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 road course, it was the 24th race of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season.
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.
Report
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 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. 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.
Entry list (R) denotes rookie driver. (i) denotes driver who are ineligible for series driver points.
Driver Team Manufacturer 00 Quin Houff StarCom Racing Chevrolet 1 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 6 Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing Ford 7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 8 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 14 Chase Briscoe (R) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 15 James Davison Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 16 A. J. Allmendinger (i) Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 17 Chris Buescher Roush Fenway Racing Ford 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 21 Matt DiBenedetto Wood Brothers Racing Ford 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 33 Austin Cindric (i) Team Penske Ford 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 37 Ryan Preece JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 38 Anthony Alfredo (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford 41 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 42 Ross Chastain Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 43 Erik Jones Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 51 Cody Ware (i) Petty Ware Racing Chevrolet 52 Josh Bilicki Rick Ware Racing Ford 53 Garrett Smithley (i) Rick Ware Racing Ford 66 Timmy Hill (i) MBM Motorsports Toyota 77 Justin Haley (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 78 Andy Lally (i) Live Fast Motorsports Ford 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Team ChevroletOfficial entry list
Practice Martin Truex Jr. was the fastest in the practice session with a time of 1:29.577 and a speed of .
Practice results Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Time 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 97.445Official practice results
Qualifying William Byron scored the pole for the race with a time of 1:27.765 and a speed of .
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 Pos Driver Team Manufacturer 124 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1:28.148 1:27.765 214 Chase Briscoe (R) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 1:28.034 1:28.191 39 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1:28.318 1:28.229 45 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1:27.931 1:28.305 599 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet 1:28.327 1:28.431 619 Martin Truex Jr.Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 1:28.148 1:28.502 722 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 1:28.271 1:28.511 816 A. J. Allmendinger (i) Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 1:28.144 1:28.518 942 Ross Chastain Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 1:28.288 1:28.562 1041 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 1:28.225 1:28.562 118 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 1:28.248 1:28.596 1234 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 1:28.295 1:29.302 1333 Austin Cindric (i) Team Penske Ford 1:28.359 — 1411 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 1:28.400 — 1521 Matt DiBenedetto Wood Brothers Racing Ford 1:28.414 — 1612 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 1:28.591 — 1720 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 1:28.727 — 1810 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 1:28.762 — 1917 Chris Buescher Roush Fenway Racing Ford 1:28.811 — 201 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 1:28.812 — 2118 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 1:28.818 — 2247 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 1:28.970 — 233 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 1:29.017 — 2448 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1:29.026 — 254 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 1:29.071 — 267 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 1:29.074 — 2723 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 1:29.278 — 2843 Erik Jones Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet 1:29.318 — 2977 Justin Haley (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 1:29.410 — 3037 Ryan Preece JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 1:29.544 — 312 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 1:29.577 — 326 Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing Ford 1:29.639 — 3338 Anthony Alfredo (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford 1:29.640 — 3415 James Davison Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 1:29.976 — 3578 Andy Lally (i) Live Fast Motorsports Ford 1:30.345 — 3652 Josh Bilicki Rick Ware Racing Ford 1:31.203 — 3751 Cody Ware (i) Petty Ware Racing Chevrolet 1:31.656 — 3800 Quin Houff StarCom Racing Chevrolet 1:31.837 — 3953 Garrett Smithley (i) Rick Ware Racing Ford 1:31.865 — 4066 Timmy Hill (i) MBM Motorsports Toyota 1:32.691 — Official qualifying results
Race
Stage Results
Stage One Laps: 15
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Points1 8 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 102 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 93 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 84 43 Erik Jones Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet 75 37 Ryan Preece JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 66 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 57 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 48 77 Justin Haley (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 09 14 Chase Briscoe (R) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 210 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1Official stage one results
Stage Two Laps: 20
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Points1 8 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 102 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 93 37 Ryan Preece JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 84 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 75 21 Matt DiBenedetto Wood Brothers Racing Ford 66 77 Justin Haley (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 07 7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 48 78 Andy Lally (i) Live Fast Motorsports Ford 09 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 210 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1Official 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 Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points1 8 16 A. J. Allmendinger (i) Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 95 02 16 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 95 353 4 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 95 364 3 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 95 355 15 21 Matt DiBenedetto Wood Brothers Racing Ford 95 386 20 1 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 95 317 28 43 Erik Jones Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet 95 378 29 77 Justin Haley (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 95 09 13 33 Austin Cindric (i) Team Penske Ford 95 010 32 6 Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing Ford 95 2711 22 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 95 3712 19 17 Chris Buescher Roush Fenway Racing Ford 95 2513 27 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 95 2414 25 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 95 2315 6 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 95 2216 26 7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 95 2517 24 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 95 2018 36 52 Josh Bilicki Rick Ware Racing Ford 95 1919 18 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 95 1820 21 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 95 1721 11 8 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 95 3622 38 00 Quin Houff StarCom Racing Chevrolet 95 1523 14 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 95 1424 31 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 95 1825 10 41 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 94 1226 2 14 Chase Briscoe (R) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 94 1327 40 66 Timmy Hill (i) MBM Motorsports Toyota 94 028 39 53 Garrett Smithley (i) Rick Ware Racing Ford 94 029 9 42 Ross Chastain Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 93 830 12 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 88 1631 23 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 88 2332 34 15 James Davison Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 80 533 1 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 77 434 7 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 77 335 30 37 Ryan Preece JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 77 1636 17 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 77 137 5 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet 77 138 33 38 Anthony Alfredo (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford 68 139 35 78 Andy Lally (i) Live Fast Motorsports Ford 55 040 37 51 Cody Ware (i) Petty Ware Racing Chevrolet 46 0Official 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:
Media
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.
NBCBooth announcersTurn AnnouncersPit reportersFeatures reporter Lap-by-lap: Rick AllenColor-commentator: Steve Letarte Turn 1 Announcer: Mike BagleyTurn 7 Announcer: Dale Earnhardt Jr.Turn 12 Announcer: Jeff Burton Dave BurnsMarty SniderKelli Stavast Rutledge Wood
Radio