Last time out at Dover, Denny Hamlin claimed victory. Now, NASCAR heads to the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 2025 Brickyard 400.
Hamlin will hope to win a second straight race while Ty Gibbs and Ty Dillon compete for the crown in the inaugural In-Season Challenge. Can a new driver claim victory and punch their playoff ticket? Let’s dive in.
As a reminder, the 23XI and Front Row cars are currently open entries for this weekend, pending the ongoing court case with NASCAR. Joining those teams are Xfinity regular Jesse Love in the #62 for Beard Motorsports, Josh Bilicki in the Garage 66 entry, and Katherine Legge in the #78 for Live Fast Motorsports.
Good morning, @IMS. pic.twitter.com/OULjcCW4Tm
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 25, 2025
Indianapolis Motor Speedway comes with its own fair share of challenges, but this race often turns into a fuel-mileage situation. The draft will factor in on the massive straightaways at the 2.5-mile circuit. For fans of the IndyCar series who watched the 500 earlier this year, the corners will show far slower speeds in NASCAR. The heavier cars need to get to a lower pace in order to make it through.
In-Season Challenge Final
I don’t know that anyone could have predicted that the final of the first In-Season Challenge for NASCAR could come down to Ty Dillon and Ty Gibbs. Gibbs drives for one of the best teams in NASCAR, but struggled mightily to start the season. Dillon drives for Kaulig Racing, who tends to factor in on the road courses with AJ Allmendinger, but hasn’t shown a ton of speed on ovals.
For two drivers, it all comes down to @IMS.
Odds via @DKSportsbook. pic.twitter.com/umwbphodNo
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 25, 2025
The smart money says Gibbs, in better equipment and riding a string of decent runs, ought to be able to claim victory for the in-season tournament. However, I’m not counting out Ty Dillon. Dillon’s Cinderella run has been fun to watch, and the driver of the #10 won in the Xfinity Series at the Brickyard.
Against my better judgment, I’m picking Ty Dillon to win the in-season challenge.
2025 Brickyard 400 Predictions
Kyle Larson claimed victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2024, but that win didn’t come without controversy. Larson got a great jump on the restart. If you ask Ryan Blaney, the control car at the time, it was too good a jump. Fuel mileage played a role as well, with Brad Keselowski running out of fuel coming to the start and shuffling the order.
A 2.5-mile race track paved in bricks? 🧱👀
They call @IMS the Brickyard for a reason. pic.twitter.com/dKi5fE6amN
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 24, 2025
I actually don’t think Larson will play as much of a factor this year with the #5 struggling a bit in the mid-season. Alternatively, expect Blaney to factor into the race for the win at Indy.
Elsewhere in the field, I expect Denny Hamlin to run well after his victory at Dover and signing a new multiyear deal with Joe Gibbs Racing. Hamlin runs well every time NASCAR hits Pocono, and Indy is about as similar as a track can get on the NASCAR circuit.
However, for my race winner pick, I’m taking Christopher Bell in the #20. Bell will look to bounce back after spinning twice at Dover. The good news for Bell? Both spins came while battling for the lead.
Check out the schedule below so you don’t miss any on-track action this weekend.
Friday 07/25
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Qualifying (IRP) – 3:10 p.m. CT on FS1
LiUNA! 150 presented by Dutch Boy (ARCA Menards Series – IRP) – 4:30 p.m. CT on FS1
TSport 200 (NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – IRP) – 7:00 p.m. CT on FS1
Saturday 05/26
NASCAR Xfinity Series Qualifying (IMS) – 12:00 p.m. CT on the CW App
NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying – 1:35 p.m. CT on TruTV
Pennzoil 250 (NASCAR Xfinity Series – IMS) – 3:30 p.m. CT on the CW
Sunday 05/27
Brickyard 400 (NASCAR Cup Series – IMS) – 1:00 p.m. CT on TNT and HBO Max
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