Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Speedway, IN, USA
Track History
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the most famous racing facility on Earth, a 2.5-mile rectangular oval that has been the home of the Indianapolis 500 since 1911 and became part of the NASCAR Cup schedule in 1994. The Brickyard 400 was a watershed moment for the sport, a validation that stock cars belonged on the same hallowed ground as the open-wheel machines that had defined the venue for eight decades. The narrow yard of bricks at the start-finish line — all that remains of the original surface — carries a significance that no other piece of pavement in motorsport can match. The flat, angular corners and long straightaways create a racing style unlike any other oval on the schedule, where aerodynamic efficiency and horsepower matter enormously and the draft can make or break a race. The Cup Series has raced on both the oval and the road course at Indianapolis, each configuration presenting entirely different challenges. Kissing the bricks after a victory remains one of the most iconic celebrations in all of sports.
Written by Richard R. Glover, NASCAR Reference
| Date | Race | TV |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 26 | Brickyard 400 | TNT |
Top Drivers at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Kyle Busch leads all drivers at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with 6 wins across 23 starts.
All-time stats across Cup, O'Reilly & Trucks (min 3 starts)
| Driver | Races | Wins | Avg Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle Busch | 23 | 6 | 10.3 |
| Jeff Gordon | 22 | 5 | 10.1 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 16 | 4 | 14.5 |
| Kevin Harvick | 23 | 3 | 7.3 |
| Brad Keselowski | 14 | 2 | 11.2 |
Race Winners (1994-2025)
Indianapolis Motor Speedway has crowned 21 different Cup Series winners since 1994.
| Year | Race | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Brickyard 400 | Bubba Wallace |
| 2025 | NASCAR Xfinity Series at Indianapolis | Connor Zilisch |
| 2024 | Brickyard 400 | Kyle Larson |
| 2024 | NASCAR Xfinity Series at Indianapolis | Riley Herbst |
| 2020 | Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 powered by Big Machine Records | Kevin Harvick |
| 2019 | NASCAR XFINITY SERIES AT THE BRICKYARD | Kyle Busch |
| 2019 | Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard | Kevin Harvick |
| 2018 | Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard | Brad Keselowski |
| 2017 | NASCAR XFINITY SERIES AT THE BRICKYARD | William Byron |
| 2017 | Brantley Gilbert Big Machine Brickyard 400 | Kasey Kahne |
| 2016 | NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES AT THE BRICKYARD | Kyle Busch |
| 2016 | NASCAR XFINITY SERIES AT THE BRICKYARD | Kyle Busch |
| 2015 | NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES AT THE BRICKYARD | Kyle Busch |
| 2015 | NASCAR XFINITY SERIES AT THE BRICKYARD | Kyle Busch |
| 2014 | NASCAR Nationwide Series at the Brickyard | Ty Dillon |
| 2014 | Brickyard 400 | Jeff Gordon |
| 2013 | NASCAR Nationwide Series at the Brickyard | Kyle Busch |
| 2013 | Brickyard 400 | Ryan Newman |
| 2012 | NASCAR Nationwide Series at the Brickyard | Brad Keselowski |
| 2012 | Brickyard 400 | Jimmie Johnson |
| 2011 | Brickyard 400 | Paul Menard |
| 2010 | Brickyard 400 pres. by Golden Corral | Jamie McMurray |
| 2009 | Brickyard 400 pres. by Golden Corral | Jimmie Johnson |
| 2008 | Allstate 400 at the Brickyard | Jimmie Johnson |
| 2007 | Allstate 400 at the Brickyard | Tony Stewart |
| 2006 | Allstate 400 at the Brickyard | Jimmie Johnson |
| 2004 | Brickyard 400 | Jeff Gordon |
| 2003 | Brickyard 400 | Kevin Harvick |
| 2002 | Brickyard 400 | Bill Elliott |
| 2001 | Brickyard 400 | Jeff Gordon |
| 2000 | Brickyard 400 | Bobby Labonte |
| 1999 | Brickyard 400 | Dale Jarrett |
| 1998 | Brickyard 400 | Jeff Gordon |
| 1997 | Brickyard 400 | Ricky Rudd |
| 1996 | Brickyard 400 | Dale Jarrett |
| 1995 | Brickyard 400 | Dale Earnhardt |
| 1994 | Brickyard 400 | Jeff Gordon |
Race Dynamics
Intermediate tracks reward balanced setups and consistent speed over long runs. Track position and pit strategy are crucial. Drivers with strong average running positions at similar 1.5-mile tracks tend to be the most consistent performers.
Top Rated Drivers at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Top-rated drivers at Indianapolis Motor Speedway based on the NR-Rating Elo system, measuring historical performance at this specific track.
NR-Rating Elo rankings based on track-specific performance
| Rank | Driver | Elo Rating | Races |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denny Hamlin | 1624 | 732 |
| 2 | Chase Elliott | 1617 | 369 |
| 3 | Tyler Reddick | 1597 | 229 |
| 4 | Chris Buescher | 1591 | 376 |
| 5 | Chase Briscoe | 1579 | 191 |
| 6 | Brad Keselowski | 1570 | 604 |
| 7 | William Byron | 1561 | 299 |
| 8 | Ryan Preece | 1544 | 234 |
| 9 | Bubba Wallace | 1543 | 302 |
| 10 | Christopher Bell | 1539 | 227 |
Similar Tracks
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Nearby Tracks
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