By ANGELA MORYAN
WISH-TV | wishtv.com
More than 70,000 fans showed up Sunday for the return of the Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
According to IMS, that’s a 15 percent increase from the 2023 Verizon 200 on the road course.
NASCAR’s return to the famed oval saw another new champion kiss the bricks, Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson.
Larson tried to pull double duty in May by driving in the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. Weather delays ruined his chances, and Larson finished 18th in his first attempt at the Indianapolis 500. Just under two months later, he got his redemption in overtime, beating out Ryan Blaney and a surging Tyler Reddick in the double-overtime finish for his first checkered at the Brickyard.
“It’s something you dream about for a long time,” Larson told News 8 after kissing the bricks.
Thirty years after Jeff Gordon won the first Brickyard 400 and his first of a record five, Larson joined his now Hendrick Motorsports team owner in the exclusive club of drivers who have won at IMS.
“I did joke with him earlier today, I was like, ‘Man, I need to win today because I need to start catching you on some of these stats and records,’” Larson said. “So, it feels special though just to have one of these and get to share in 11 Brickyard 400 wins for Hendrick Motorsports.”
“I mean, it’s hard to believe it’s been 30 years since the first one,” Gordon said. “That’s a coveted trophy and a great place to race. I can tell how much this means to Kyle, and that to me is what this race and this track is all about.”
The NASCAR Cup series drivers could feel the excitement about the Brickyard’s return all weekend long.
“Every time I come here, I feel the love from the Hoosier state,” said Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe, who’s a Mitchell, Indiana native. “So it’s always nice to be back home and appreciate all the support.”
“It was fun, man,” said Todd Gilliland, who finished sixth. “They’re chaotic races — one lane a lot of times, which makes people aggressively pass. We saw that with Kyle Busch and others. … For me, it was really fun. You could feel the prestige for sure.”
The prestige helped pack the track for the first time NASCAR was back on the oval in four years.
“I think the number of tickets we sold just this last week we could go back probably 11 or 12 years since the interest,” Roger Penske said. “I think the sport, the speedway, what we’ve been able to do here has made a big difference.”
“It’s just special to come here to Indianapolis,” fourth-place finisher Christopher Bell said. “It’s a super (expletive) race track, probably one of the coolest we ever go to. It’s just a privilege to be able to race around here.”
A privilege that will be back on the oval for 2025.
This story was originally published on WISH-TV at wishtv.com/sports/motorsports/ims-reports-spike-in-ticket-sales-for-brickyard-400-return.
Photos by Joshua Herd