’s completed 422 of 661 (63.8 percent) career laps at the Brickyard.