CONCORD, N.C. – This weekend, Hendrick Motorsports is headed to Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The Indiana track is considered a home track to two of the organization’s full-time drivers, Kasey Kahne and Jeff Gordon. It is a track that holds many significant victories for the team, including Gordon’s 1994 inaugural Brickyard 400 win.
On Sunday, Hendrick Motorsports will compete for a second consecutive victory at the track and to kiss the bricks once again.
Before you head to the track or tune in to see if the organization collects a 10th Brickyard win, check out these key points to keep an eye on.
BROADCAST INFORMATION: Sunday's race will air live on NBC Sports Network at 3:30 p.m. ET. Can’t make it to a television? Tune into IMS or SiriusXM to catch the Indianapolis radio coverage. This weekend’s qualifying session will take place Saturday afternoon on NBC Sports Network. Tune in to this weekend’s practice sessions, also on NBC Sports Network, this Friday. Here is the full broadcast schedule:
Friday, July 24:
9 a.m. ET, Sprint Cup Series Practice, NBC Sports Live Extra (Online)
1 p.m. ET, Sprint Cup Series Practice, NBC Sports Network
4 p.m. ET, Sprint Cup Series Final Practice, NBC Sports Network
Saturday, July 25:
1:10 p.m. ET, Sprint Cup Series Qualifying, NBC Sports Network
Sunday, July 26:
3:30 p.m. ET, Sprint Cup Series Race, NBC Sports Network / IMS/ SiriusXM (3:49 p.m. ET green flag)
THIS WEEK’S PAINT SCHEMES: Kasey Kahne will pilot the No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Jeff Gordon will drive the No. 24 3M Chevrolet SS as he competes for a second consecutive win at Indianapolis. In his Brickyard 500 debut, Chase Elliott will compete in the No. 25 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet SS. Jimmie Johnson will race the No. 48 Lowe’s/Kobalt tools Chevrolet SS, while teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. pilots the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS.
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT INDIANAPOLIS: Hendrick Motorsports has won nine of the 21 Sprint Cup races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Gordon's five wins are the most all-time, and Johnson's four rank second among all drivers. The organization has also earned five pole positions, 24 top-five finishes and 38 top-10 finishes in addition to 1,010 laps led.
KAHNE AT INDIANAPOLIS: In 2014, Kahne led 70 laps -- more than any other competitor -- en route to a sixth-place finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Kahne’s career 158 laps led rank second among active Sprint Cup drivers at Indianapolis in the past 10 starts, trailing only his Hendrick Motorsport teammate Jimmie Johnson.
TIED WITH SCHUMACHER: The 43-year-old driver’s five victories at The Brickyard are tied with former Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher for most among drivers at the famed speedway. Gordon visited Victory Lane in the inaugural event in 1994 and again in 1998, 2001, 2004 and 2014 on the 2.5-mile oval. Schumacher’s wins occurred on the road-course layout at the historic track.
GORDON AT INDIANAPOLIS: Gordon, driver of the No. 24 3M Chevrolet SS, leads the following NASCAR Sprint Cup statistical categories at Indianapolis Motor Speedway: wins, poles, top-five finishes (five more than any other driver), top-10 finishes (six more than second) and laps led.
ELLIOTT AT INDIANAPOLIS: On Tuesday, Elliott met with his No. 25 team at Hendrick Motorsports before traveling to Indianapolis on Thursday to kick off his double-header weekend. He will first compete in the NXS race Saturday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he’ll have the chance to win $100,000 in the XFINITY Dash4Cash program if he places higher than Chris Buescher, JR Motorsports teammate Regan Smith and Ty Dillon. The driver will wrap up his week by competing in his first career Brickyard 400, Sunday on NBC Sports Network.
JOHNSON AT INDIANAPOLIS: According to NASCAR's loop data statistics, Johnson has the series-best driver rating at Indianapolis with a score of 108.1 during the past 10 races at the track. The driver rating is a formula that combines wins, top-15 finishes, average running position while on the lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, most laps led and lead-lap finishes. The maximum a driver can earn in each race is 150 points. The driver rating number is used pre-race as a prediction tool and post-race as a performance evaluator. Johnson’s average finish at Indianapolis is 13.8.
EARNHARDT AT INDIANAPOLIS: In five of his 15 Sprint Cup starts at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Earnhardt has lined up sixth or better at the historic track. He scored his best finish -- fourth place -- at the 2.5-mile oval in 2012. Earnhardt has finished inside the top 10 the past three years.