Busch wins the Brickyard 400

In the city of Indianapolis this weekend, eyes turned to racing as the annual Brickyard 400 commenced.  It was the twenty-second year for the Brickyard 400 and it found Kyle Busch as the victor.  Other than the famous Indy 500, the Brickyard 400, was the “other” race to be hosted in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

https://twitter.com/KyleBusch/status/757369937618935808

Kyle Busch won the Brickyard 400 for the second consecutive year.  This is a feat only one other racer has accomplished in this race, Jimmie Johnson in 2008 and 2009.  This helps Busch in the chase for the Sprint Cup Series giving him his first win.  He currently is third overall in the standings behind Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski.  Heading into the final six races of the season before the cutoff, Busch looks almost guaranteed to be selected for the second stage of the season in a field of 16.

Lap 88 of 160 @IMS – Please send well wishes to @DaleJr. Everyone's thinking of you. #Axalta88 #Brickyard400 #TeamJG pic.twitter.com/sM7aeea4kq

— Jeff Gordon (@JeffGordonWeb) July 24, 2016

Coming into the race, a big headline was that Jeff Gordon would replace Dale Earnhardt Jr. due to concussion symptoms.  Gordon is the all-time champion at the Brickyard 400 having won five different times, his last win was in 2014.  Gordon has every record to his name in this race except one, average start position.  He has the most wins, the most top five finishes, and the most top 10 finishes but unfortunately, he couldn’t add one more win as he finished 13th.

.@JeffGordonWeb and @TonyStewart take a lap together at @IMS #Brickyard400 https://t.co/c0nj064aqT

— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 24, 2016

Though another big headline is that both Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart are saying good bye to the Brickyard in their final race. With one final action after the race, they took a ceremonial lap together.  Stewart is a three-time Sprint Cup Series winner with his last coming in 2011.  Stewart finished 11th.

With this year’s Brickyard out of the way, it is time to set our sights on the next six races to determine who will make the final 16 for the second part of the season. It looks to be an exciting season with racers looking to claim the next 16 races in order to earn the title Sprint Cup Series champion.