Statistical Advance: Analyzing the Brickyard 400

Below is a look at some of the top statistical performers at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana, going into the Brickyard 400 on Sunday, July 27 at 2 p.m. ET on TNT, HBO Max, IMS Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

At Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Oval) Stats & Tidbits:
TRACK & RACE DATA
Season Race #: 22 of 36 (July 27, 2025)
Track Length: 2.5 Mile Asphalt Oval
Race Purse: $11,055,250
Banking/Turns (all four): 9 degrees
Banking/Straights: 0 degrees
Frontstretch Length: 3,330 feet
Backstretch Length: 3,300 feet
Race Length: 160 laps / 400 miles
Stages 1 Length: 50 laps
Stages 2 Length: 50 laps (Ends on Lap 100)
Final Stage Length: 60 laps (Ends on Lap 160)

TRACK QUALIFYING & RACE RECORDS

Track Qualifying Record:
Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 188.889 mph, 47.647 secs., (Set in Round 1 of 3), July 25, 2014

Track Race Record (160 laps/400 miles):
Bobby Labonte, Pontiac, 155.912 mph, (02:33:56), August 5, 2000

2024 Pole Winner (Most Recent):
Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 181.932 mph, 49.469 secs., July 20, 2024

2024 Race Winner (Most Recent):
Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 119.770 mph, (03:29:09), July 21, 2024

TRACK HISTORY

• Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) has existed since 1909, and is the original “Speedway”, the first racing facility to incorporate the word into its name.
• Located just west of downtown Indianapolis, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the third oldest permanent automobile race track in the world, behind Brooklands and the Milwaukee Mile.
• With a permanent seating capacity for more than 250,000-plus people and infield seating that raises capacity to an approximate 400,000, it is the largest and highest-capacity sporting facility in history.
• The track is a 2.5-mile long rectangular shaped oval.
• The first NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway was August 6, 1994. The first Cup race was won by Hendrick Motorsport’s driver Jeff Gordon in the No. 24 Chevrolet. Gordon led 93 laps in the 160 lap event and beat Brett Bodine to the finish line by 0.530-second to win. The average speed of the race was 131.977 mph, and it took 3 hours, 1 minute and 51 seconds to complete.
• In total, there have been 28 NASCAR Cup races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway; one per year from 1994 through 2020.
• This season marks the second-time since 2020 the series has competed on the oval (2024-2025).
• From 2021 – 2023, the NASCAR Cup Series did not compete on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval, but instead competed on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course producing three different winners – AJ Allmendinger (2021), Tyler Reddick (2022) and Michael McDowell (2023).

STARTS

• A total of 182 different drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
• A total of 137 different drivers have competed in more than one NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon leads the NASCAR Cup Series in starts at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with 23.
• The top five in Cup starts at Indianapolis (All-Time): Jeff Gordon (23), Bobby Labonte (21), Jeff Burton (20), Kevin Harvick (20), Kurt Busch (20), Mark Martin (20), Matt Kenseth (20), Ryan Newman (20).
• Kyle Busch leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in starts at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with 17.
• Top five in Cup Starts at Indianapolis (Active): Kyle Busch (17), Denny Hamlin (16), Joey Logano (13), Brad Keselowski (12), Michael McDowell (12).
• A total of three different drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have made their series debut at Indianapolis Motor Speedway – Danny Sullivan (8/6/1994), Geoff Brabham (8/6/1994), Ron Barfield Jr. (8/3/1997).
• Of the three drivers that made their first NASCAR Cup Series career start at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Ron Barfield Jr. posted the best finish with a 22nd-place result on August 3, 1997. Barfield started in the 23rd position.

Average Starting Position

• David Green (two starts) leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a 6.000.
• Tyler Reddick (two starts) leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in average starting position at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a 7.000.

Top 10 in Average Starting Position at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (All-Time & Active)

POLES

• A total of 20 different drivers have won the pole at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series.
• Driver Rick Mast won the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series pole at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1994 with a speed of 172.414 mph. Mast, driving a Richard Jackson owned Ford, led two laps and finished 22nd in the event.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon (1995, 1996, 1999) and Kevin Harvick (2003, 2014, 2019) lead the NASCAR Cup Series in poles at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with three poles each.
• A total of three of the 20 all-time Indianapolis Motor Speedway Cup Series pole winners are active this weekend:

• Kyle Busch leads all active Cup Series drivers in Indianapolis Motor Speedway poles with two (2016, 2017).
• Of the 20 Cup Series pole winners at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, only three have won consecutive poles: Jeff Gordon (1995-1996), Ernie Irvan (1997-1998) and Kyle Busch (2016-2017).
• Youngest Cup Series Indianapolis pole winner: Reed Sorenson (July 29, 2007 – 21 years, 5 months, 24 days).
• Oldest Cup Series Indianapolis pole winner: Mark Martin (July 26, 2009 – 50 years, 6 months, 17 days).
• Reed Sorenson (07/29/07) is the only driver to post his first career NASCAR Cup Series pole at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
• A total of 11 different organizations have won the pole in the NASCAR Cup Series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
• Five of the 11 NASCAR Cup Series organizations with poles at Indianapolis Motor Speedway are active this weekend (Noted in the chart below in bold).

• Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports are tied for the NASCAR Cup Series most poles at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with five each.
  • Joe Gibbs Racing – Tony Stewart (2002), Denny Hamlin (2012), Carl Edwards (2015), Kyle Busch (2016, 2017).
  • Hendrick Motorsports – Jeff Gordon (1995, 1996, 1999), Jimmie Johnson (2008), Mark Martin (2009).
• Four different manufacturers have won a NASCAR Cup Series pole at Indianapolis Motor Speedway; led by Chevrolet with 10 poles, followed by Ford (seven), Toyota (five), Dodge (two), and Pontiac (2).
• Most consecutive poles by a manufacturer at Indianapolis in the Cup Series is three – Toyota (2015-2017) and Chevrolet (2008-2010).

WINS

• A total of 16 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
• Six of the 16 Indianapolis Cup winners have won multiple times at the 2.5-mile rectangular-shaped oval track.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon won the first NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1994. Gordon ran 400 miles (160 laps) in 3 hours, 1 minute and 51 seconds with an average speed of 131.977 MPH driving the famed Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 24 Chevrolet. He started from the third position and led 93 laps enroute to the victory.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon leads the NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with five victories (1994, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2014) – all with Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet.
• Kyle Busch leads all active Cup Series drivers in wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with two victories (2015, 2016).
• This weekend, three of the 15 NASCAR Cup Series Indianapolis Motor Speedway race winners are active.

• Jimmie Johnson (2008-09) and Kyle Busch (2015-16) are the only two drivers to win consecutive NASCAR Cup Series races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
• Youngest Cup Series Indianapolis winner: Jeff Gordon (August 6, 1994 – 23 years, 0 months, 2 days).
• Oldest Cup Series Indianapolis winner: Bill Elliott (August 4, 2002 – 46 years, 9 months, 27 days).
• On July 31, 2011, Paul Menard became the first and only NASCAR Cup Series driver to post his first career win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
• Denny Hamlin leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in starts at Indianapolis without visiting Victory Lane at 16; followed by Joey Logano (13), Michael McDowell (12) and AJ Allmendinger (11).
• A total of 17 different starting positions on the grid have resulted in wins in the NASCAR Cup Series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
• The first starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (five) than any other starting position at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series – a 17.8% winning percentage.
• In 2016, Kyle Busch became the first driver in history to sweep both the NASCAR Xfinity Series race from the pole and the NASCAR Cup Series race from the pole in the same weekend at Indianapolis.
• The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is 27th, by Jeff Gordon in 2001.
• The deepest an active race winner has started at Indianapolis is ninth, by Kyle Busch in 2015.

NASCAR Cup Series Wins by Starting Positions at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

• Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s Brickyard 400 is considered one of the NASCAR Cup Series’ Crown Jewel events, along with the Daytona 500, the Coca-Cola 600 and the Southern 500. Only four drivers in NASCAR Cup Series history have won all four events in their careers – Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt.

• A total of nine different organizations have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
• Hendrick Motorsports leads the NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with 11 wins among four drivers: Jeff Gordon (five: 1994, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2014), Jimmie Johnson (four: 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012), Kasey Kahne (one: 2017), Kyle Larson (one: 2024).

• Four different manufacturers have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway; led by Chevrolet with 18 victories; followed by Ford with six, Toyota (two), Dodge (one) and Pontiac (one).
• The most consecutive wins by a manufacturer in the NASCAR Cup Series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is 12 straight wins by Chevrolet from 2003 – 2014.

ADDITIONAL FINISHING POSITIONS

Runner-Up Finishes

• A total of 19 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have finished runner-up at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Matt Kenseth leads the NASCAR Cup Series in runner-up finishes at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with four second-place finishes.
• Joey Logano and Kyle Busch lead all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in runner-up finishes at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with two each.

Top Five in Runner-Up Finishes at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (All-Time & Active)

Top-Five Finishes

• A total of 50 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have finished in the top-five at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon leads the NASCAR Cup Series in top fives at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with 12.
• Denny Hamlin leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in top fives at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with five.

Top Five in Top-Five Finishes at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (All-Time & Active)

Top-10 Finishes

• A total of 76 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have finished in the top-10 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon leads the Cup Series in top-10 finishes at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with 17 top 10s.
• Kyle Busch leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in top-10 finishes at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with 12.

Top Five in Top-10 Finishes at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (All-Time & Active)

Average Finish

• Kevin Harvick leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with an 8.550 in 20 starts.
• Tyler Reddick leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in average finishing position at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a 5.000 in two starts.

Top 10 in Average Finishing Positions at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (All-Time & Active)

LAP LEADERS

• A total of 91 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have led at least one lap at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Top 10 Lap Leaders at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (All-Time & Active)

• NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon leads the NASCAR Cup Series in laps led at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with 528 laps led in 23 starts.
• Kyle Busch leads all active Cup Series drivers in laps led at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with 329 laps led in 17 starts.
• Most laps led in a single NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway by the race winner was 149 of the 170 laps completed (87.6%) on July 24, 2016, by race winner Kyle Busch.
• Most laps led in a single NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway by a driver that did not win the race was 116 of the scheduled 160 laps (72.5%) on July 26, 2009, by Juan Pablo Montoya; he started in second and finished 11th.
• The fewest laps led in a single NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway by the race winner is just eight laps led on July 21, 2024, by Kyle Larson; he started the race from the fifth starting position.

LEADERS & LEAD CHANGES

• Most leaders in a single NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is 16 on July 27, 2008.
• Fewest leaders in a single NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is three on July 24, 2016.
• Most lead changes in a single NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is 26 on July 27, 2008.
• Fewest lead changes in a single NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is four on July 24, 2016.
• Five of the last 10 Cup races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway have resulted with the last pass for the lead occurring within 10 or less laps to go, and two events with the last passes for the lead happening with two laps to go.

FEMALE COMPETITORS

• Danica Patrick became the first female driver to compete in the NASCAR Cup Series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2013.

Female Competitor Stats at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

• Katherine Legge will attempt to become the second female driver to compete in the NASCAR Cup Series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend.

TRACK SPECIFIC STATS

• Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory (MOV) in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the August 3, 1997 race, that was won by Ricky Rudd over Bobby Labonte with a margin of victory of 0.183 second.

Top 10 Closest Margins of Victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series

• Since the advent of electronic scoring the largest margin of victory (MOV) in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the September 8, 2019 race, that was won by Kevin Harvick over Joey Logano with a margin of victory of 6.118 seconds.

Top Five Largest Margins of Victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series

• There have been six NASCAR Cup Series races resulting with NASCAR Overtime at Indianapolis Motor Speedway since its inception into the series in 2004.

NASCAR Overtime Races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series

• Qualifying has been cancelled twice in the NASCAR Cup Series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway – in 2018 due to weather conditions and in 2020 due to pandemic restrictions.
• None of the 28 NASCAR Cup Series races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway have been shortened due to weather conditions.
• The race has been postponed due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Cup Series to another date only once – the 2018 race was scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 9, but due to weather was not run till Monday, Sept. 10.
• The most cautions in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is 14 set in the July 23, 2017 race.
• The fewest cautions in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is one set in the August 5, 1995 race.

NASCAR IN INDIANA

• There have been 96 NASCAR national series races among five tracks in the state of Indiana.
• Among the five tracks in Indiana, Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park has hosted the most NASCAR national series events at 50.
• The first NASCAR national series race held in the state of Indiana was the NASCAR Cup Series event held on October 15, 1950 at Winchester ‘Funks’ Speedway and the race was won by Loyd Moore (Mercury).

INDIANA DRIVERS IN NASCAR

• A total of 88 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Indiana.
• A total of 12 drivers from Indiana have won in NASCAR’s national series, led by Tony Stewart with 62 combined national series wins.

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