Race: Brickyard 400
Date: Sunday, July 27th, 2025
Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Time: 2pm ET
Channel: TNT Sports
What Did We Learn From Last Weekend?
Dover definitely Dover’ed last weekend. With a 54-minute red flag for rain and some overtime restarts before all was said and done, Denny Hamlin managed to pull out back-to-back wins at Dover, being only the 13th driver in history to do that. I didn’t see it as much of a surprise, as he’s been very good here in recent history, but he went back to the early days, where he struggled at this track and just couldn’t put a win together. Now, Hamlin marks his 58th career victory at Dover and his 4th of the 2025 season. This is definitely turning out to be a pretty solid year for the driver who is still looking for his first Cup Series championship. Will this be the year for Hamlin?
Second place and teammate Chase Briscoe sure hopes not, along with Alex Bowman, Kyle Larson, and Ty Gibbs, who rounded out the top 5 spots. It was a pretty good showdown there in the final two laps with Briscoe having newer tires and even making some contact with Hamlin before Denny managed to pull off and gain a 0.310-second lead to the checkered flag. It was pit strategy that gave Hamlin the edge and the ability to challenge at the front. His cycle of pit stops put him ahead of the day’s dominating driver, Chase Elliott, and gave him exactly the track position he needed to put it all together. Elliott led a race high 238 laps and even garnered his first stage win of the season, which is 100% hard to believe. It just wasn’t enough to challenge Hamlin at the end.
Where Are We Headed This Weekend?
He’ll have another shot this weekend as the drivers head to the infamous Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Brickyard 400. This is a historic race that drivers, teams, and fans alike absolutely adore. It’s definitely a fan favorite but also a driver favorite, with the winner drinking the infamous swig of milk at the end. This track has a tremendous history with all facets of Motorsports. This 2.5-mile asphalt/brick rectangular oval boasts 9.2 degrees of banking in the turns and nothing on the straights. Track position is *everything*. Getting lapped is a recipe for disaster, but it happens often and is hard to come back from at this place.
Odds and Value Picks
Indy has a long history of hosting racing events, but ironically, some of the best drivers overall are some of our newer guys. That’s a little apropos considering that veterans typically thrive at these more tenured tracks, but Indy is its own beast. Let’s take a look at potential winners for the weekend with odds by Bovada:
Winner: Christopher Bell (+1000)
Denny might have the momentum coming off a win at Dover, but Bell’s results don’t lie. He’s only had 2 starts here in his Cup Series career, but hasn’t finished worse than inside the top 10. He’s got a top 5 in there, too. Bell is playing the long game this year. He’s being consistent and already has a spot in the playoffs. Checking off a historic win at Indy would just be icing on the cake. Bell can do it.
Mid-Range Pick: Chase Briscoe (+1200)
Second to Denny at Dover has to be kind of disappointing, but coming to Indy gives him a whole new opportunity to capitalize. Does he have the best finish here? No. But he’s only had one start. Look for Briscoe to surprise us this weekend.
Dark Horse: Ty Gibbs (+2200)
Dover was another great showing for this guy, and he’s looking to continue his success this weekend. Much like Briscoe, Gibbs only has one start under his belt, resulting in a 23rd-place finish. He’s come a long way this year, currently sitting on the bubble, looking for a way to lock down his playoff berth. This could be his chance.
Here are your current top 16 drivers after Dover:
- Chase Elliott
- William Byron
- Kyle Larson
- Denny Hamlin
- Tyler Reddick
- Christopher Bell
- Ryan Blaney
- Chase Briscoe
- Alex Bowman
- Chris Buescher
- Joey Logano
- Ross Chastain
- Bubba Wallace
- Ryan Preece
- Kyle Busch
- Ty Gibbs
Keep your eyes on the young guns, but don’t discount the veterans. Kyle Busch has a chance to make a difference in his season in a big way. With 2 Indy wins and a plethora of top 10 finishes, he could also be one to pull it off. This race at Indy is sure to be a good one. Stay tuned for the running of the Brickyard 400!
