Indy 101: Trends to watch, Goodyear tire info, interactive ways to follow race
The Verizon 200 at the Brickyard is set to deliver a thrilling race on Sunday (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App) at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, highlighted by an immense amount of international flair.
Check out trends to watch, important info on Goodyear tires and interactive ways to follow all the action.
RELATED: See paint schemes for Indianapolis | Betting favorites for Sunday’s Cup race
🟢 START ‘EM UP SOONER 🟢
NASCAR officials have moved the GEICO Restart Zone to the short chute between Turns 13 and 14 ahead of Sunday’s race, a change from the frontstretch where restarts were typically held in each of the first two races at the Indy Road Course.
The change was made to allow the field more space heading down the Brickyard’s long front straightway before bunching tightly into the 90-degree right-handed Turn 1, where drag races in prior years resulted in heavy contact.
In the new restart zone, drivers are permitted to change lanes once clear of the zone, with no need to wait until the start/finish line to make a move. This year’s event is also the first at Indy to feature the choose rule, with the Choose ‘V’ located prior to Turn 7.
MORE: Sawyer: Indy may see single-file restarts, if needed
📉 TRENDS TO WATCH 📈
— Chevrolet drivers have won both poles and both races at the Indy Road Course.
— Tyler Reddick won after leading the most laps (38) in 2022.
— Each of the two races run at the Indy Road Course have ended in NASCAR Overtime and featured five or more cautions.
— Five different drivers have won the last five road-course races (Watkins Glen — Kyle Larson; Charlotte Roval ’22 — Christopher Bell; COTA — Tyler Reddick; Sonoma — Martin Truex Jr,; Chicago — Shane van Gisbergen).
(Via Racing Insights)
ON-TRACK SCHEDULE 🗓️
Saturday, August 12
— 11:35 a.m. ET: Practice (NBC Sports App, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
— 12:35 p.m. ET: Qualifying (NBC Sports App, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday, August 13
— 2:30 p.m. ET: Verizon 200 at the Brickyard (NBC, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App)
MORE: Full weekend schedule at Indianapolis
RULE CHANGES/GOODYEAR TIRE NOTES 🛞
As noted earlier, the choose rule will be in effect at Indianapolis for the first time, a change at all road courses in 2023. Additionally, there will be no stage breaks this weekend. Points will be awarded on the designated stage-ending laps for Stage 1 and Stage 2, but a caution flag will not be displayed for the stage end.
Goodyear runs one tire on Cup cars at road courses with two different tire codes, which will allow the tires to tread directionally as a way to handle the stress expected to be put on them. As such, the tires used this weekend will be the same setup that was previously run this season at Circuit of The Americas, Sonoma Raceway and the Chicago Street Course.
NASCAR implemented safety updates to the Next Gen car.
Along the right-side door bars and extending toward the rear clip, teams are mandated to run a steel plate in addition to the chassis adjustments made for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The right-side door bar gussets and the removal of the front clip V-brace are changes that remain, in addition to the removal of other front-clip components, to create a softer and larger crush zone for frontal impacts.
Also included in the updates are front bumper strut softening (modifications to existing parts), the requirement of an empty front ballast box and a modified cross brace. NASCAR incurs the cost of all these updates.
In the event of a lost wheel that is contained to pit road, the offending team will be subject to a pass-through penalty under green-flag conditions. If the infraction occurs during a caution period, the offending team will restart at the tail end of the field.
If the wheel breaks free outside of pit road, the new rules guidelines mandate a two-lap penalty plus a two-race suspension for two crew members. Each penalty is series-specific: Violations in one series will not impact those crew members‘ eligibility to participate in other series.
RELATED: See rules changes for 2023
FAN REWARDS 🫵
Fans can get in on the action all season long with NASCAR Fan Rewards, a free program that rewards fans for participating in the action when they watch races and play NASCAR Fantasy.
There‘s no cost to join. Fans must be 18 years or older to participate in the program.
Earn points by checking into a race from home or at the track, setting your Fantasy Live lineup, making purchases on the NASCAR.com shop and more. Points can be redeemed for race tickets, merchandise and VIP experiences at the track, including pace car rides and waving the green flag at qualifying.
FOLLOW THE RACE 📲
NASCAR Mobile has now added support for fans to “Follow the Race” and access live leaderboard and race information from Live Activities in the current app release (v13.2.0), available now. Android users, we didn‘t forget you — the same functionality has been custom-built for Android devices, as well.
How to access Live Activities on iPhones:
Make sure your iOS device has been updated to 16.1 or higher.
Available on the leaderboard of all NASCAR Series races.
Click on the three-dot menu near the top right of screen.
Select “Follow the Race.”
Swipe up to access the home screen and you will see the Live Activities at the top.
Lock the device and you will see Live Activities on the Lock Screen.
To turn off, simply visit the leaderboard, click the three-dot menu and “Unfollow the Race.”
FANTASY LIVE 🏆
Want to manage a team and race your way to the top of the leaderboards? Check out NASCAR Fantasy Live, which is open now. The free-to-play game lets you choose your drivers each week and show off your crew-chief instincts by garaging a driver by the end of Stage 2, and there is a $25,000 prize for the winner.
How to play: Fantasy Live | Set up a team today!
ALSO ON NASCAR.COM 💻
Get additional camera views by logging on to NASCAR Drive, where each week a select number of in-car cameras will be available — as well as a battle cam and an overhead look.
NASCAR has partnered with LiveLike to add fan engagement to the NASCAR Mobile App. Log in to the mobile app during the race for polls, quizzes, the cheer meter and more — and see instant results from NASCAR fans like you.
