The big oval is back

By ZECH YODER

After a three-year hiatus, the big oval is back. On the 30th anniversary of the inaugural race, the Brickyard 400 returns to Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Aside from a partly cloudy day on Sunday, the weather report looks perfect. For what has seemed like months, rain is not in the forecast, and we can expect full weekend of NASCAR racing.

As I said last previously, Pocono provided a warm-up for the Brickyard 400. A two-and-a-half-mile triangle with long straightaways and the turn 2 built to resemble Indianapolis, Pocono should give us insight into who has speed this weekend at the Brickyard 400.

The Toyotas will be fast. Four Toyotas qualified inside the top 10 at Pocono last week, including pole winner Ty Gibbs, and five of the seven Toyotas finished the race inside the top 15.

Pay extra attention to Denny Hamlin. Though he did not win at Pocono, he was dominant throughout the race and had the fastest car for most of the day. On top of that, Hamlin tested at IMS this spring. Extra laps mean that Hamlin and his team will have a leg up on many of his competitors. Surprisingly, Hamlin has never won the crown jewel of the Midwest. Don’t be shocked if he gets to kiss the bricks on Sunday.

The driver with the most laps at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this year is Kyle Larson, though not in a NASCAR. Larson, who ran the Indianapolis 500, will be desperate to make amends for his pit road snafu during the later stages of the Indianapolis 500, which likely cost him a shot at the win. Oddly, his speeding penalty last week at Pocono also put him back in traffic, and he was only able to salvage a 13th place finish. Larson, however, is always a threat to win. He will need to avoid mistakes, especially on pit road as track position will be paramount. Don’t doubt that he just may put on a masterclass at Indianapolis and crush the rest of the field. Larson has a knack for doing just that.

Finally, as I have been saying, Martin Truex Jr. may be poised to leave the sport with a walk-off Brickyard 400 win. He has not won in Indy, nor has he won in 2024. His car was one of the best last week at Pocono, and I expect him to be fast again on Sunday. A win at Indianapolis in his final year of full-time racing would cap off what is certainly a first ballet hall of fame career. You would be hard pressed to see a disappointed person if Truex wins the Brickyard 400.

There is not much more to say. The Brickyard 400 is back. Go enjoy the weekend.

Zech Yoder is a local resident, an attorney at Adler Attorneys in Noblesville, and a lifelong race fan.