NASCAR celebrates 30 years at the Racing Capital of the World this weekend with the return to the oval at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The inaugural Brickyard 400 took place Aug. 6, 1994, with Jeff Gordon capturing the victory. It marked the first race other than the Indianapolis 500 to be held at IMS since 1916. From 1994 to 2020, the race was held on the 2.5-mile oval before shifting to the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course over the last three years.
With the new Next Gen car and its improved aerodynamics and downforce package, many feel Sunday’s race could be as competitive as any staged at the historic track.
Suárez Notes
- Defending Indy Polesitter: Daniel Suárez won the Busch Light Pole Award last year at the Indianapolis road course. It was one of Trackhouse Racing’s two pole awards earned in 2024 and the third of his career. In the race, Suárez never raced outside the top three, leading twice for six laps before finishing third.
- Last week in Pocono: Suárez finished 16th at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway narrowly avoiding two accidents in the final stage.
Suárez is Now a Dual Citizen of Mexico and the United States:Suárez took the Oath of Allegiance at a naturalization ceremony on June 18 in front of media, friends, the NASCAR industry and NASCAR President Steve Phelps who gave the keynote address to the 48 new citizens from 28 countries who joined Suárez at the ceremony. The 32-year-old, Monterrey, Mexico native came to America about 13 years ago without speaking English. He passed the United States Citizenship test on April 29 in Charlotte before taking the final step on June 18. He is now a dual citizen of Mexico and the United States.
- Atlanta Victory: At Atlanta, he and runner-up Ryan Blaney were separated by 0.003 seconds at the finish line. It was the fourth-closest finish in series history, and with third-place Kyle Busch just 0.007 seconds behind the winner, it also stands as the closest finish among three cars in the history of auto racing.
- Trackhouse Victories: Atlanta marked Trackhouse Racing’s seventh win in the NASCAR Cup Series, and first at Atlanta. Chastain owns four victories, Suárez two and one for Shane van Gisbergen.
- Mexico Series Victory: Suárez won the 150-lap Mexico Series race at the Los Angeles Coliseum on Feb. 3. It was his 11th victory.
- First Mexican to Win in Cup: Suárez became the first driver from Mexico (Monterrey) to win in the NASCAR Cup Series on June 12, 2022, at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway.
- International Driver: He is one of six drivers not from the United States to win a NASCAR Cup Series race: Shane van Gisbergen (New Zealand), Marcos Ambrose (Australia), Juan Pablo Montoya (Colombia), Earl Ross (Canada) and Mario Andretti (Italy). Ambrose, Montoya, and Suárez own two victories each.
- Cup Career Highlights: Suárez owns two victories (Sonoma 2022 and Atlanta 2024) and three Busch Light Pole Awards – Pocono (Pa.) Raceway July 2018, Kentucky Speedway July 2019, and on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway August 2023.
Suárez Quotes:
Do you think about last year when an air hose caught under a fender and cost you a chance at winning the race?
“Last year was heartbreaking, but that’s part of the sport. All we can do is continue to push, continue to build race cars like we had at Indianapolis last year and keep on trying hard to win races. I mean, we win and we lose as a team, and that’s all I can say. The guys brought a very fast race car. I felt that maybe we were one adjustment behind in the first run with the back of the car, but then we made it a little bit better. But I felt like I was always one step behind Chase Elliott and Michael McDowell.”
Are you glad NASCAR is back on the oval at Indy?
“Well I liked the road course here. I thought we had an advantage, but its hard to argue against racing on the oval here. There is so much history. Winning here would be so exciting and something you would talk about the rest of your life.”
What are the keys to victory this weekend?
“We are going to have to learn about the track and our car during that Friday practice. That will be key. Obviously on Saturday, getting a good starting spot, and a good pit stall will help and on Sunday it will be about executing with no mistakes on the track and in the pits. I think we are going to put on a great show Sunday and I plan to be at the front.”
- Moose Fraternity: This weekend, Ross Chastain will pilot the No. 1 Moose Fraternity Chevrolet for the NASCAR Cup Series’ return to the oval track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS). Sunday’s race marks the third time the Alva, Florida native has driven the red-and-black Moose Fraternity livery this season. He piloted the Moose Fraternity Chevrolet to a seventh-place finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway in February, and 12th at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway in April. He’ll drive it one more time this season when the series returns to Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in November, the site of his October 2022 video game move to advance to the final round of the championship while driving the Moose Fraternity Chevrolet.
- Meet Chastain: On Saturday at 5 p.m. ET Chastain will appear at the Moose Lodge, 4917 Vermont St., Indianapolis, Ind. At 6:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Chastain will sign autographs at Kroger, 975 N. Green St., Brownsburg, Ind., – wristband required and distribution begins at 9 a.m. in-store on Saturday. On Sunday at 10 a.m., Chastain will appear at the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute booth located inside IMS – wristbands distributed ahead of time. Chastain will also appear at the Chevy Stage on Sunday at 11:15 a.m. located inside IMS.
Double Duty for Chastain in Indianapolis: In addition to driving in the Cup Series race at IMS, Chastain will drive the No. 45 Indiana Criminal Justice Institute Designated Drivers are Legendary Chevrolet Silverado for Niece Motorsports in the Craftsman Truck Series at Indianapolis Raceway Park (IRP) which is located approximately 20 minutes West of the big track. IRP is the site of Chastain’s first career NASCAR start. He finished 10th in the truck series event in July 2011. This weekend’s truck entry marks Chastain’s fifth and final start in the series for the season. He most recently raced in the series last week at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway and finished fifth.
- Indy Oval Stats: The Chevrolet driver has three Cup starts on the oval track at IMS. He finished 17th in 2020 while driving for Spire Motorsports.
- Season Stats: Chastain has earned seven top-10s in 21 races so far this season along with 163 laps led. He’s currently 13th in driver points.
- NASCAR: Full Speed: Catch Chastain in the five-episode docuseries NASCAR: Full Speed on Netflix. The series documented portions of Chastain’s 2023 season on and off the track. All five episodes are currently available on Netflix.
- Last Weekend at Pocono: Chastain qualified 19th last weekend at Pocono. Shortly after the second stage started, Chastain spun and hit the wall. The damage ended his day prematurely in 36th.
- 2023 Season Recap: Chastain won at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway in June and at the Phoenix Raceway season finale in November. He posted 10 top-five and 14 top-10 finishes in his third full time Cup season. The Alva, Florida native finished ninth in points.
Chastain Quotes:
Fist time back on the Indy oval in several years, how do you think it will be?
“It’s good to be back on the oval. Its a good change of pace. It’s the first time we’ll be on the oval with this version of the car. A couple of guys did the test there so they’ll probably have a little bit of an upper hand. It’s been a while since I’ve been on the oval but I know how challenging it can be. If we’re good at Pocono, we’ll probably be good at Indy.”
Do you feel racing at IMS should always be on the oval whether the racing is good or bad?
“It could be on the oval. It could be across town at IRP. As long as we are racing in Indianapolis, that’s all I care about.”
What do you expect racing at IRP in the truck?
“I don’t know. I haven’t been there since I made my first race in NASCAR. That was my first truck start. I’ve had desire to get back there and I’m finally getting there.”
Trackhouse Racing PR
