The Brickyard is beloved by every driver that has ever driven at Indianapolis. The Speedway’s rich history and prestigious presence create an electric atmosphere as drivers attempt to earn their trip to victory lane. While drivers from around the world descend upon 16th and Georgetown with the hope of crossing the yard of bricks first, there have been a number of native Hoosiers that have tasted victory at their home track.
Seven open-wheel drivers have combined to win nine Indianapolis 500 races. Three NASCAR drivers have combined to win eight Brickyard 400 races. The Xfinity series ran eight races on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval, but none were won by a Hoosier. It wasn’t until last year’s race, on this same infield road course, that it finally happened. Chase Briscoe of Mitchell, Indiana won the inaugural race, in what was a popular victory.
It was a 1-2 finish for Hoosiers last year as Justin Haley scored a runner-up finish after starting in 11th position. Haley is the only Hoosier entered in Saturday’s race, still searching for his first win this season. The Kaulig Racing driver from Winamac won three races in the series last year. All three came at superspeedways; two at Talladega and one at Daytona.
Haley has his 2019 Cup series win at Daytona with Spire Motorsports as well, showing his prowess on the high-speed tracks. The Chevrolet driver is also a serious threat on the road courses. In his 14 career Xfinity starts on road courses, Haley has eight top-ten finishes including his runner-up finishes at Mid-Ohio and the IMS road course.
In addition to last year’s runner-up finish, Haley has another top-five finish here when he made his one and only start on the IMS oval in 2019. Saturday will mark his third career start at the Greatest Racecourse in the World. Could the third time be the charm? The legend goes that the track always chooses the winner, but it must still be earned.
Looking back at the eight Xfinity races on the oval, half of them were won by Kyle Busch. Brad Keselowski won the first race in 2012 and William Byron won the event in 2017. Ty Dillon had a surprise victory in 2014 and the other race was won by Justin Allgaier, who will be aiming for history tomorrow. The JR Motorsports could become the first NASCAR driver in history to win at IMS on both the oval and the road course.
There will be plenty of competition for Haley to beat on Saturday, most notably Austin Cindric, Ty Gibbs, and AJ Allmendinger. Austin Dillon and Kevin Harvick are also entered, with Harvick having the same chance to make history as Allgaier. It won’t be easy for Haley, but he doesn’t expect it to be. Haley was third-fastest in practice on Friday, trailing Cindric and Sam Mayer. Qualifying will start at 10:05 AM ET on Saturday, with the race beginning at 4 PM on NBC Sports Network.
Winning at Indianapolis is always exhilarating, no matter where you are from. When a Hoosier wins though, it feels like a majestic story with another happy ending.
