Last year they did things a little differently at The Brickyard in the Cup Series, and this year it is back again. And next year, too! The “road course” setup is how we’re going to be doing things through at least 2023. Since the ROVAL hit the circuit, we’ve seen a few of these..Frankentracks..on the schedule. Road course aces seem to benefit the most, who will come out on top today?
Here’s what to look for:
–Tyler Reddick put up a whale of a lap yesterday, edging out Austin Cindric who looked to be untouchable. Reddick broke into Victory Lane earlier at Road America, quite obviously at road course. Starting 1st is an absolute advantage in any race, but Reddick could see handsome rewards with clean air to start the day on the Grand Prix circuit.
–AJ Allmendinger was our winner here last year, though he didn’t spend a lot of time out front. He led just the final two loops, taking the lead as the lap count waned. Dinger was stalking another road course Win earlier this season, too, right there in — you guessed it — the final two laps at Circuit of the Americas. Things didn’t go as well that time as they did last August. Does he have it in him today to defend his 2021 victory? –Oh yeah, and he’s coming off a Win here in the Xfinity Series…yesterday!
–Chase Elliott lucked into a Win at Pocono last week after both Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch were disqualified following the conclusion of the race. Not a “real” Win in the conventional sense, but the record books have him as the winner. Other places he’s won? A whole bunch of road courses! Any time we’ve got twists and turns, lefts and right, Elliott will be one to watch. He finished 4th last year, and today he’ll start 8th.
–Ryan Blaney ran runner-up last year, and he will be someone to watch today, too. Practiced in the Top 3, Qualified 6th. Teammate Austin Cindric (stay tuned..) Practiced and Qualified well, too. They’ve got the setup for this weekend it seems. Could be a good one for the Penske boys.
–Austin Cindric (see?) was fastest among all drivers in Practice, and succumbed to a fantastic Tyler Reddick lap. He’ll start 2nd, and could find the lead early if he regains some of that speed. Chances are he’s still the fastest, but didn’t get everything on his hot lap. Who can know for sure? In any event, he’ll work on bettering his 9th place finish from last year.
Coverage of the race starts on NBC at 3:03pm, green flag scheduled for 3:03pm.
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