Kyle Larson on winning the first Brickyard 400
After finishing one of the most memorable races of his career on Sunday, Larson celebrated by kissing the bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, one of the most prestigious celebrations in sports.
After an early, unforeseen pit stop, the 31-year-old Californian stormed back to take the lead over the final 32 laps. To win his maiden Brickyard 400 under caution, he prevailed in skirmishes for the lead off the final two restarts and narrowly avoided a third overtime.
“Today was truly intended for us, given the way the plan was unfolding and everything falling into position,” Larson exclaimed, leaping to the top of his vehicle and scaling the barrier to express gratitude to the boisterous supporters. “It’s just unbelievable,” Simply said,
Just before the second-to-last restart, race leader Brad Keselowski ran out of fuel and went off the track, putting Larson in third place in the paint scheme he was scheduled to wear for the 600. In doing so, Larson was able to pass Ryan Blaney’s second-place car and move into the shorter inside lane. This was just in time to see a five-car incident that resulted in a red flag and more overtime.
This time, Larson defeated Blaney on the inside and crossed the finish line ahead of another caution flag, having previously needed assistance to get his No. 5 Chevrolet back in the race.
Jeff Gordon stated, “I don’t know what was driving him today other than he wanted to win the Brickyard 400.”
Before coming back to the Hendricks team as an executive, Jeff Gordon won five Brickyard 400s. “I don’t know what was driving him today other than he wanted to win the Brickyard 400,” Gordon said. “It was evident he was driving with a purpose.”
Tyler Reddick, the pole sitter, finished second, while Blaney slipped to third.
With the exception of the Daytona 500, Larson has now won three of NASCAR’s four crown jewel races. This victory came in the first Cup race to be run on Indy’s storied 2.5-mile since 2020. The final three traveled 200 miles on the 14-turn road course of the track.
With four races remaining until the playoffs, his fourth victory of the year also pushed him ahead of Chase Elliott, his teammate at Hendrick Motorsports, atop the Cup standings.
Keselowski took a chance and basically completed the last 59 laps without stopping for gas. He was unaware that the race would continue for an additional seven laps. And for several circuits, Blaney had been attempting to stave off the relentless Larson, even obstructing his low line once, in an effort to maintain the lead.
That breaks my heart. After the crucial turn, Blaney, who finished third, commented, “We did everything right today.” “We just couldn’t make it work out, even though he was in a great position to win.”
Rick Hendrick, the owner of the team and pace car driver, was uneasy as Larson continued to race aggressively despite the fact that most drivers were conserving fuel.
“He was coming through the field like a rocket,” Hendrick said. “It was hard to pass, but he made it look a little bit easier to pass. Then I was worried when he got up to second or third, I started worrying about fuel. They said we had enough for one overtime, but we were holding our breath. But he put on a show. That’s Kyle Larson.”
And now, even though Hendrick didn’t give his approval Sunday, Larson told the crowd he wants to make amends for what happened in May by trying it all again.
“I wish we could have done both,” Larson said. “But, I think everything comes full circle and everything’s meant to be.”
Denny Hamlin won the first stage, his first ever at Indianapolis, and Bubba Wallace took the second stage, giving him 10 points as he tries to make the playoffs. It was Wallace’s first stage win since 2022 and he finished fifth. Elliott wound up fourth.
QUICK SWITCH
The race was scheduled to be broadcast on NBC, but viewers who tuned into the network found something else — breaking news about President Joe Biden withdrawing from the presidential race.
NBC made the decision to briefly switch the telecast to USA Network, which also covered some of the weekend’s festivities then went back to Cup coverage at the start of the race. The race also finished on USA Network after the red flag stoppage, again because of the breaking news.
BACK HOME AGAIN
Before the race, speedway owner Roger Penske and PPG announced they have extended and expanded their partnership for both the Cup and IndyCar Series.
PPG will continue to serve as the presenting sponsor of the Brickyard 400, as the paint and finishing supplier for the speedway and as a sponsor for all six Team Penske drivers — Scott McLaughlin, Josef Newgarden and Will Power on the IndyCar side as well as Ryan Blaney, Austin Cindric and Joey Logano on the Cup side.
The partnership between PPG and Penske began in 1984.
UP NEXT
NASCAR takes next two weeks off as part of its Olympics break. The first of the final six races will be held Aug. 11 at Richmond, with a new tire compound.
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