NASCAR Brickyard 400 preview: Race Fans Excited About Weekend

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NASCAR Brickyard 400 preview: Race Fans Excited About Weekend

Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart seem to be the best picks to win Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup’s Brickyard 400. But that would be too easy. Check out all of the odds on the Brickyard 400 at online sportsbook BetPhoenix.

Jamie McMurray made racing history for team owner Chip Ganassi last year by winning the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. McMurray gave Ganassi the "triple crown" of American oval racing, as Ganassi became the only owner to win the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500 and Brickyard 400 in the same season.

Dario Franchitti took Chip Ganassi Racing into victory lane for the May 30, 2010 Indy 500, while McMurray won the Daytona 500 that year in his first start with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing.

After the final restart with 11 laps remaining, McMurray passed Kevin Harvick and took the lead for good. He finished 1.4 seconds ahead of Harvick to become the third driver to win the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400 in the same season. Dale Jarrett first accomplished the feat in 1996, followed by Jimmie Johnson in 2006.

Johnson led the final 24 laps to defeat pole sitter Mark Martin by less than a second in 2009. Juan Pablo Montoya had the car to beat at Indy, as he led 116 of 160 laps. But Montoya was caught speeding on pit road and had to serve a pass-through penalty. That allowed Martin, the pole sitter, to reclaim the lead. A caution for Dale Earnhardt Jr's blown engine set up a double-file restart with 24 laps to go. Just after the restart, Johnson moved around Martin to take the lead for the first time. Johnson beat Martin to the finish line by four-tenths of a second for his third victory in the last four races at Indy.

Johnson became just the second pole sitter to capture this race in 2008, as he defeated Carl Edwards by less than a second for his 35th career Sprint Cup title. Johnson, who now totals 54 wins, led eight times for a race-high 71 laps.

Mark Martin seeks his first win at IMS. Martin, who sat on the pole in 2009, will race for the 18th time at "The Brickyard." Martin has recorded ten top-10s, but has led just 67 laps in his 17 appearances there. His best finish was second in 1998 and 2009. This is one of five current tracks that Martin has never won on. Pocono (0-for-49), Homestead (0-for-12), Indianapolis (0-for-17), Kentucky (0-for-1) and Daytona (0-for-53).

Tony Stewart returned to the Victory Lane at IMS in 2007, as he posted a 2.982-second victory over Juan Pablo Montoya for his 31st career Sprint Cup title. Stewart, who now totals 39 career wins, led seven times for a race- high 65 laps. Pole sitter Reed Sorenson led the first 16 laps and placed fifth. The race was a see-saw battle among six drivers, but it was Stewart who reclaimed the lead on the 151st lap from Kevin Harvick to secure the win. Harvick finished seventh.

In 2006, Johnson completed a rare double with his win in both the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400. The No.48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet took the checkered flag ahead of Matt Kenseth as a caution flag flew. Johnson also won the prestigious Daytona 500 in February of 2006, a feat which had only been done once before - by Dale Jarrett in 1996. Pole sitter Jeff Burton led six times for a race-high 87 laps, but finished 15th.

Stewart crossed the finish line 0.794 of a second ahead of Kasey Kahne in 2005 for his 23rd Sprint Cup win. Stewart, who won five times in 2005, started from the 22nd position and took the lead for the first time on lap 100. Stewart traded Scott Wimmer and Kahne for the lead until lap 150, where he took over for good. Stewart led for a total of 44 laps, while pole sitter Elliott Sadler led for 39 laps, but finished 32nd.

Eight of the 17 winners of this race have come from a top-four starting position. Three of the last eight have been won from the front row: Bill Elliott (second in 2002), Kevin Harvick (pole in 2003) and Johnson (pole in 2008). Overall, the race has been won from a top-10 starting position 10 of the 17 races. The furthest back a race winner has started was 27th by Jeff Gordon in 2001. Chevrolet has won this race 12 times, including eight straight, Ford three, Pontiac once and Dodge once.

Gordon is a four-time winner of this race. In fact, in his 17 appearances, Gordon has 13 top-10 finishes, has led 440 laps and has an average finish of 9.471. Gordon is a three-time pole sitter, but has not started first since 1999. Since it began in 1994, only four drivers have run in all 17 Brickyard 400s, Gordon, Bobby Labonte, Martin and Jeff Burton.

The winner of the Indianapolis race has won the championship in the same year eight times in the 17 years the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has raced there: 2009: Jimmie Johnson; 2008: Jimmie Johnson; 2006: Jimmie Johnson; 2005: Tony Stewart; 2001: Jeff Gordon; 2000: Bobby Labonte; 1999: Dale Jarrett; 1998: Jeff Gordon.

14 of the 17 races have been won by a past, reigning or future NASCAR Sprint Cup champion. The only three that were not: Ricky Rudd in 1997, Kevin Harvick in 2003 and Jamie McMurray in 2010.

Best bets

1. Kurt Busch -- Busch is coming into this race way under the radar, but track position is so important at Indy, and he has started in the first two rows in five of the past seven races.

2. Jeff Gordon -- No driver has won this race more times than Gordon (four), so why not?

3. Tony Stewart -- Stewart finished second in the most recent race at New Hampshire, and he has a great resume at Indy.

No chance

1. Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- Don’t look for the bleeding to stop here, where his best Indy finish in 11 races is a sixth.

2. Jamie McMurray -- Last year’s Brickyard 400 winner hasn’t finished better than 15th in the past nine races.

3. Ryan Newman -- The New Hampshire winner hasn’t had a top-10 Brickyard 400 finish in the past eight races.

Don’t be surprised if…

1. Sunday’s winner does not race for Roger Penske or Jack Roush. Neither car owner has won the Brickyard 400.

2. Sunday’s winner goes on to win the Sprint Cup championship. It has happened eight times in the 17 years that Indy has hosted the race.

3. Sunday’s winner takes the white flag before grabbing the checkered flag. There has never been a pass for the lead on the final lap in race history.

NASCAR Brickyard 400 Winner: Kurt Busch +900 (Odds at BetPhoenix)