Date: Aug. 13, 2023
Event: Verizon 200 at the Brickyard (Round 24 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2.439-mile, 14-turn road course)
Format: 82 laps, broken into three stages (15 laps/20 laps/47 laps)
Race Winner: Michael McDowell of Front Row Motorsports (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing
Stage 2 Winner: Michael McDowell of Front Row Motorsports (Ford)
SHR Race Finish:
● Chase Briscoe (Started 13th, Finished 6th / Running, completed 82 of 82 laps)
● Kevin Harvick (Started 38th, Finished 23rd / Running, completed 81 of 82 laps)
● Ryan Preece (Started 30th, Finished 31st / Running, completed 81 of 82 laps)
● Aric Almirola (Started 33rd, Finished 39th / Running, completed 79 of 82 laps)
SHR Points:
● Kevin Harvick (6th with 677 points, 153 out of first)
● Aric Almirola (24th with 406 points, 424 out of first)
● Ryan Preece (25th with 409 points, 427 out of first)
● Chase Briscoe (31st with 322 points, 508 out of first)
SHR Notes:
● Briscoe earned his sixth top-10 of the season and his first top-10 in three career NASCAR Cup Series starts on the road course at Indianapolis.
● Briscoe’s sixth-place result bettered his previous best finish on the road course at Indianapolis – 23rd, earned in last year’s race.
● Briscoe finished ninth in Stage 2 to earn two bonus points.
Race Notes:
● Michael McDowell won the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard to score his second career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his first on the road course at Indianapolis. His margin over second-place Chase Elliott was .937 of a second.
● McDowell was the 14th different winner in the 24 NASCAR Cup Series races run this season.
● This was Ford’s 725th all-time NASCAR Cup Series victory, its fourth of the season and its third straight. Chris Buescher drove his Ford to the win July 30 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway and last Monday at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.
● This was Ford’s first NASCAR Cup Series victory on the road course at Indianapolis.
● There was one caution period for a total of three laps.
● Only 22 of the 39 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
● Martin Truex Jr., remains the championship leader after Indianapolis with a 60-point advantage over second-place Denny Hamlin.
Sound Bites:
“Today was a solid day. From a speed standpoint, we had a top-three car. We just could never get the track position when it goes green like that. There are just no opportunities. I feel like we did everything right from a strategy standpoint, trying to play our cards right. Just a difference from starting 13th versus starting in the first two rows. I felt like that’s what cost us there. I knew yesterday when I didn’t make the final round that it was going to be very hard to win. It proved itself today. Just kicking myself knowing I had a great shot at it. But overall, I’m proud of our team. We really needed a good run like this. I feel like we really learned something.” – Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang
Next Up:
The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Go Bowling at The Glen on Sunday, Aug. 20 at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. The race begins at 3 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by USA and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
