Kyle Larson races to his 1st Brickyard 400 victory, making a late charge through the field

Indianapolis, Indiana – After a red flag, Kyle Larson made a late surge through the field, won the last two restart races on Sunday, and coasted to his first Brickyard 400 victory under caution.

When Brad Keselowski ran out of fuel and pulled off the track just before the second-to-last restart, Larson claimed the lead, defeating Tyler Reddick, the winner of the pole, in the finish when the yellow flag was out.

“Today was definitely meant to be for us with the way the strategy was working out and all that fell into place,” Larson said. “Thankfully, it did. I just can’t believe it. It’s just surreal to win here.”

In an attempt to become the fifth driver to complete 1,100 miles of racing at both Indianapolis and Charlotte, North Carolina, on the same May day, Larson triumphed in his maiden visit back to the speedway.

After winning four races this season, Larson overtook Chase Elliott, his teammate at Hendrick Motorsports, in the points standings.

The 31-year-old Californian finished the last 32 laps leading the charge, as many other competitors tried to conserve fuel in the first Cup race held on the iconic 2.5-mile oval at Indianapolis Motor Speedway since 2020. The final three races were held on the track’s 14-turn road course.

Larson has only lost the Daytona 500 out of the three races that constitute NASCAR’s crown jewels. And it was just as amazing to see him again in Indianapolis as it was back in May.

With three laps remaining, Keselowski withdrew off the track before the green flag was given, giving Larson the inside lane. Larson then used a clear shot to pass Ryan Blaney’s second-place car, just before Daniel Hemric and John Henry Nemechek made contact and caused a five-car pileup.

The collision raised the red flag, and Larson required help to start his No. 5 Chevrolet. But when he did, he had the inside lane once more, beat Blaney off the restart, and managed to hang on for the win.

“That’s a heartbreaker. We did everything right today,” said Blaney, who was upset that Larson essentially went from third into the line Keselowski had chosen to restart. “He was in prime position to win and it just didn’t work out for us.”

In his quest to qualify for the playoffs, Denny Hamlin won the first stage—his first victory ever at Indianapolis—and Bubba Wallace won the second, earning him ten points. Wallace hadn’t won a stage since 2022.

Todd Gilliland finished fifth, Elliott finished fourth, and Blaney finished third.

When spectators went onto NBC to watch the campaign, they discovered something unexpected: President Joe Biden had officially withdrawn from the presidential contest.

When the race was about to begin, NBC decided to briefly move the broadcast to USA Network, which also covered some of the weekend’s events before returning to Cup coverage.
Additionally, the race concluded on USA Network following the red flag stoppage, once more due to breaking news.

Prior to the event, PPG and speedway owner Roger Penske declared that their cooperation for the Cup and IndyCar Series will be extended.

PPG will remain the Brickyard 400’s presenting sponsor, the speedway’s paint and finishing supplier, and the sponsor of all six Team Penske drivers: Ryan Blaney, Austin Cindric, Joey Logano, and Scott McLaughlin for the Cup side, and Scott McLaughlin, Josef Newgarden, and Will Power for the IndyCar side.

PPG and Penske started working together in 1984. As part of its Olympic break, NASCAR will be taking the next two weeks off. With a fresh tire compound, the first of the last six races is scheduled for August 11 in Richmond.