Here’s what’s happening in NASCAR with the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Dover Motor Speedway in the rearview and the Brickyard 400 Presented by PPG at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2 p.m. ET, TNT Sports/truTV, HBO Max, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) up next.
MORE: Indianapolis entry list | In-Season Challenge hub
1. Who holds the edge in the In-Season Challenge Championship?
Sixth-seeded Ty Gibbs will battle No. 32 Ty Dillon for $1 million and bragging rights. Who will prevail once the dust settles at the Brickyard?
Four races down and only two drivers remain in the inaugural In-Season Challenge, with two Tys — Ty Gibbs and Ty Dillon — slated for head-to-head action on the Indianapolis oval. The goal is as simple as it was during the four previous races: Finish ahead of the other. The question that follows is also a simple one. Who has the edge over the other, and who will claim the championship victory and sleek trophy that comes with it?
The answer? Well, there is a case for either.
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The numbers-oriented reaction suggests going with Gibbs. According to Racing Insights, Gibbs holds the head-to-head edge over Dillon since the Next Gen era began in 2022 (55 vs. 24). In terms of their head-to-head results in 2025, Gibbs also takes the cake (12 vs. nine), and the same goes for Gibbs’ finishes at Pocono Raceway and Michigan International Speedway this season … tracks similar in style to Indy (two vs. zero).
One area, though, could suggest that the 32-seeded Dillon has an advantage, and that is experience when it comes to tackling the Indy oval itself. After all, Dillon has five career Cup starts on the 2.5-mile configuration compared to Gibbs’ one, which came in 2024 during his sophomore campaign. There’s more to it, too — Dillon’s average finish at Indianapolis (17.2) is his best at any non-drafting oval and his second-best among all tracks. Dillon’s 19th-place finish in the 2024 Indy running additionally beat Gibbs’ 23rd-place result in their only head-to-head Cup matchup at that facility.
Dillon, who is currently on a four-race top-20 streak (a season high), has arguably been the face of the bracket-style bout, and while Gibbs, too, is on a scorcher of sorts (his three-race top-10 streak is currently the longest streak of any driver), perhaps the raw power of the lowest seed winning it all prevails over pure metrics.
“It feels good. You know, I have been the underdog for a long time now, just battling my way to try to get an opportunity,” Dillon said following his Round 4 In-Season Challenge victory over John Hunter Nemechek at Dover. “Eventually, you get comfortable in fighting from behind and people underestimating you. It’s hard to say that we lucked into it this far in, and I am proud of the way we have run. We haven’t been a dominating car, but we have been a pain to everyone around us. That is all we can do — put pressure on them and execute at the right time, and that is what we have done.”
In other words, it’s anyone’s guess who truly holds the advantage this weekend, given how small the sample size is for these drivers when it comes to this track layout. One might still view Gibbs as the favorite based on the head-to-head numbers alone. Perhaps, if you believe a great story line prevails, Dillon is your pick. And while either direction has its merits, Indianapolis is still new to the Next Gen car, so anything can happen.
One thing is for certain: As the challenge nears its end, each driver will have to pass one final test to win the prize, with the Brickyard being the ultimate test for the exciting duel.
2. What tricks do the bricks have up their sleeve?
On the surface, Indianapolis might look relatively tame. However, as recent history has illustrated, plenty of surprises should be expected.
Indy’s flat straightaways and paved racing surface might not be the biggest racing extreme compared to other tracks on the circuit, but make no mistake — the Brickyard 400 is not a race to take lightly, and that’s without even discussing the crown-jewel aspect of it.
Take last season’s contest. Kyle Larson triumphed at the track in NASCAR Overtime despite needing an extra pit stop for a loose wheel, giving Hendrick Motorsports 11 wins in 106 combined starts. One might assume it was a run-of-the-mill, Hendrick-dominant effort from start to finish (Hendrick leads all organizations in wins, top fives, top 10s and laps led there), but it was quite the contrary; Hendrick Chevrolets led only nine of 167 laps, with Larson leading eight of those.
Even still, given the track’s characteristics, one might have assumed the race to favor fuel mileage. And while the contest started off that way, it didn’t end as such. A Kyle Busch wreck on Lap 158 set the stage for two overtime attempts, with the field running two seconds slower than normal to save fuel, only for one race leader — Brad Keselowski — to run dry anyway and head to the pits, allowing Larson to gain the lead from Ryan Blaney following a multicar wreck during the first of two overtime restarts. The race eventually ended under caution after a Ryan Preece accident.
MORE: Watch NASCAR video highlights
Sure, a heavy hitter such as Larson did win the contest, and yes, Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing have combined to win six of the last nine Brickyard 400s. But the nature of these victories isn’t as straightforward and as dominating as you’d think.
Let the track record (no pun intended) speak for itself. According to Racing Insights, the driver to lead the most laps has won only three of the last nine Brickyard 400s. The final lead change came in the last eight laps in five of the last seven races, and six Brickyard 400s went into overtime, including five of the last seven. With last season’s action-packed closing sequences serving as a reminder, cautions have also contributed to the contest’s reputation, with the last five Brickyard 400s averaging 12 DNFs.
Nothing should come easy, least of all a crown-jewel race. Adding the ever-looming NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs further intensifies the tension, especially for drivers currently on the postseason bubble. Let 2024 be a lesson: Three drivers that were above the elimination line this late into last season — Chris Buescher, Ross Chastain and Bubba Wallace — ended up missing the 16-driver grid entirely.
No matter what read you might have on a track, unpredictability always has its way, and a crown-jewel race is no exception. The best advice ahead of this weekend’s Indy bout? You might assume you have the track figured out, but in the end, it could be anything but the case. Recognize as such, and perhaps the Brickyard will reward you in more ways than one.
3. Breaking down Christopher Bell’s late-race Dover spin
Alex Weaver, Kyle Petty and Greg Biffle break down Christopher Bell’s late-race spin at Dover Motor Speedway while battling teammate Denny Hamlin.
4. Fantastic four: Where did the first driver to four wins finish in the championship table?
Denny Hamlin became the first Cup Series driver in 2025 to reach the four-win threshold. View how each driver in the elimination era fared after being the first in the series to eclipse four victories. (Credit: Racing Insights)
| Season | Driver | Playoff Finish |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Kyle Larson | Sixth |
| 2023 | William Byron | Third |
| 2022 | Chase Elliott | Fourth |
| 2021 | Kyle Larson | First |
| 2020 | Denny Hamlin | Fourth |
| 2019 | Kyle Busch | First |
| 2018 | Kevin Harvick | Third |
| 2017 | Martin Truex Jr. | First |
| 2016 | Brad Keselowski | 12th |
| 2015 | Jimmie Johnson | 10th |
| 2014 | Brad Keselowski | Fifth |
5. Catch the pack — news and notes from around the garage
Paint Scheme Preview: 2025 Indianapolis weekend
Playoff push heats up ahead of Brickyard showdown
Inside the Race: The playoff picture with five regular-season races remaining
Why “Monster Mile” lives up to nickname as championship measuring stick
Radioactive: Dover claims SVG, Allmendinger as early victims
Chase Elliott fights through rain, strategy shifts to claim regular-season championship lead
Dover winner Denny Hamlin aims for eight more Cup Series wins
Kyle Petty talks Denny Hamlin: “He is chasing history”
Cup Series drivers with wins after 700th career start
Power Rankings: Will Ty Gibbs scoot to first Cup win, In-Season Challenge crown?
Active drivers with crown-jewel victories
@nascarcasm: Fake texts to Dover winner Denny Hamlin
