With five NASCAR Cup Series regular-season races remaining, here are some storylines for Sunday’s Brickyard 400 Presented by PPG at Indianapolis Motor Speedway:
- Over his past five outings, Chase Elliott maneuvered his way from P4 in the drivers’ standings, 104 points back, to circuit leader, pacing slumping Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron by 16 points. Over his past six starts, Byron’s average finish is 25.33.
- Denny Hamlin seeks to become the fifth driver to earn the grand slam of Crown Jewel races (Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 500, Southern 500 and Brickyard 400). If he claims back-to-back events Sunday, Hamlin would join Dale Earnhardt Sr., Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson as the lone pilots to achieve the feat.
- Is he in or is he out? Bubba Wallace has spent more time on the playoff bubble (P16 or P17 in the drivers’ standings) 23 times in the Next Gen era, most of any driver.
- Chase Briscoe captured the pole position for the Daytona 500 and Coca-Cola 600 this season. Can he make it a Crown Jewel trifecta during Saturday’s qualifying session?
- Kyle Busch has failed to pace the field during his past nine starts, tying his career’s longest skid (June-August 2005).
- Only one driver entering an event at the IMS oval below the playoff cutoff line visited Victory Lane at the other 2.5-mile asphalt track. That driver was Kasey Kahne, who entered 181 points out of the chase in 2017.
- Kyle Larson (+350) was tabbed with the top sports-betting odds to capture his first circuit title since 2021, according to BetOnline Sportsbook. Denny Hamlin (+425), coming off his circuit-best fourth win last Sunday at Dover, earned the second-best odds to capture his first drivers’ championship.
The @NASCAR Cup Series playoffs are heating up with five weeks to go 👀 🔥 pic.twitter.com/i4dJQwq9Dp
— Sports on Prime (@SportsonPrime) July 21, 2025
2025 NASCAR Cup Series Drivers’ Championship Odds
Here is a Week 22 look at the drivers’ odds for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series drivers’ championship, according to BetOnline Sportsbook:
| Driver | 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Odds |
|---|---|
| Kyle Larson | +350 |
| Denny Hamlin | +425 |
| Christopher Bell | +550 |
| Ryan Blaney | +550 |
| William Byron | +700 |
| Chase Elliott | +900 |
| Tyler Reddick | +1400 |
| Joey Logano | +1600 |
| Ross Chastain | +1800 |
| Chase Briscoe | +2000 |
| Chris Buescher | +3300 |
| Carson Hocevar | +4000 |
| Josh Berry | +4000 |
| Alex Bowman | +4500 |
| Austin Cindric | +4500 |
| Kyle Busch | +5000 |
| Bubba Wallace | +5000 |
| Ty Gibbs | +5000 |
| Shane van Gisbergen | +7500 |
| Brad Keselowski | +8000 |
| Ryan Preece | +10000 |
| Austin Dillon | +25000 |
| Daniel Suarez | +25000 |
| AJ Allmendinger | +25000 |
| Erik Jones | +30000 |
| Noah Gragson | +30000 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | +30000 |
| Michael McDowell | +30000 |
| Zane Smith | +50000 |
| Justin Haley | +50000 |
| Todd Gilliland | +50000 |
| John Hunter Nemechek | +50000 |
| Cole Custer | +50000 |
| Ty Dillon | +50000 |
*-Odds current at time of publication
