Indianapolis Motor Speedway / IRP Competition Notes
TEAM AND RACE NOTES:
Front Row Motorsports heads to Indianapolis and two historic racetracks for the Cup Series and Truck Series.
Layne Riggs is back in action this Friday night, under the lights of the Indianapolis Raceway Park (IRP). Following a 30th place finish at the Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, Riggs and the team look to bounce back at a place that has been good for the 22-year-old rookie. With only two previous starts at the 0.686-mile track, Riggs has finished in the Top-10 twice, posting a seventh-place result in 2022 and a third-place result in 2023. Long John Silvers will join Riggs in his return at IRP, bringing the fan-favorite scheme to the No. 38 Ford F-150.
Michael McDowell is the defending winner at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, winning the Verizon 200 last year on the road course and locking his place in the NASCAR Playoffs. For the oval configuration, it will be his 12th career Cup Series start with a best finish of 7th-place in 2020, the last time the Cup Series raced on the oval. Horizon Hobby is back on the 34 for the first time since the Phoenix Raceway in March, where McDowell scored his second Top-10 of the season with an 8th-place finish. The 34 will also have LOSI branding on the car, the makers of the 1/12th scale NASCAR RC Race Car, featuring McDowell's Ford Mustang Ford Dark Horse.
Following a 34th place finish at the Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, Todd Gilliland returns to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway after participating in the Goodyear tire test in June. This will be Gilliland's third NASCAR Cup Series race at the iconic track, but first race on the oval. Gilliland captured his career-best finish on the Indianapolis Road Course, a fourth-place in 2022. gener8tor will debut a new scheme for the return on the Brickyard 400, showcasing a black and gold livery for the 400-mile event.
It will be a one day show for the Truck Series with practice and qualifying at 3:30 pm ET, July 19. The 200-lap event is scheduled for later that evening at 8:30 pm ET live on FS1. For The Brickyard 400, on track action for the Cup Series will begin Friday July 19 with practice at 2:30 p.m. ET on the NBC Sports App and qualifying on Saturday, July 20 at 1:00 p.m. ET on USA Network. The Brickyard 400 will be at 2:30 p.m. ET, Sunday July 21, televised on NBC. Fans can also listen to the action on SiriusXM Channel 90.
CUP SERIES COMPETITION NOTES:
No. 34 Horizon Hobby Ford Mustang Dark Horse:
DRIVER MICHAEL MCDOWELL:
"It is cool to go back there because we won last year and there will be banners there with us in victory lane. That is cool. It is going to be fun. It’s a great feeling returning to Indy as the defending race winner – even though we’re back on the oval, not the road course. There's something really special about going to Indy - it's almost hard to explain. That track has so much history and so many emotions associated with it, it's a place where you really want to win. At the end of the day, a lot of the time you're battling the track itself. It can be difficult to pass because the corners are so tight and you can't really run well in a pack. Track position and restarts will be the key to a good run.
"It's super exciting to see Horizon Hobby back on our Ford Mustang Dark Horse. They have been such a fun partner to represent and it’s going to be fun to see them again this weekend."
CREW CHIEF TRAVIS PETERSON:
"We’re excited to go back to Indy. It’s the track where I got my first win as a crew chief, so it will always be a special place, personally. Being back on the oval will have its own set of challenges compared to the road course. It’s a tough place to pass and track position and strategy will be key. Michael is one of the few Cup drivers with experience on the oval, so we’ll have a good gameplan for this weekend. We just need to capitalize on the opportunity."
No. 38 gener8tor Ford Mustang Dark Horse:
DRIVER TODD GILLILAND:
"I'm excited for this weekend. It's nice to see NASCAR bring back this iconic race. For me, the tire test was the first time I had been on the oval. For a lot of the younger guys however, they have never been on it, so Ryan (Bergenty) and I have an advantage from the data we gathered at the test.
"We're all looking forward to the break. It will be a nice change of pace from the typical race schedule and a good break during the hardest part of the season. Hopefully we can head into the break with a good result from Indy."
CREW CHIEF RYAN BERGENTY:
"We're so close to the two-week break, but there is still a lot of work to do. Todd (Gilliland) and I had left the tire test with some pretty good info, and I think it will help us a lot on Sunday.
"We're bringing an awesome paint scheme this weekend, and I think fans are going to love it. Hopefully we can get it into Victory Lane and go into the break with a win and a ticket to the playoffs."
TRUCK SERIES COMPETITION NOTES:
No. 38 Long John Silver's Ford F-150:
DRIVER LAYNE RIGGS:
"This is a big weekend for the team and me. We have shown a lot of speed on short tracks this year, and it's the type of racing I grew up on in my late model days, so I am confident in our performance this weekend. Like I've been saying all year, just need to bring a fast Long John Silver's Ford F-150 and execute on all fronts and I think we have a shot to win."
CREW CHIEF DYLAN CAPPELLO:
"This track has Layne's (Riggs) name written all over it. He is a short track guy through and through. We had a good sim session and are confident that we can execute a solid race, it just comes down to qualifying up front and staying up there."
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