Who’s ready to kiss the bricks this weekend?
Every NASCAR driver would love to do just that, as the Cup Series heads to historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Brickyard 400.
NASCAR’s race at the famed track doesn’t have quite the history of the Indianapolis 500, but the stock car series has carved out its own unique traditions. There’s no milk in victory lane, but NASCAR did start the tradition of kissing the iconic brick-covered start-finish line after winning — thanks to current NBC analyst Dale Jarrett.
So, what’s in store for Indianapolis this year? What’s the TV schedule for the weekend? And who could contend for the win on Sunday? Here’s everything you need to know for Brickyard 400:
When is the Brickyard 400 NASCAR race?
The Brickyard is set for Sunday, July 27, at 2:20 p.m. ET.
Before the race, there will be practice and qualifying on Friday and Saturday, respectively. All 39 drivers will hit the track for practice Friday, with 50 minutes scheduled. For qualifying, each driver will get one lap to set the starting order based on speed — taking the track in this order.
NASCAR TV schedule this weekend for Brickyard 400
This weekend marks the final race airing on TNT before NBC takes over for the rest of the season.
Adam Alexander (play-by-play), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (analyst) and Steve Letarte (analyst) will be on the call, with Shannon Spake, Jamie McMurray and Parker Kligerman providing pre- and post-race coverage.
Here’s the full schedule for Indianapolis:
Friday, July 25 (truTV and HBO Max)
- Practice: 1:05 p.m. ET, truTV and HBO Max
Saturday, July 26 (truTV and HBO Max)
- Qualifying: 2:35 p.m. ET, truTV and HBO Max
Sunday, July 27 (TNT and HBO Max)
- NASCAR Nation Pre-Race: 1 p.m. ET, TNT and HBO Max
- Brickyard 400: 2 p.m. ET, TNT and HBO Max
- NASCAR Nation Post-Race: 5:30 p.m. ET, TNT and HBO Max
The 2025 NASCAR season kicks off on Feb. 16, 2025 with the 67th running of the Daytona 500.
Who is racing in the Brickyard 400? Here’s the entry list
Thirty-nine drivers will race at the Brickyard — the 36 full-timers, plus three additional entries.
Josh Bilicki (Garage 66), Jesse Love (Beard Motorsports) and Katherine Legge (Live Fast Motorsports) are continuing their part-time schedules this season by racing at this historic venue. Bilicki and Love are both making their fourth Cup start of 2025, while Legge is back for her fifth. She has also made four prior starts at the Brickyard in the Indianapolis 500, so the track should be familiar.
Two other drivers in the spotlight at Ty Gibbs and Ty Dillon, who are competing in the final round of the In-Season Challenge with $1 million waiting for whoever crosses the finish line first.
Here’s the full entry list for Indy:
| Car number | Driver | Team | Sponsor |
| 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Busch Light |
| 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Discount Tire |
| 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Get Bioethanol |
| 4 | Noah Gragson | Front Row Motorsports | Rush Truck Centers |
| 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | HendrickCars.com |
| 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Body Guard |
| 7 | Justin Haley | Spire Motorsports | Gainbridge |
| 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Zone |
| 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | NAPA Auto Parts |
| 10 | Ty Dillon | Kaulig Racing | Sea Best |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Progressive |
| 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Menards/Delta |
| 16 | AJ Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Grizzly Nicotine Pouches |
| 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Kroger/Diet Cherry Coke |
| 19 | Chase Briscoe | Joe Gibbs Racing | Bass Pro Shops |
| 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Rheem |
| 21 | Josh Berry | Wood Brothers Racing | PPG |
| 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Shell/Pennzoil |
| 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Chumba Casino |
| 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Liberty University |
| 34 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Gener8tor |
| 35 | Riley Herbst | 23XI Racing | Monster Energy |
| 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Aaron’s Rent To Own |
| 41 | Cole Custer | Haas Factory Team | Haas/Autodesk |
| 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Legacy Motor Club | Pye-Barker |
| 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Dollar Tree |
| 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Xfinity Mobile |
| 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Rate |
| 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Ally |
| 51 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing | Arby’s |
| 54 | Ty Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing | Saia |
| 60 | Ryan Preece | RFK Racing | Castrol |
| 62 | Jesse Love | Beard Motorsports | C4 Ultimate Energy |
| 66 | Josh Bilicki | Garage 66 | Sherfick |
| 71 | Michael McDowell | Spire Motorsports | Delaware Life |
| 77 | Carson Hocevar | Spire Motorsports | Zeigler Auto Group |
| 78 | Katherine Legge | Live Fast Motorsports | Droplight |
| 88 | Shane van Gisbergen | Trackhouse Racing | WeatherTech |
| 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing | Freeway Insurance |
Brickyard 400 picks, predictions, favorites
Last week at Dover, the powerhouse organizations stole the show. Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports drivers occupied the top six finishing positions and led 387 of 407 laps. Expect more of the same at the Brickyard.
Starting with JGR, no driver has had more close calls without a Brickyard win than Denny Hamlin. Fresh off a win at Dover, the 44-year-old star knows he doesn’t have many more chances left to kiss the bricks. His teammate and Indiana native Chase Briscoe, who was second last week, is another strong pick — as is Christopher Bell, who was fourth at Indy last year.
For HMS, it all starts with Kyle Larson. Last year’s Brickyard 400 winner has started the last two Indy 500’s — giving him more track time here than any driver. Sure, it’s a different car, but the experience certainly helped him last year. Chase Elliott, after leading 238 laps last week, is leading the points standings and should challenge for the victory.
James Gilbert/Getty Images
James Gilbert/Getty Images Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, kisses the yard of bricks after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 21, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The third traditional powerhouse organization is Team Penske, who hasn’t quite had its usual speed this season. If there’s a track for them to turn it around, though, it’s Indy. Team owner Roger Penske owns and operates the track, and none of his drivers have yet won there. Ryan Blaney is the best bet for Penske this year.
If anyone can topple those three, look toward a pair of upstart teams — RFK Racing and 23XI Racing.
Tyler Reddick (40 laps led), Brad Keselowski (35) and Bubba Wallace (26) were the top three lap-leaders at the Brickyard last year — and all three need a win to lock themselves into the playoffs. Reddick was second and Wallace was fifth for 23XI, while Keselowski ran out of fuel while leading late in the race and finished 21st.
The winning pick for Indy is Elliott, who bounces back from disappointment last week to finally score his first career crown jewel victory.
NASCAR past winners, race history for the Brickyard 400
Just three of the 39 drivers in the field are past winners at the Brickyard.
Busch has won the race twice (2015 and 2016), while Keselowski (2018) and Larson (2024) are one-time winners.
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