2024 Brickyard 400 Presented by PPG Predictions

NASCAR heard the buzz from the fans these past few seasons: BRING THE OVAL RACE BACK AT INDIANAPOLIS. After a brief hiatus, this weekend marks the return of a crown jewel of the series: the Brickyard 400. The 2.50-mile track is expected to draw a massive crowd as they sail it into the corners at over 190 miles per hour. There are lots of unknowns for the Oval’s return. One thing is guaranteed: Only one driver will kiss the bricks.  

Driver to Fade: 

“Payback is coming.” A stark warning from Kyle Busch while making a guest appearance on ESPN’s Pat McAfee Show on Friday. These words come after last weekend’s incident between Busch and Corey LaJoie at Pocono, so it seems retaliation is imminent. Being the target of Kyle Busch’s anger is not something you ever want. Whether Kyle decides to pay him back this weekend or not, we expect the #7 to finish outside of the top 25. 

Dark Horse:

The 23XI racer is once again dancing around the cutline for the NASCAR playoffs with only a handful of races left. After a few new race winners, the fight for the last spot is currently between Bubba Wallace and Ross Chastain. Given speeds this week from 23XI as a team, we expect this gap to close more. We will make two predictions here: Wallace for a top 15 performance and a finish with him significantly in front of Chastain.

Top 10:

The driver of the #5 Chevrolet Camaro desperately needs a solid finish. Okay, that might be overselling this pick a bit. Kyle Larson looks to get back into championship form after losing the regular season point standings lead after a disappointing two week stretch for the team. They have enough pace and track position to have a fantastic points day and challenge for a win when the pay window opens. 

Winner:

Fastest single lap. Fastest five-lap average. Fastest ten-lap average. Fastest in qualifying. Starts with the #1 pit stall. This is not the flashiest or most controversial pick in the history of Birdies and Burnouts, but sometimes it is best to not overthink it. We predict the #45 team of Tyler Reddick will kiss the bricks at the end of 400 miles. As a bonus, how iconic of a moment would it be if Michael Jordan kisses the bricks with the team?