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The 2021 Verizon 200 at the Brickyard was a NASCAR Cup Series race that was held on August 15, 2021, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. It was the inaugural running of the Verizon 200 on the road course, and officially the 28th edition of NASCAR at the Speedway. Contested over 95 laps -- extended from 82 laps due to an overtime finish, on the 2.439-mile (3.925 km) road course, it was the 24th race of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season.
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 24 of 36 in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | August 15, 2021 | ||
| Location | Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.439 mi (3.925 km) | ||
| Distance | 95 laps, 231.705 mi (372.875 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 82 laps, 199.998 mi (321.85 km) | ||
| Average speed | 69.171 miles per hour (111.320 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 1:27.765 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Laps | 28 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBC / NBCSN (Laps 93-95) | ||
| Announcers | Rick Allen, Steve Letarte (booth), Mike Bagley (Turn 1), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Turn 7) and Jeff Burton (Turn 12) | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio |
Performance Racing Network Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network | ||
| Booth Announcers | Doug Rice, Pat Patterson and Jeff Hammond | ||
| Turn Announcers | Nick Yeoman (Turns 1–4), Mark Jaynes (Turns 5–9), Chris Denari (Turns 10–11) and Jake Query (Turns 12–14) | ||
This race marked the first time a NASCAR Cup Series race was contested on the infield road course after the 2020 Xfinity Series race was held there the previous year as part of the INDYCAR/NASCAR doubleheader.
A. J. Allmendinger earned his first victory since 2014, as well as his second career NASCAR Cup Series victory, and the race also marked the first career NASCAR Cup Series victory for Kaulig Racing.
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Background
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana, (an enclave suburb of Indianapolis) in the United States, is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400. It is located on the corner of 16th Street and Georgetown Road, approximately six miles (10 km) west of Downtown Indianapolis.
Constructed in 1909, it is the original speedway, the first racing facility so named. It has a permanent seating capacity estimated at 235,000 with infield seating raising capacity to an approximate 400,000. It is the highest-capacity sports venue in the world.
After running the support races last year on the road course, the Speedway moved the Cup Series feature division to the road course configuration. As a result, the July 4 weekend spot it held was occupied by Road America and the race was moved to mid-August.[8] As was the case during the pandemic-affected 2020 season, the NTT IndyCar Series will race on the Saturday card with the Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix. The events were part of four different divisions of racing within a week at the Speedway, with the Bryan Clauson Classic midget car events at the Speedway the next week.
Prior to the race, NASCAR had the rumble strip on turn 6 removed after it caused severe damage to several cars during the first lap of the Xfinity race the day before.[9]
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who are ineligible for series driver points.
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Martin Truex Jr. was the fastest in the practice session with a time of 1:29.577 and a speed of 98.021 mph (157.750 km/h).[10]
Practice results
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1:29.577 | 98.021 |
| 2 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:30.067 | 97.487 |
| 3 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:30.106 | 97.445 |
| Official practice results | ||||||
William Byron scored the pole for the race with a time of 1:27.765 and a speed of 100.044 mph (161.005 km/h).[11]
Byron was the only driver in the 1:27 range during the entire event, and the first NASCAR race car to exceed 100 MPH average speed on the road course.
Qualifying results
William Byron won the pole in qualifying for the first Cup race on the Indianapolis Road Course. Pit strategy came into play for the start of the race, allowing Tyler Reddick to win both stages while Martin Truex Jr. suffered tire issues and Brad Keselowski spun into the wall. Late in the race, Byron spun with Kyle Busch while Joey Logano and Daniel Suárez both got into the tire barrier (the accident turned out to be because the curbing at Turn 5 came up). On the restart, Reddick made contact with teammate Austin Dillon and collected Cole Custer and Alex Bowman. In overtime, Chase Briscoe exceeded track limits while battling Denny Hamlin for the lead and was called for a penalty, then spun Hamlin (Briscoe said after the race that he wasn't told about the penalty.) A. J. Allmendinger took advantage and took the lead and held off Ryan Blaney for his second career Cup victory and the first Cup win for Kaulig Racing.
Stage Results
Stage One Laps: 15
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 43 | Erik Jones | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 77 | Justin Haley (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 9 | 14 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage one results | |||||
Stage Two Laps: 20
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 77 | Justin Haley (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 7 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 78 | Andy Lally (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford | 0 |
| 9 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage two results | |||||
Final Stage Results
Stage Three Laps: 47
After finishing third and Hamlin finishing twenty-third, Larson took the lead in the regular-season points standings. Hamlin however was able to officially qualify in the Cup Playoffs based on points.
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | 16 | A. J. Allmendinger (i) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 95 | 0 |
| 2 | 16 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 95 | 35 |
| 3 | 4 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 95 | 36 |
| 4 | 3 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 95 | 35 |
| 5 | 15 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 95 | 38 |
| 6 | 20 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 95 | 31 |
| 7 | 28 | 43 | Erik Jones | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 95 | 37 |
| 8 | 29 | 77 | Justin Haley (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 95 | 0 |
| 9 | 13 | 33 | Austin Cindric (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 95 | 0 |
| 10 | 32 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 95 | 27 |
| 11 | 22 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 95 | 37 |
| 12 | 19 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 95 | 25 |
| 13 | 27 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 95 | 24 |
| 14 | 25 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 95 | 23 |
| 15 | 6 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 95 | 22 |
| 16 | 26 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 95 | 25 |
| 17 | 24 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 95 | 20 |
| 18 | 36 | 52 | Josh Bilicki | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 95 | 19 |
| 19 | 18 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 95 | 18 |
| 20 | 21 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 95 | 17 |
| 21 | 11 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 95 | 36 |
| 22 | 38 | 00 | Quin Houff | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 95 | 15 |
| 23 | 14 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 95 | 14 |
| 24 | 31 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 95 | 18 |
| 25 | 10 | 41 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 94 | 12 |
| 26 | 2 | 14 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 94 | 13 |
| 27 | 40 | 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 94 | 0 |
| 28 | 39 | 53 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 94 | 0 |
| 29 | 9 | 42 | Ross Chastain | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 93 | 8 |
| 30 | 12 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 88 | 16 |
| 31 | 23 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 88 | 23 |
| 32 | 34 | 15 | James Davison | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 80 | 5 |
| 33 | 1 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 77 | 4 |
| 34 | 7 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 77 | 3 |
| 35 | 30 | 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 77 | 16 |
| 36 | 17 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 77 | 1 |
| 37 | 5 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 77 | 1 |
| 38 | 33 | 38 | Anthony Alfredo (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 68 | 1 |
| 39 | 35 | 78 | Andy Lally (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford | 55 | 0 |
| 40 | 37 | 51 | Cody Ware (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 46 | 0 |
| Official race results | |||||||
Race statistics
- Lead changes: 13 among 11 different drivers
- Cautions/Laps: 6 for 25
- Red flags: 2 for 23 minutes and 22 seconds
- Time of race: 3 hours, 20 minutes and 59 seconds
- Average speed: 69.171 miles per hour (111.320 km/h)
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Television
NBC Sports covered the race on the television side as part of a Radio Style Broadcast for the race. Rick Allen, and Steve Letarte called the race from the broadcast booth. MRN broadcaster Mike Bagley called the race from Turn 1, Dale Earnhardt Jr. had the call from Turn 7, and Jeff Burton had the call from Turn 12. Dave Burns, Marty Snider, and Kelli Stavast handled the pit road duties from pit lane. Rutledge Wood handled the features from the track.
| NBC | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn Announcers | Pit reporters | Features reporter |
| Lap-by-lap: Rick Allen Color-commentator: Steve Letarte | Turn 1 Announcer: Mike Bagley Turn 7 Announcer: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Turn 12 Announcer: Jeff Burton | Dave Burns Marty Snider Kelli Stavast | Rutledge Wood |
Radio
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network and the Performance Racing Network jointly co-produced the radio broadcast for the race, which was simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio, and aired on IMS or PRN stations, depending on contractual obligations. The lead announcers and two pit reporters were PRN staff, while the turns announcers and two pit reporters were from IMS.
| PRN/IMS Radio | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Doug Rice Announcer: Pat Patterson Announcer: Jeff Hammond | Turns 1–4: Nick Yeoman Turns 5–9: Mark Jaynes Turns 10–11: Chris Denari Turns 12–14: Jake Query | Brad Gillie Brett McMillan Ryan Myrehn Michael Young |
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