2017 NASCAR Pit Road Week 20: IMS

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Brantley Gilbert Big Machine Brickyard 400

By Richard Tix

The Week 20 NASCAR Power Rankings after Kasey Kahnes win at IMS.

Pit Road Power Rankings: Week 20 (Week 19)

1. Martin Truex Jr (LW-1)- The top three all got a pass for the week after the cluster that was IMS. The madness really got started when Truex and Kyle Busch went out, but before that Truex was easily the second best car of the day.
2. Kyle Larson (LW-2)- Toss this one out the window, just like results at Daytona. Let's move onto next week.
3. Kyle Busch (LW-3)- This one was wrapped up for Kyle to take and then it slipped away at a snap of a finger (or a mix up with the 78...). Either way, he was the head of the field and gets a pass this week, like so many others do.
4. Kevin Harvick (LW-4)- Harvick doesn't need a pass this week as he posted his third straight top ten (6th at IMS). He still doesn't seem to have winning speed every week, but the No. 4 team is consistently running towards the front.
5. Jimmie Johnson (LW-6)- What a move by JJ late on Sunday to push three wide while he had something causing smoke off of his car. It didn't end well, but it was the most exciting moment of the race in my eyes.
6. Chase Elliott (LW-5)- Can't catch a break? So far that's the No. 24's story this year, well that and not closing out races.
7. Brad Keselowski (LW-11)- Would BK have been better off starting on the bottom again? We will never know. Either way, Kahne took and won that race from him, but both gave us a fun show.
8. Matt Kenseth (LW-12)- Hanging around in 9th, Kenseth has to be worried about not winning and seeing someone lower than him in points getting a win (Think AJ or Junior). 
9. Denny Hamlin (LW-5)- DH's push on the second to last restart almost cost Kahne his win, but can you blame him for wanting to get a jump on it and seeing BK time it up perfect?
10. Jamie McMurray (LW-8)- JMac scrapped together a top 15 after a rough day on Sunday. Those things will come back to help when it comes down to the top 16 heading into the playoffs.
11. Joey Logano (LW-NR)- Welcome back to the rankings JoLo! Unfortunately it comes at a time where Kahne won and put you behind Clint Bowyer for the 17th spot.. Yes, Bowyer is in 17th and JoLo 18th for the final spot into the playoffs...
12. Clint Bowyer (LW-9)- Bowyer is now on the outside looking in (17th in Playoff Points) after Kahne's win. He has run well, but they need winning speed now..

Dropped Out: Ryan Blaney (LW-10)

Just Missed: Daniel Suarez

2017 NASCAR Week 20: Indianapolis

Brickyard 400

Indianapolis Motor Speedway

By Richard Tix

What to Watch For?

Can Kyle Busch Go Back to Back to Back?

• Kyle Busch had four wins last year and five wins in 2015. I don't have to tell you that Kyle doesn't have a win yet this year. So, what am I getting at? What I want to note here is his last win at the Cup level was last season at IMS. I want to make a second note that in the last two years the only win he has had after IMS is Homestead in 2015 (which made him a Cup Champion). Heck, 9 of his 10 total wins since Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2013 (after IMS) were at IMS or before in that given season (2014, 2015, and 2016). So, its now or never for Kyle to get a win in 2017... Ok, I am just kidding about that, but it is worth watching to see if he can get three straight at IMS this weekend with how fast he has been here lately AND if he will win again after IMS for the first time since 2013.

Will a Surprise Winner Please Stand Up?

• It's not just that Paul Menard won here in 2011, but also that Jamie McMurray did it here the year before. Add in Ryan Newman in 2013 and Jeff Gordon's final win and you can see why it could be unpredictable. It isn't crazy to think that if Kyle Busch doesn't get it done for a third straight time that someone else doesn't win on fuel mileage or a bold late race call. The odd's are against someone considered a "surprise" to win, but it isn't out of the question and that is a crazy thought for race No. 20 and its implications going forward as things heat up.

Wednesday Action at Eldora

• Short and sweet, on a weekend that will be full of track "action" at IMS, getting your entertainment on Wednesday night is the best way to get your racing fill this week. Heck, watch Eldora on Wed. and head to a local track on Saturday! In all honesty it will be interesting to see how IMS goes this year because the interest seems to be waning in NASCAR, which is evident by them moving it to the 26th race in 2018 and trying to juice back up it's importance. But what needs no extra hyping is the Truck Series on dirt mid week, so look for Fox Business on your TV listing and settle in mid week for some fun racing.

**This section is just a quick look at some of Cup drivers latest finishes. This is not a tool for fantasy purposes and NBTW only is looking at end results. No deep statistic's are involved, but rather it is just a quick way to get ready for the race and get caught up on who has finished well at each track**

The Good

• Kyle Busch- Not much needs to be said here, Rowdy has won and kissed the bricks the last two years. He also has seven straight top tens at IMS.
• Kyle Larson- Small sample size alert, but Larson has three top ten's in three career Cup starts here including a top five last year.
• Jimmie Johnson- Want to bet on someone not named Kyle to win IMS? Well, JJ might be your guy with four career Brickyard wins.

The Middle

• Brad Keselowski- In seven starts BK has just three top tens, but six finishes inside the top 20, and all seven were 21st or better. 

The Bad

• Kurt Busch- Unlike his brother, Kurt has yet to win at IMS. In fact, Kurt only has one top five in 16 starts here and only five top tens (only two in his last 12).
• Kasey Kahne- In his last seven Kahne has two top tens, which isn't ideal.
• Trevor Bayne- In six career starts Trevor has one lone top 20 (17th) and four top 30's... That's it. Sure, RFR not bringing the power (2 years) and Wood Brother being under funded (4 races) of those years hurts, but still Trevor hasn't shown much here.

About the Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Track Stats

• A race has been won from the Polefour times in 23 NASCAR races (Kyle Larson 2016, Newman 2013, Jimmie Johnson 2008, and Kevin Harvick 2003).
• Chevy had won 12 of the last 13 races and 16 of 22 races total before Kyle Busch (Toyota) won the last two years. Ford- 3, Toyota- 2 Pontiac- 1, and Dodge- 1 
• Jeff Gordon won the Inaugural Cup race in 1994
• Most cautions was 13 in 2004
• Gordon has the most career wins here with 5. Jimmie Johnson is next in line with 4
• 13 drivers have won at Indy including 9 that only won once.
• Only five drivers have multiple wins (Busch, Gordon, JJ, Tony Stewart, and Dale Jarrett).
• Gordon also has the most poles (3), top 5's (12), and top 10's (17) of any driver.

Track Info

• Surface- Asphalt
• Length- 2.5 miles
• Banking
• Turns: 9 degrees
• Straights: 0 degrees

2017 NASCAR Schedule: Indianapolis

Brickyard 400

By Richard Tix

All Times are Eastern (ET)


Tuesday July 18th 2017 (Eldora)

• 7-7:55 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice
• 9-9:55 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice

Wednesday July 19th 2017 (Eldora)

• 5 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole qualifying, FS1
• 7:30 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series First Qualifying Race (10 laps)- FS2
• 7:39 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Second Qualifying Race (10 laps)- FS2
• 7:48 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Third Qualifying Race (10 laps)- FS2
• 7:57 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Fourth Qualifying Race (10 laps)- FS2
• 8:06 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Fifth Qualifying Race (10 laps)- FS2
• 8:45 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Last Chance Qualifying Race (15 laps)- FS2
• 9:30 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Eldora Dirt Derby (150 laps, 75 miles/40-50-60)- Fox Business Network

Friday July 21st 2017 (IMS)

• 1-1:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series practice
• 3-3:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice

Saturday July 22nd 2017 (IMS)

• 9-9:55 a.m.: NASCAR Monster Energy Series practice- CNBC
• 11-11:55 a.m.: NASCAR Monster Energy Series final practice- CNBC
• 12:45 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole qualifying- NBCSN
• 3:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Lilly Diabetes 250 (100 laps)- NBCSN
• 6:15 p.m.: NASCAR Monster Energy Series Coors Light Pole qualifying- NBCSN

Sunday July 23rd 2017 (IMS)

• 2:30 p.m.: NASCAR Monster Energy Series Brantley Gilbert Big Machine Brickyard 400 (160 laps)- NBC

2016 NASCAR Pit Road Week 20: Indianapolis

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Crown Royal Presents The Combat Wounded Coalition 400

By Richard Tix

Last year at this time the review was about the same: "Kyle Busch Dominating." That's because Rowdy just wrapped up three straight wins after his trip to victory lane at Indy last year at this time. This year he didn't come into the race dominating, but left it with that feeling.

Why? Well because from start to finish Rowdy was the class of the field. All in all no one could really challenge him. No surprise strategy. No late cautions. Nothing. The No. 18 team was on top of it all day.

Past the winner, the story lines get short quick. Jeff Gordon filled in for Dale Earnhardt Jr who is getting over concussion symptoms and Tony Stewart made his last (or we think it is) Indianapolis start in the Cup series. Both shared some special moment's after the race which will be burned into our NASCAR memories.

After that? Nothing much to talk about except that IMS and the Cup series is continuing a run of terrible races here. Look, I am all on board with strategy of all kinds (I've expressed it many times its all part of racing), but IMS has been long single file drawn out lines for years now. To make it worse, green flag runs are normal. If it wasn't for two cars (both the Penske No. 2 and No. 22) then the strategy of 40 cars wouldn't have even produced a story early on.

Those two decided to try and stretch fuel windows and cut down on a stop. Almost everything needed to go perfect, but at least it gave a drama-less race something to watch for. 

The real issue at IMS is, their is nothing that can save it. The racing is what it is here and most likely will always stay the same. Not every race is drama filled as I have mentioned before, but when year after year we get no action from a race it gets hard to bare. In the end all we are left with is nostalgia and the tradition of winning such a prestigious (yet boring) race. Sometimes that has to be enough in the world of racing because there is no puzzle piece to fit into place for IMS. It is what it is so we have to try and enjoy what is here, tradition and a tough race to get all the way through.

Pit Road Power Rankings Week 20 (Week 19)

1. Kyle Busch (LW-3)- The No. 1 spot continues to rotate. This time Rowdy takes it after a dominating win at IMS. Four top 10's in the last five races including a win and a runner up finish at Daytona. Finish: 1st
2. Kevin Harvick (LW-1)- Add yet another top 10 to his season performance. That is now a season leading 16th top 10. Finish: 6th
3. Joey Logano (LW-4)- Both the No. 2 and No. 22 were not the fastest guys on the day, but both teams played strategy and it paid off with a decent finish for JoLo. Finish: 7th
4. Brad Keselowski (LW-2)- See above but insert the strategy didn't pan out. Really neither early strategy played out, but BK ended up getting caught up in a wreck where Carl pushed the corner. The No. 2 had an ok day going, but nothing more. Finish: 17th
5. Matt Kenseth (LW-6)- Last week I watched other sites post Kenseth down near 12th (seriously!?!). After a win Kenseth came back and helped JGR go 1-2-4 to finish Indy. Finish: 2nd
6. Tony Stewart (LW-7)- Smoke had a pretty good car all day but it was apparent that it wouldn't be enough to touch Kyle Busch. It was still a solid run for a guy just needing to get hot at the right time. Finish: 11th
7. Kurt Busch (LW-5)- I have praised Kurt all seaosn for his consistency but where has that gone? Three times in his last four races he has finished outside the top 15. Finish: 16th
8. Martin Truex Jr (LW-10)- It's been an up and down year for Truex. Good runs, bad runs, runs that were good and NASCAR decided to drop the hammer on a rule. Martin has seen it all. Finish: 8th
9. Carl Edwards (LW-8)- Did anyone struggle as much at Carl did getting into a corner? Everyone thought it was just because he was on the outside, but then he caused a wreck on a restart while on the inside and we found out he was pushing the corner all day. Amazing how well he ran while having a poor handling car. Finish: 35th
10. Denny Hamlin (LW-NR)- Welcome back to the rankings Denny. It has been awhile, but we have not forgotten you. Hamlin has had some poor finishes (33, 37, 31, and 39) this season that is holding his consistency back. Finish: 4th
11. Kyle Larson (LW-NR)- After a two race stretch with unimpressive finishing results, Larson finally catches a break again. He actually finds himself right in the thick of the Chase race after a top 5 at IMS (16th in points). Finish: 5th
12. Jimmie Johnson (LW-NR)- It's crazy that JJ has been out of the top 12 for so long, but then again its crazy Sunday was his first top 10 in seven races and his second in eleven. Finish: 3rd

Dropped Out: Greg Biffle (LW-9), Ryan Newman (LW-11), and Jamie McMurray (LW-12)

Just Missed: Austin Dillon

2016 NASCAR Week 20 Preview: Indianapolis

Crown Royal Presents The Combat Wounded Coalition 400

Indianapolis Motor Speedway

By Richard Tix

The year was 2005. Two weeks before NASCAR headed to Indianapolis Motor Speedway Tony Stewart had won at NHMS and then Kurt Busch won at the Tricky Triangle. Tony Stewart came into the race trailing Jimmie Johnson by 66 points.

Johnson had just come off an 8 win 2004 season and was looking to finally get his first Championship. Little did we know as NASCAR fan's that he was going to soon take over the sport. At the time it was Tony Stewart who was one of the one of the bigger deals in NASCAR after winning his first Championship in 2002.

IMS had always been called home by Tony Stewart and he spent six season's trying to get a win at the Brickyard. Well, 2005 was finally the year he got the monkey off of his back. After Jimmie Johnson wrecked late in the race Tony Stewart took over the lead from Kasey Kahne and lead the final 10 laps to his first win at Indy. 

Sometimes in NASCAR moment's are ingrained in our head. Many times a race fly's by and we forget even key details. In a season of 36 races, those types of moments tend to happen. But, IMS 2005 was one of those ingrained moments. Smoke and team climbing up the fence to celebrate with fans. Kissing the bricks. The emotion in victory lane. For years and years moment's like 2005 at IMS will stick in fans memories so I can only imagine what Stewart feels heading into what might be his final race at IMS.

Stewart went on to win at Watkins Glen the following week (three wins in four races) and put an even bigger gap on Johnson. Stewart never really did look back on his way to his second NASCAR Cup Championship, meanwhile Johnson slipped farther and farther back. However, 2005 was the last time for a long stretch that anyone touched what Johnson was about to do. 

Many more Smoke moments continued over the years after that first IMS win, including a second IMS win and a Championship as a driver/owner, but none would top one last win at IMS. It would be the perfect place for Smoke to capture that illustrious win No. 50 in what has been an impressive career.

Indy has lost some of it's early luster (or at least that's how it feels to most), but Tony Stewart winning might bring some of those moment's back to a unique NASCAR track in need of glory moments in 2016.  

**This section is just a quick look at some of Cup drivers latest finishes. This is not a tool for fantasy purposes and NBTW only is looking at end results. No deep statistic's are involved, but rather it is just a quick way to get ready for the race and get caught up on who has finished well at each track**

The Good

• Tony Stewart- No, the last few years haven't been good here for Smoke, but right now he is starting to heat up and do you want to bet against a hot Tony Stewart? One last fence climb (maybe he shouldn't...) would be nice to see.
• Kyle Busch- Last years winner brings some nice stats to IMS. In 11 starts he has nine top 10's and four top 5's to go along with that win. He has finishes first or second three out of the last four races here.
• Matt Kenseth- Kenseth doesn't have a win at IMS like the two above, but he still has some impressive numbers. Ten top 10's and seven top 5's in his 16 career races here.

The Middle

• Carl Edwards- Eleven career starts and only three of those finished up as top 10's (one top 5). However, he has nine top 15's in that same time.

The Bad

• Martin Truex Jr- Want a guy who might jump off this list with a good finish Sunday? Truex is your guy. However, his career at IMS has been underwhelming as a whole (one top 5 and two top 10's in eleven starts).
• Dale Earnhardt Jr- 16 career starts at Indianapolis and Junior only has five top 10's and one single top 5. The upside? Three of those top 10's and that sole top 5 came in the last four races here.
• David Ragan- Three top 20's in nine starts is nothing to be proud of for Ragan. None of those have come since leaving the RFR No. 6. 

About the Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Track Stats

• A race has been won from the Pole three times in 22 NASCAR races (Newman 2013, Jimmie Johnson 2008, and Kevin Harvick 2003).
• Chevy had won the last 12 races and 16 of 21 races total before Kyle Busch (Toyota) won last year. Ford- 3, Pontiac- 1, Dodge- 1, Toyota- 1
• Jeff Gordon won the Inaugural Cup race in 1994
• Most cautions was 13 in 2004
• Gordon has the most career wins here with 5. Jimmie Johnson is next in line with 4
• 13 drivers have won at Indy including 9 that only won once.
• Only four drivers have multiple wins (Gordon, JJ, Tony Stewart, and Dale Jarrett).
• Gordon also has the most poles (3), top 5's (12), and top 10's (17) of any driver.

Track Info

• Surface
• Asphalt
• Length
• 2.5 miles
• Banking
• Turns: 9 degrees
• Straights: 0 degrees

2016 Indianapolis NASCAR Schedule

Crown Royal Presents The Combat Wounded Coalition 400

By Richard Tix

**All Times are Eastern Time Zone (ET)**


Tuesday July 19, 2016 (Eldora)

• 6:30-7:55 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series first practice
• 9-9:55 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice

Wednesday July 20, 2016 (Eldora)

• 5:15 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying- FS1
• 7 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series First Qualifying Race (10 laps)- FS1
• 7:09 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Second Qualifying Race (10 laps)- FS1
• 7:18 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Third Qualifying Race (10 laps)- FS1
• 7:27 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Fourth Qualifying Race (10 laps)- FS1
• 7:36 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Fifth Qualifying Race (10 laps)- FS1
• 8:15 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Last Chance Qualifying Race (15 laps)- FS1
• 9 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Aspen Dental Eldora Dirt Derby (150 laps/40-50-60)- FS1

Friday July 22, 2016

• 12-1:25 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series first practice- NBCSN
• 1:30 p.m.-2:55 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series first practice- NBCSN
• 3-3:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice- NBCSN
• 4-5:25 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice- NBCSN

Saturday July 23, 2016

• 11:45 a.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying- NBCSN
• 1:45 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying- NBCSN
• 3:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Lilly Diabetes 250 Heat #1 (20 laps)- NBCSN
• 4:25 p.m. (approx): NASCAR XFINITY Series Lilly Diabetes 250 Heat #2 (20 laps)- NBCSN
• 5:05 p.m. (approx): NASCAR XFINITY Series Lilly Diabetes 250 Main (60 laps)- NBCSN

Sunday July 24, 2016

• 3 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Crown Royal Presents The Combat Wounded Coalition 400 at the Brickyard (160 laps, 400 miles)- NBCSN

2015 Pit Road Week 20: Indianapolis

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Week 20

By Richard Tix

Another week and another Kyle Busch victory. This is starting to get crazy how in the zone he has been in the last 5 weeks. He has now won three straight and four out of five races which will almost assure him getting to the top 30 in the standings and taking a Chase spot.

Rowdy now only needs to average about a 24th place finish to make the Chase by the end of Richmond. 

While we are on the topic of Rowdy, I want to take the time to say how ridiculous some of the hate he receives is. I am not a fan of Rowdy's, but I try and respect every driver at the Cup level. These guys are the best in the business and bring it week after week. To try and say NASCAR rig's its races or cautions just for Kyle Busch is a slap in that NASCAR "fans" own face. I hate to break it to you but the other 42 drivers would not accept that. You don't think Gordon would want that last Indy win? How about Smoke, he wants one every week. This is not the WWE and this is not staged.

Also, three wins straight has happened before and will happen again. Not because it is rigged, but because that driver is on top of his game and also a bit lucky (right place right time with the right calls). If you are bored with NASCAR because one guy is dominating then you need to ask yourself, "who is forcing you to watch?" Richard Petty once won 27 races of the 48 he raced (49 in the season). Of those 27 he won 10 straight at one point. Yet, many of the same fans complaining to leave now are the same that complain about it not being like the good ole days... 

Streaks happen.. Learn to enjoy them while great things are happening in front of us. You can dislike Kyle all you want (or Brad, or Jimmie, or Harvick, etc), but the disrespectful hate gets old after some time. You can say, 'I still don't like him but that is a pretty good run." Or you can just ignore it, but do not use him as your excuse to leave or say this is why NASCAR sucks, because there is no real reason behind that. NASCAR won't miss you, trust me. They're changing to try and keep you and gain new followers so one lost while they gain a few will not break there day.

So, enjoy the great things as they happen and just root even more on Sunday for another driver, or boo even louder at Kyle. No need to take it too far on Social Media for no real reason except you're sick of him winning. 

Guess what, if you hate him here is even more to hate. The Week 20 Power Rankings are below.

Week 20 Power Rankings (Week 19)

1. Kyle Busch (LW-1)- He didn't lead the most laps on the day but had a car to beat late in the race during all the restarts. It is truly and amazing run he is on right now whether you like him or not. 4 wins in 5 races and is now all but locked into the Chase (almost to the top 30 in points). Finish: 1st
2. Kevin Harvick (LW-2)- If it wasn't for late restarts Harvick may have won this years Brickyard, but he had a few slow restarts and he had to endure a ton of them. Harvick has 12 finishes in the top 3 out of 20 races, pretty impressive. Finish: 3rd
3. Joey Logano (LW-5)- Logano has been turning it on lately and he seems to be getting over looked because of Kyle and Kevin. Granted, he isn't getting the wins, but since Pocono (7 races) he has 6 top 5's including two runner up finishes in the last three races. Finish: 2nd
4. Kurt Busch (LW-3)- Sunday at Indy was a win for the 41 team. Neither CC or driver are huge fans of Indy but they came away with a top 10. That must also be the reason they were pretty quiet on the day. Finish: 8th
5. Brad Keselowski (LW-6)- Both Penske cars have been fast lately but just can't close the deal, instead Kyle Busch has been doing that for them. BK has led laps in the last three races and the Penske camp seems to be onto something. Finish: 10th
6. Jimmie Johnson (LW-4)- Not a memorable Brickyard for Jimmie Johnson on Sunday. That's two in a row for JJ and the #48 team where they haven't been very close on hitting, but they are no where near out. Finish: 15th
7. Matt Kenseth (LW-8)- Kenseth and the JGR camp is starting to gain some steam behind the red hot Kyle Busch. At the same time the 20, 19 and 11 are also picking up speed. Kenseth just pulled off three straight top 10's on Sunday. Finish: 7th
8. Denny Hamlin (LW-11)- Denny now has three top 10's in his last four races, so its not just Kyle Busch getting going. As mentioned for Kenseth, all of JGR is picking up steam at the same time and just in time. Finish: 5th
9. Carl Edwards (LW-10)- Carl really blew his finish on one of the last restarts when he came into turn one near JoLo and got lose, sending him back and then farther back. He salvaged a top 15, but Carl had a top 5 car all day and one that sat on the pole. Finish: 13th
10. Martin Truex Jr (LW-12)- After a rough stretch Truex Jr finally got back track on Sunday at Indy. The top 5 was his 6th of the season and he still sits 5th in the points. Finish: 4th
11. Dale Earnhardt Jr (LW-7)- Jr just can not find consistency right now, but better now than in the Chase. The 88 team needs to get a few things figured out, but if they do they're still a title contender. Finish: 22nd
12. Jeff Gordon (LW-9)- Gordon gets the benifit of the doubt, because I just can't drop him out of the top 12 after such a heartbreaking Indy. No Gordon fans, Clint was not trying to take out Gordon, but things happen. He had three straight top 10's coming into Indy, so its just a speed bump. Finish: 42nd

Dropped Out: None

Just Missed: Ryan Newman, Kyle Larson, and Paul Menard

Honorable Mention: Ryan Blaney (12th)

Garry has intelligently riding the Rowdy hot streak.

2015 NASCAR Indianapolis 2nd Practice Speeds

NASCAR Sprint Cup IMS 2nd Practice

By Richard Tix

Practice speeds from Friday at IMS and the Sprint Cup cars second practice.

IMS Articles:

• Practice 1 Speeds
• Race Preview
• TV Schedule
• Entry List

2015 NASCAR Indianapolis 1st Practice Speeds

NASCAR Sprint Cup IMS 1st Practice

By Richard Tix

First Sprint Cup practice at Indianapolis Motor Speedway where Denny Hamlin was the fastest. This is the first practice drivers got to test out the new "high drag" package (basically has a much taller 9" spoiler).

IMS Articles:

• Race Preview
• Entry List
• TV Schedule

Week 20 Preview: Indianapolis

Crown Royal Presents the Jeff Kyle 400

Indianapolis Motor Speedway

By Richard Tix

This week NASCAR heads to the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Last week Kyle Busch won for the third time in four races and takes his hot streak to Indy. But the real focus maybe on Jeff Gordon, the 2014 Indy race winner.

Gordon won the inaugural NASCAR Cup race here at Indy and will be running it one last time (at least as a full time driver). Gordon has 5 career wins here and when many fans think NASCAR at IMS they think of Jeff Gordon.

This maybe one of the hardest farewell tracks for Gordon so if he is running up front during the end of the race the crowd could go wild. Add onto all the history, a win would also lock Gordon into the Chase instead of him going week to week looking to get in on points. So, other than Gordon, who can we expect to be a front runner Sunday?

The Good

• Jeff Gordon- Gordon has done it all here at IMS. He has 17 top 10's in 21 career starts, 5 wins, 3 poles, and an average finish of 8.4. He won last year and will look to go out at IMS with one last win.
• Kyle Busch- Kyle Busch, the same Kyle that has won 3 of 4, is one of the best current drivers at IMS to not have a win yet. So, will he steal the show from Gordon and win 4 of 5? It could be done.
• Jimmie Johnson- JJ had some early career struggle here with mostly luck, but since then he has four total wins. If he stay's away from his bad luck here that has dragged his average finish down he has a good shot at winning on Sunday

The Middle

• Kevin Harvick- Not many times does a guy with a win at a certain track end up in the NASCAR Behind the Wall "Middle" category, but that's where Harvick finds himself. His lone win was in 2003 and since he only has two top 5's. In his last 9 starts he has an average finish of 11.66. I would expect him to finish between 5th-13th at Indy almost every time.

The Bad

• Danica Patrick- Last year was not her fault, but in her short career here she has not done well. Most of it has to do with the fact that she has not had a lot of seat time in a Cup car here, but many drivers don't. She has yet to finish better than 30th.
• Sam Hornish Jr- Only four starts here and Hornish has yet to crack the top 15. Worse yet, he only has finished better than 30th twice. Granted it is only in four tries, but he is now with RPM so more is expected.
• Martin Truex Jr- Truex only has one top 10 at Indy in 10 tries so far in his career. What is more worrisome than that is that he only has three top 15's and only five top 20's in that same time. Many of those races were with DEI or MWR, so he doesn't have a ton of excuses not to be a top 20 car. 

About the Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Track Stats

• A race has been won from the Pole three times in 21 NASCAR races (Newman 2013, Jimmie Johnson 2008, and Kevin Harvick 2003).
• Chevy has won the last 12 races and 16 of 21 races total. Ford- 3, Pontiac- 1 Dodge- 1
• Jeff Gordon won the Inaugural Cup race in 1994
• Most cautions was 13 in 2004
• Gordon has the most career wins here with 5. Jimmie Johnson is next in line with 4
• 12 drivers have won at Indy including 8 that only won once.
• Only four drivers have multiple wins (Gordon, JJ, Tony Stewart, and Dale Jarrett).
• Gordon also has the most poles (3), top 5's (12), and top 10's (17) of any driver.

Track Info

• Surface
• Asphalt
• Length
• 2.5 miles
• Banking
• Turns: 9 degrees
• Straights: 0 degrees

Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Race	Date	Cars	Winner(s)	St	Make / Model
1994-19	8/6/1994	43	Jeff Gordon	3	Chevrolet
1995-19	8/5/1995	41	Dale Earnhardt	13	Chevrolet
1996-19	8/3/1996	40	Dale Jarrett	24	Ford
1997-19	8/2/1997	43	Ricky Rudd	7	Ford
1998-19	8/1/1998	43	Jeff Gordon	3	Chevrolet
1999-20	8/7/1999	43	Dale Jarrett	4	Ford
2000-20	8/5/2000	43	Bobby Labonte	3	Pontiac
2001-21	8/5/2001	43	Jeff Gordon	27	Chevrolet
2002-21	8/4/2002	43	Bill Elliott	2	Dodge
2003-21	8/3/2003	43	Kevin Harvick	1	Chevrolet
2004-21	8/8/2004	43	Jeff Gordon	11	Chevrolet
2005-21	8/7/2005	43	Tony Stewart	22	Chevrolet
2006-21	8/6/2006	43	Jimmie Johnson	5	Chevrolet
2007-20	7/29/2007	43	Tony Stewart	14	Chevrolet
2008-20	7/27/2008	43	Jimmie Johnson	1	Chevrolet
2009-20	7/26/2009	43	Jimmie Johnson	16	Chevrolet
2010-20	7/25/2010	43	Jamie McMurray	4	Chevrolet
2011-20	7/31/2011	43	Paul Menard	15	Chevrolet
2012-20	7/29/2012	43	Jimmie Johnson	6	Chevrolet
2013-20	7/28/2013	43	Ryan Newman	1	Chevrolet
2014-20	7/27/2014	43	Jeff Gordon	2	Chevrolet

2014 Crown Royal Presents The John Wayne Walding 400 Photos

Weekend Information:

• 1st Practice Speeds
• 2nd Practice Speeds
• Entry List
• TV Schedule
• Power Rankings