Tyler Reddick led practice Friday for the Brickyard 400 presented by PPG, as the NASCAR Cup Series is back on the fabled oval at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time since 2020.
Reddick paced the 50-minute session with a top lap of 182.582 mph in the No. 45 The Beast Unleashed Toyota fielded by 23XI Racing, co-owned by basketball legend Michael Jordan and NASCAR Cup Series star Denny Hamlin. Reddick won the Cup Series race on the IMS road course in 2022 and could become the first driver to win Cup Series events on the 2.5-mile oval and 2.439-mile road course at the Racing Capital of the World.
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The NASCAR Cup Series raced on the IMS oval from 1994-2020 in the Brickyard 400 before three consecutive years on the 14-turn road course.
“I didn’t know what the sensation of speed was going to feel like (on the oval), but it just feels like the center corner speeds we carry in this car, you feel tense in the car,” Reddick said. “There’s such a fine line to hit here. A foot up or down could be the difference between a really good lap or having to check up and not hit the fence.
“The room for error here is very, very fine, even in a stock car.”
This is the first time the Next Gen car is competing on the IMS oval, as the new car was introduced to the Cup Series in 2022.
“It’s interesting how the draft works,” Reddick said. “There is some sort of tow out that you get out there, but also the dirty air that comes with it is a challenge. It was just a big learning session, I guess.”
Reigning Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney was second at 181.928 in the No. 12 Menards/Atlas Ford fielded by Team Penske. Hamlin was third at 181.561 in the No. 11 Sport Clips Haircuts Toyota of 23XI Racing.
Christopher Bell ended up fourth at 181.371 in the No. 20 Rheem Toyota of Joe Gibbs Racing. Alex Bowman rounded out the top five at 180.930 in the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet fielded by Hendrick Motorsports, which has won a record 10 Brickyard 400s.
2021 Cup Series champion Kyle Larson was sixth at 180.774 in the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet. This is Larson’s second time competing this year on the IMS oval, as he also was named Rookie of the Year in the 108th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge in May after qualifying fifth and finishing 18th in a Hendrick Motorsports-Arrow McLaren entry.
Cup Series drivers will qualify at 1:05 p.m. ET Saturday, followed by the 160-lap Brickyard 400 presented by PPG at 2:30 p.m. ET Sunday.
In NASCAR Xfinity Series action earlier in the sunny afternoon, Chandler Smith led the sole practice for the Pennzoil 250 presented by Advance Auto Parts race. Smith drove the No. 81 QuickTie Toyota of Joe Gibbs Racing to a top lap of 166.756.
“It’s incredible,” Smith said. “This is where it all started for me, as far as where the interest came about. I’m from Georgia, so the first time I saw the (IMS) racetrack was when I was quarter-midget racing. They set up a little quarter-midget track in the infield. I always dreamed of racing here on the oval in a competitive car in one of the top three series in NASCAR, and here we are.”
Parker Kligerman was second at 166.571 in the No. 48 Spiked Lite Tropical Coolers Chevrolet fielded by Big Machine Racing, followed by Indianapolis 500 veteran and Indianapolis native Conor Daly at 164.995 in the No. 26 Polkadot Toyota of Sam Hunt Racing.
Brandon Jones was fourth at 164.781 in the No. 9 Menards/Pennington Chevrolet of JR Motorsports, with Riley Herbst rounding out the top five in the 38-car field at 164.736 in the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford fielded by Stewart-Haas Racing.
Up next for the Xfinity Series is qualifying at 12:05 p.m. ET Saturday, followed by the 100-lap Pennzoil 250 presented by Advance Auto Parts race at 3:30 p.m. ET.
IMS PR
