After three years competing on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, the NASCAR Cup Series returns to the iconic 2.5-mile oval on Sunday, July 21. There are not many people as excited as Denny Hamlin for the “back to the future” Brickyard 400 presented by PPG.
“It’s a special time for us to be back on the oval,” Hamlin said during the Goodyear tire test in June. “It puts a NASCAR major back on our schedule – certainly one I’ve been searching to win all of my career. When I come here, it’s about the oval. I would value this win as much as any in my career.”
Outside of a series championship, a Brickyard 400 victory is the only other thing missing from the future Hall of Famer’s gleaming resume.
Hamlin boasts 54 Cup Series wins, including four Southern 500 victories, three Daytona 500 triumphs, three Bristol night race wins and a 2022 Coca-Cola 600 win. With eight combined wins in NASCAR “major” races, Hamlin is 0-for-15 on the IMS oval.
But Hamlin has been close to kissing the bricks. He has seven top-six finishes, including five in the last seven starts on the oval.
Hamlin was well on his way to a 2018 Brickyard 400 victory before a late-race caution negated his tire strategy. He was on older Goodyear tires than most other cars in the field and needed the race to reach the checkered flag without any yellow interventions.
Unfortunately, that caution did occur. On the ensuing restart, Clint Bowyer – who could have served as a much-needed buffer to Hamlin against other cars on fresher Goodyear tires with more grip – spun his tires and dropped through the field like an anchor. That allowed Brad Keselowski, who was on new tires, to quickly catch Hamlin.
The two bumped and banged doors down the 5/8-mile backstretch and entered the third corner side-by-side on the penultimate lap. Keselowski muscled his No. 2 Ford past Hamlin, who slid in Turn 4 coming to the white flag and never rebounded.
Keselowski prevailed, giving Team Penske its first Brickyard 400 win on a day Hamlin led 37 laps.
Two years later, in the final race on the oval before three years of road racing, Hamlin blew a tire, sending his No. 11 Toyota hard into the Turn 1 SAFER barrier while leading with only seven laps remaining in regulation. He led 19 laps that day.
Hamlin knows that Indy picks its winners and hopes he’s paid enough dues to score a Brickyard 400 win this year. He also thinks the current-generation Cup car, which never raced on the oval at IMS, will be a good match for the 2.5-mile rectangle with rounded corners at IMS.
“This car is made better for the oval, in my opinion,” he said. “It’s got enough drag where drafting will be a factor when it comes down to it. I think generally speaking, restarts are going to be crazy. It’s going to be about track position, executing on pit road and who can master the short run and long run.”
Hamlin is fourth in NASCAR Cup Series points with three victories and seven top-five finishes this season.
Visit IMS.com to buy tickets or for more information on Brickyard Weekend at IMS.
