On Sunday, the stars of the NASCAR Cup Series tackle the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the running of the Brickyard 400 (2 p.m. ET, TNT, truTV, HBO Max, IMS Radio Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Here’s what you need to know with five regular-season races remaining before the 10-race “Chase” begins.

Favorite: Denny Hamlin (+350, per DraftKings)

Hamlin ultimately left North Wilkesboro with a runner-up finish to race dominator Joey Logano, but he ranked first in passing and second in speed as he heads to “The Brickyard” looking to finally kiss the bricks for the first time.

Although Hamlin led 21 laps in 2024 prior to crashing and rallied from the rear of the field in a backup car to finish third last season, he is still looking to break through there and complete the crown-jewel sweep. If the execution matches the speed his No. 11 Toyota is likely to have once again, this could finally be lining up to be Hamlin’s time at Indianapolis.

Underdog: Brad Keselowski (+4500, per DraftKings)

Keselowski remains on the outside looking in on the “Chase” bubble,” but a seventh-place finish at North Wilkesboro was a huge step in the right direction after an 11-race drought outside the top 10 beforehand.

The 2012 Cup Series champion enters Sunday’s race as one of three active drivers (Kyle Larson, Bubba Wallace) with previous wins on the Indianapolis oval (2018). He also led 35 laps before finishing 21st in 2024 and came home fifth in the 2025 race. It has been a dismal summer for the RFK Racing organization, but there is reason to believe that Keselowski could be a factor again on Sunday.

Toyota looking to re-assert dominance

While Team Penske has won the last two races at Atlanta’s EchoPark Speedway (Ryan Blaney) and North Wilkesboro (Logano), the entire field has been a step behind Toyota all season. That should not change on Sunday.

Between Tyler Reddick (five), Hamlin (four), Ty Gibbs (one), Chase Briscoe (one) and part-time driver Corey Heim (one), Toyota has won 12 of the 21 points races this season. Since Daniel Suarez’s win in the rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 on May 24, the manufacturer has won the last four traditional ovals over one mile in length, and that is likely to continue with the long straightaways of Indianapolis.

Hendrick Motorsports trying to get back on track

William Byron finished two laps down in 12th and was the highest finishing HMS driver at North Wilkesboro, making that the first time each of the organization’s drivers finished at least two laps down since it went to four cars in 2002.

While most of the four-car stable has been quiet recently at Indianapolis, Larson won the 2024 race and is the only driver with a top-two finish in the last two Brickyard 400s. Throw in the fact that HMS has the most all-time wins (11) in the crown-jewel race, and there is no better place for them to bounce back after a historically bad performance.

In-Season Challenge down to final two

Todd Gilliland continued his Cinderella run in the head-to-head, bracket-style competition for $1M with an eighth-place finish at North Wilkesboro, eliminating 17th-place finisher Chase Elliott. Blaney, meanwhile, took down Christopher Bell (19th) with an 11th-place outcome.

As a result, the two are set to battle for the grand prize after Gibbs outlasted Ty Dillon to claim the first edition in 2025. Blaney has three top 10s in his last four starts there, but Gilliland has a pair of sixth-place finishes and should make this an intriguing battle within the race.