Verizon 200

The Verizon 200 at the Brickyard is is an annual NASCAR Cup Series points race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana.

Created in 1994, this event is contested over a distance of 400 mi, and it was known as the as the Brickyard 400, It was at the time the first race other than the mythical Indianapolis 500 to take place at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, this race having been organized since 1916. This first edition was the most anticipated event of the NASCAR season competing in front of an estimated crowd of over 250,000 spectators.

The Brickyard 400 is the second highest earning race of the NASCAR season after the Daytona 500. The 2017 edition lasted the longest due to a rain hiatus, red flags and numerous yellow flags caused by multiple accidents in the race.

The term Brickyard refers to the historical nickname of the circuit. The track of the original circuit was in fact composed of stones and tar but this coating was the cause of many sometimes fatal accidents. The track was then repaved using 3.2 millions of bricks, and inaugurated during the Indianapolis 500 of 1911. It is this brick coating that will give its nickname to the circuit, the Brickyard. Over time, the bricks will be covered with asphalt. Currently there is only one yard wide strip visible on the circuit. This lane is the current start/finish line.

From 2005 to 2009, the race was known as the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard under a arrangement with. From 2012 to 2016, was the title sponsor of the race; under its sponsorship, the race honored a military member or  selected by fans, who received VIP tickets to the event, and their name included in the title of the race. From 2011 to 2014, the   was the presenting sponsor, and it became the title sponsor beginning in 2017. After co-branding the event with Big Machine-signed artist in 2017, subsequent races have had Big Machine's Big Machine Vodka, as the sponsor. The 2020 race was known as the Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 at the Brickyard. When the race moved to the road course for 2021, assumed naming rights.

The names of the Brickyard 400 winners are engraved on the trophy which is displayed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. It was the driver Jeff Gordon who won the first contested edition on August 6, 1994. With 5 victories, he is currently the most successful. He also achieved pole position three times.

For the first time in NASCAR Cup Series history, the race will be run on the combined road course used in the IndyCar Series, and run a distance of 200 mi.

Crown Royal Your Name Here 400 sweepstakes winners
From 2011 to 2016, Crown Royal was the title sponsor of the race; Under Crown Royal sponsorship, the race was part of Crown Royal "Your Hero's Name Here" program, in which the race was named after an armed forces member or first responder nominated by fans. The nominated hero also received a VIP experience for the race, and presented the winner's trophy. For the 2016 race, retired Navy SEAL Jason Redman won the nomination. Redman chose to for the race to be named after his charity, the Combat Wounded Coalition, instead, resulting in the race being titled Crown Royal Presents the Combat Wounded Coalition 400 at the Brickyard.

Pole position winners

 * (FQ) – Denotes fastest qualifier; was accomplished in second-round qualifying
 * (TR-O/RC) – Denotes one-lap stock car track record on oval or road course
 * 2018 – Qualifying was rained out and the starting lineup was set by championship points
 * 2020 – Qualifying was set via a random draw due to the coronavirus pandemic

NASCAR Cup Series records
(Through 2019) * from minimum 5 starts. ** Two poles earned; in 2018, qualifying was rained out and the field was set by championship point

Winners from pole position
Five races have been won by four drivers from the pole position.
 * 2003: Kevin Harvick
 * 2008: Jimmie Johnson
 * 2013: Ryan Newman
 * 2016: Kyle Busch
 * 2019: Kevin Harvick

Daytona 500 & Brickyard 400
Three drivers have won the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400 in the same season:
 * 1996: Dale Jarrett
 * 2006: Jimmie Johnson
 * 2010: Jamie McMurray

Five other drivers (Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Bill Elliott, Kevin Harvick, and Ryan Newman) have won both the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 in their respective careers, although not in the same season.

Brickyard 400 and NASCAR Cup Series champions
The winner of the Brickyard 400 has gone on to win the NASCAR Cup Series championship in the same season nine times out of 23 runnings from 1994 to 2016. This includes a notable streak of four consecutive seasons (1998-2001), and 8 out of 12 years from 1998 to 2009. Jeff Gordon (2) and Jimmie Johnson (3) are the only two drivers to have accomplished it more than once.


 * 1998: Jeff Gordon
 * 1999: Dale Jarrett
 * 2000: Bobby Labonte
 * 2001: Jeff Gordon
 * 2005: Tony Stewart
 * 2006: Jimmie Johnson
 * 2008: Jimmie Johnson
 * 2009: Jimmie Johnson
 * 2015: Kyle Busch

Brickyard 400 & Indianapolis 500
Through 2020, a total of 18 drivers have competed in both the Brickyard 400 and Indianapolis 500. An additional twelve drivers have attempted to qualify for both, but failed to qualify at one or the other, or both races. Juan Pablo Montoya and Jacques Villeneuve are the only two drivers to compete at the Indy 500, Brickyard 400, and U.S. Grand Prix at Indy. Montoya holds the highest finish between the two races, with two wins in the 500 and a second place in the 400. Larry Foyt, A. J. Allmendinger and Kurt Busch competed in the 400 first; all other participants competed in the 500 prior to racing in the 400.

Juan Pablo Montoya has also competed in the Brickyard Grand Prix and IndyCar Grand Prix. Two-time Indy 500 pole winner Scott Brayton was initially entered in the 1995 Brickyard 400, but wrecked his car during a private test session. He suffered a broken ankle and a concussion, and withdrew from the event. Geoff Brabham, Larry Foyt, Max Papis, and Bill Elliott have all also competed in the Indy Legends Charity Pro–Am race. Of those four drivers, Elliott, the 2002 Brickyard 400 winner, is the only one to have never driven in the Indy 500 in his career.

Two car owners have swept both the Indianapolis 500 and Brickyard 400 in the same year. Chip Ganassi (Ganassi Racing) won both races in 2010, and Roger Penske (Team Penske) won both in 2018.

The drivers who have raced in both the 500 and 400 in the same year are denoted ( ** ).

Failed to qualify:
 * Raced in the 500 but failed to qualify for the 400: Gary Bettenhausen, Pancho Carter, Stan Fox, Andy Hillenburg, Davy Jones, P. J. Jones, Christian Fittipaldi
 * Raced in the 400 but failed to qualify for the 500: Casey Mears, Ken Schrader, Scott Speed
 * Failed to qualify at both 500 and 400: Charlie Glotzbach, Stanton Barrett

Neil Bonnett, who entered but did not qualify for the 1979 Indianapolis 500, announced plans to enter the 1994 Brickyard 400. However, Bonnett was fatally injured in a crash at Daytona in February 1994, five months before the Brickyard 400 was to be held. Junior Johnson, who entered as a driver but did not qualify for the 1963 Indianapolis 500, was a car owner at the 400 in 1994–1995.

Pre-race ceremonies
At the onset of the Brickyard 400 in 1994, track officials were determined to not detract from the traditional nature of the Indianapolis 500, and establish "new traditions" for the Brickyard 400. At its inception, the "400 Festival", a local civic organization (similar to the 500 Festival in May), was founded to promote the event and organize various events in around the community in the days leading up to the race. After a handful of years, the 400 Festival disbanded. Since the 2000s, the annual Hauler Parade now kicks off the race weekend. The teams transporters parade into the Town of Speedway, and the participants take part in an interactive fan fest with spectators.

Several of the key features of the Indy 500 pre-race traditions were dropped or tweaked. The Purdue band was omitted, in favor of other schools from the state (Indiana State and Indiana University). The song "Back Home Again in Indiana" was decidedly not included, however, Jim Nabors was invited in 1994 to sing the national anthem. Unlike the Indy 500, a celebrity pace car driver is seldom used in NASCAR, and one was not used for the first many years of the Brickyard 400. In more recent years a ceremonial pace car driver has been added. Chevrolet has been the exclusive provider of the pace car (or pace truck) for all editions from 1994 to 2020.

In a slight contrast to the Indy 500, many of the national anthem performers invited have been from country music, as a gesture to NASCAR's ties to the south. It also reflects upon one of the event's longtime sponsors - Big Machine Records. Contemporary Christian singers have also been invited several times. Traditions that were kept include a balloon release, a flyby, and an invocation (The last two are part of most NASCAR events). Rev. Howard Brammer of Traders Point Christian Church conducted the invocation for every Brickyard 400 from 1994 to 2019, differing from the Indy 500, where the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis is normally invited. In 2020, Mark Schuitema of College Park Church took over the duty.

In 1998, for the first time since 1954, a person gave the starting command at the track who was not a member of the Hulman-George family. The president of NASCAR, Bill France, Jr. gave the command, celebrating the 50th anniversary of NASCAR.


 * In 2016, Tony Stewart led the field out, but took his spot in the field before the green flag wove.
 * In 2018, Carly Pearce was scheduled to sing the national anthem, but the race was rained out and rescheduled for the next day. Big Machine Records artist Payton Smith sang in substitute.

ABC
From 1994 to 2000, the race was broadcast live on ABC Sports, who had televised the Indianapolis 500 since 1965. ESPN/ESPN2 carried live coverage of practice and qualifying. The race was scheduled for the first Saturday in August, at 12:15 pm EST (1:15 pm EDT). Saturday was chosen for the running of the race to allow for Sunday as a rain date. In the Indianapolis market, the race was blacked out, and aired in same-day tape delay later in the evening.

Prior to the first running, ESPN covered the feasibility tests in both 1992 and 1993 through its SpeedWeek program. During the 1992 test, ESPN utilized on-board footage from inside Kyle Petty's car, captured from Petty's personal video camera. During the summer leading up to the 1994 race, ESPN broadcast a series of preview shows titled Road to the Brickyard.

In 1995, rain delayed the start until 4:25 EST (5:25 EDT). ABC had already signed off, and made the decision to air the race via tape delay on ESPN the following day. In the greater Indianapolis area, the race was shown tape delay that night at 7 pm on WRTV as planned. The 1995 race ran until 7:03 pm EST (8:03 pm EDT), which was believed to be the second-latest time of day cars have ever driven on the track.


 * Note: Paul Page served as pre-race host in 1994–1996.

NBC/TNT
From 2001 to 2006, the race was broadcast on NBC, as part of a new eight-year, $2.4-billion centralized television deal involving FOX/FX and NBC/TNT. The race was moved from Saturday to Sunday, and the start time was moved to 1:45 pm EST (2:45 pm EDT). In 2006, Indiana began observing Daylight Saving Time, and the race was scheduled for 2:45 pm EDT.

After switching to NBC and the centralized television contract, the local blackout policy was lifted. During this contract, TNT carried pole qualifying live. The final "Happy Hour" practice was carried live on CNN/SI in 2001, and on Speed from 2002 to 2006.


 * Notes: Bill Weber served as pre-race host on the NBC "War Wagon" from 2001 to 2004, and in the booth in 2005–2006.

ESPN
From 2007 to 2014, under the terms of a new $4.48-billion contract, television rights were held by ESPN. The race swapped dates with the Pennsylvania 500, and effectively moved up one weekend. The change was made so that ESPN/ABC could kick off their NASCAR coverage with the more-attractive telecast. The move to cable drew some mild controversy after thirteen years of having been on network television. The starting time was slightly earlier than in the past, at 2:30 pm EDT. Practice and qualifying are carried by ESPN, ESPN2, and Speed.

In 2009–2014, the race was advertised on ESPN as Brickyard 400 presented by Golden Corral. The different name is due to a standing policy by NASCAR to not mention the race's title sponsor on-air more than the required twice per hour unless an advertising premium is paid to the network.

NBCSN/NBC
Under the terms of a new $2.7 billion television deal from 2015 to 2024, the race is part of the NASCAR on NBC package. In 2015 and 2016, the race aired live on NBCSN. In 2017, as a deal with broadcasting changes, the race will air on NBC.

Also in 2015 and again in 2016, the race was advertised on NBCSN as NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Racing from the Brickyard Presented by Golden Corral, with the Golden Corral sponsorship being transferred from ESPN. Crown Royal has never paid the advertising premiums required by the network broadcasting the race to be mentioned as title sponsor of the race, either to ESPN/ABC or to NBC. In 2017, the race aired on NBC, returning to a broadcast network for the first time since 2006. The race will move back to NBCSN in 2018.

Radio
All races have been broadcast on radio through the IMS Radio Network. Since 2004, Performance Racing Network has co-produced the race. Doug Rice, who is the chief announcer for PRN, currently anchors the broadcast, with PRN staff joining with IMS during the race broadcast.

From 1994 to 1999, Mike Joy anchored the broadcast. From 2000 to 2003, Mike King served as chief announcer. In 2004, Doug Rice joined King as co-anchor. In 2007–2008, the co-anchors were Doug Rice and Bob Jenkins. In 2009, Jenkins moved to Versus for IndyCar, and as a result, Chris Denari took over as co-anchor with Doug Rice.