Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 29, 2012
Photo – Getty Images

Indianapolis has seen its fair share of history. For NASCAR, it all started 20 years ago when the Sprint Cup Series ran at the Brickyard for the very first time. Back then, this race was one of the most anticipated races NASCAR has ever seen. Fans filled the grandstands to witness history and surely they did. This race no longer has that same prestige, but to drivers, a win here means more than anything.

The Brickyard 400 will run on Sunday, July 28, 2013 and the green flag will wave at 1:20 PM ET. The weather looks uncharacteristic for Indy with a high of only 74 F, and with sunny skies the race will run on schedule. 160 laps make up the 400 miles of the race and that distance triggers fuel mileage strategy, as seen in past events. ESPN takes over the Cup Series for the rest of the season starting this weekend, so tune-in to see the action and listen-in on the IMS Racing Network.

When the Sprint Cup Series was last at Indianapolis, Jimmie Johnson scorched the field for his historic fourth win at the Brickyard. It was a Jimmie day and he won in his favorite way or racing, by domination. Five-time will look to become five-time once again on Sunday, but this time, the five will stand for wins at the Brickyard.

An off-week allowed teams to get some much-needed relaxation before their championship run. Two weeks ago at New Hampshire, it was Brian Vickers in victory lane, but he is not competing this weekend. So, some of the other drivers who could be carrying in momentum include Kyle Busch, Jeff Burton, and even Aric Almirola. With those drivers looking for a win, it will definitely be a show on Sunday.

Johnson remains in the points lead with a commanding 56-point gap back to Clint Bowyer. Bowyer needs to make up some ground on Johnson this weekend and he also needs a win, so the perfect storm for the No.15 team is a victory. Drivers looking for Wild Card wins this weekend include Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, and Jamie McMurray, since they have all claimed victory at the yard of bricks in the past.

In 2010 and 2011 fans saw that this race can truly be anyone’s game, and then when Johnson won last year, it showed how his dominance shines through his success. So, expect anything between those extremes on Sunday since all 43 hungry drivers are looking for an Indy victory. Fuel mileage plays into the race many times so that could decide who kisses the bricks at the end of the day.

Event Schedule

11:35 AM- 1:00 PM ET (Friday) Sprint Cup Series Practice, televised on SPEED

9:00-11:00 AM ET (Saturday) Sprint Cup Series Final Practice, televised on ESPN2

2:10 PM ET (Saturday) Sprint Cup Series Qualifying, televised on ESPN

1:00 PM ET (Sunday) Sprint Cup Series’ race, the Brickyard 400, televised on ESPN

Next Race- GoBowling.com 400 at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, PA

Entry List (Via Jayski.com)