CONCORD, N.C. – The 25th annual Brickyard 400 is set for this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
With a record 10 wins at the venue, Hendrick Motorsports has won 42 percent of all NASCAR Cup Series races run at Indianapolis – the best win percentage at an active track by a team. The organization has never gone more than three races at Indianapolis without a win.
Jeff Gordon's five wins are the most all-time by a driver at the venue and Jimmie Johnson's four victories ranks second among Cup Series drivers.
As the Hendrick Motorsports teammates prepare to chase after the organization’s 11th Brickyard 400 win this weekend, check out more key stats, figures and moments from the organization’s history at Indianapolis Motor Speedway below.
- In addition to its 10 wins, Hendrick Motorsports has also earned 26 top-five finishes, 40 top-10 finishes and 1,022 laps led, all of which are the most all-time. Its five pole positions at the track are tied with Joe Gibbs Racing for the most all-time. Kasey Kahne most recently won for the organization at the track in the July 23, 2017, event.
- Hendrick Motorsports has won three of the last six races at the track with three different drivers, and one of its drivers has led the most laps in four of the last seven races at Indianapolis. Hendrick Motorsports won the inaugural race at the track (Gordon in 1994) and the most recent Brickyard 400 event (Kahne in 2017). Its 10 wins at the venue match the combined Indianapolis wins of all 19 other organizations competing in the Cup Series in 2018.
- Hendrick Motorsports 10 Brickyard 400 wins have come via three different drivers, which is tied for the most different drivers to visit Victory Lane for one organization at Indianapolis.
- Following Kahne's Indianapolis victory last season, the track joined the list of 13 active NASCAR Cup Series venues where Hendrick Motorsports has earned double digit wins: Martinsville (24), Charlotte (19), Dover (19), Pocono (17), Darlington (14), Daytona (14), Atlanta (14), Talladega (12), Bristol (11), Fontana (10), Phoenix (10), Richmond (10) and Indianapolis (10). The organization also has nine wins at two different tracks: New Hampshire and Texas.
- Chase Elliott has garnered some impressive stats through the first 25 races of the 2018 season. The driver of the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 won his first career NASCAR Cup Series race in August at Watkins Glen – clinching his spot in the playoffs in the process – and has collected eight top-five finishes and 14 top-10s. He has led a total of 220 laps and averages a starting position of 11.2 and finishing position of 12.2.
- Seven times this season, Elliott has captured his best career finish at a track – Watkins Glen (first), Richmond (second), Bristol (third), Talladega (third), Sonoma (fourth), New Hampshire (fifth), and Darlington (fifth). The driver currently ranks seventh in the playoff standings as the series heads into the regular-season finale this weekend.
- Elliott continues to keep his top-10 streak alive as the Cup Series heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The 22-year-old driver has finished inside the top 10 in each of the last six races (New Hampshire, Pocono, Watkins Glen, Michigan, Bristol, and Darlington), tying his longest career top-10 streak, which came during his rookie season and spanned six races from Talladega (May) to Michigan (June).
- During his six-race top-10 streak, Elliott has led 201 laps after leading just 19 laps through the previous 19 races. He has also improved his average finish to 5.0 during that span compared to 14.42 during the first 19 races of the season. His four top-five finishes in the past six races match his total from the first 19 races.
- Going into the final race of the regular season for the NASCAR Cup Series, William Byron will need to win this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to qualify for the 16-driver playoffs. While a tall order, Byron’s stats show that it’s certainly not an impossible feat for the 20-year-old. In the midst of his championship-winning NASCAR Xfinity Series season last year, Byron became the youngest driver to win a major race at the historic track at the age of 19 years, 7 months and 23 days. He’s the youngest to win a NASCAR race at the 2.5-mile track, and the third-youngest winner in any series, behind two Indy Car Light Series drivers. Kissing the bricks at Indy last July marked Byron’s third of four Xfinity wins in 2017.
- Hendrick Motorsports and the No. 24 team have a solid history at Indy as well, with Gordon becoming the youngest winner of the Brickyard 400 in 1994 – which was also the inaugural Brickyard 400 – when he was 23. Gordon also has five Cup wins at Indy in the No. 24 Chevrolet, more than any other Cup driver and car number.
- In addition to trying to fight his way into the playoffs, Byron is also involved in a two-way battle for the Cup Series rookie of the year honors. With three top-10s and 53 laps led so far this season, the driver of the No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 leads the rookie standings by 87 points over Bubba Wallace.
- Speaking of rookies, Indianapolis hasn’t been unfavorable to them over the years. While the best finish for a Cup Series rookie is second (Juan Pablo Montoya in 2007), six rookies have scored top-five finishes at the Brickyard, a stat that bodes well for Byron, especially since he’s already run – and won – at the track in the Xfinity Series.
- Johnson finds himself among an all-star cast of NASCAR Hall of Fame drivers who have won races considered the “crown jewel” events in the Cup Series – the Daytona 500, Charlotte 600, Brickyard 400 and Southern 500. Johnson has a total of 12 wins in those events, which is the second-most behind only Gordon’s 17. He is one of just four drivers to win in each of the current four "crown jewels."
- Johnson is currently 14th in the playoff standings. If there is a new winner this weekend from outside the 16-driver playoff grid, the driver would guarantee a playoff spot by earning 37 points. If there is a repeat winner (or a win by Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, Aric Almirola or Alex Bowman), Johnson would clinch on points, regardless of finish.
- As a crew chief, Chad Knaus has four wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with Johnson, more than any other crew chief in the sport. Although Gordon has the most driver wins with five, he accomplished the feat with three different crew chiefs – Ray Evernham (two), Robbie Loomis (two) and Alan Gustafson (one) over the course of his storied career.
- The No. 88 is no stranger to Victory Lane at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The iconic car number is tied for fourth on the list of most wins by number at Indianapolis, with two wins total. If Alex Bowman were to capture the victory this weekend, the No. 88 would be tied for third on that list.
- Bowman continues to hold a lead over the 17th playoff position following last weekend’s event at Darlington Raceway after holding off Ricky Stenhouse Jr. for the past six races. Going into Darlington, the team had a 79-point lead over Stenhouse, but after a 23rd-place finish last weekend, Bowman now holds a 68-point lead. If there is a repeat winner on Sunday, or a win by Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, Aric Almirola or Jimmie Johnson, Bowman would clinch a playoff spot on points regardless of his own finish. If there is a new winner this Sunday from outside the current top 16 drivers, Bowman would need to outpoint the 15th position by 20 points in order to secure a playoff spot.
- With Elliott earning his first Cup Series win at Watkins Glen, Hendrick Motorsports now holds the record for the most first-time Cup Series winners with nine. If Byron or Bowman wins at Indianapolis, it will extend the record to the 10th time a driver has recorded his first career Cup Series win while driving for Hendrick Motorsports.