Top Dog: Todd Gilliland
Indianapolis. Home to the Greatest Spectacle in Racing in the Indianapolis 500, several professional sports teams and the Brickyard 400.
After a three-year stretch on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, the NASCAR Cup Series returned to the hallowed yard of bricks on the oval layout for the 30th running of one of NASCAR’s crown jewel races.
The city recently became the home of basketball’s biggest female star, Caitlin Clark, a member of the Indiana Fever and the player featured on Josh Berry‘s hood at Indianapolis.
Just like Clark’s display of three-pointers, Todd Gilliland has been raining top 10 and 15 finishes as of late. His run continued at Indianapolis after he scored a sixth-place finish in his first start on the oval.
A caution-free stage one saw Gilliland finish 29th after starting 24th, making his green flag pit stop with nine laps remaining in the stage.
Gilliland stayed out to begin stage two, restarting inside the top 10. After falling to 13th, another caution on lap 70 prompted the No. 38 team to stay out again, promoting him into the top five.
The 24-year-old was forced to pit for fuel with 10 laps remaining in the stage, leaving him in 33rd at the end of the second frame.
For much of the first half of the stage, Gilliland was mired outside the top 20, where most drivers were fed to the wolves throughout the race. However, a caution on lap 110 allowed crew chief Ryan Bergenty to call for fuel only for his driver, putting Gilliland back inside the top 10.
With extensive fuel saving being the name of the game the final 30 laps, Gilliland maintained a spot inside the top 10. Despite a couple of late yellows that were certainly nail-biting for the team, Gilliland had enough fuel to cross the start/finish line just short of the top five at the checkered flag.
A brief lull at Pocono Raceway was sandwiched in-between several weeks of recent speed from Gilliland and company. It is his 11th finish of 17th or better in the last 13 races, something most drivers cannot lay claim to. The top 10 result gives Gilliland four on the year, matching his career-high from a year ago.
For a driver who finished fourth at the IMS road course as a rookie, it would not be a surprise to see him kissing the bricks there one day on the oval.
Notable Underdog Runs
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. put together one of his best overall weekends of the season. For the first time of the year and a first since Richmond Raceway last summer, Stenhouse advanced to the second round of qualifying, ending the session in ninth.
Stenhouse held serve in the first stage, earning two stage points in ninth. After running around the top 10 for most of the second stage, he outdid his stage one performance by two spots, finishing the stage in seventh.
NASCAR’s newest father stayed out to begin the final stretch, running inside the top five until the caution on lap 110, where the No. 47 came to pit road. Despite being in the eye of the storm in 25th after the stop, the 36-year-old inched his way forward. Drivers pitting for fuel and late cautions helped his cause, propelling him to 11th at the finish. It is his best finish in the Brickyard 400 and fourth showing of 11th or better in the past six races.
Right behind Stenhouse was Carson Hocevar, who finished 12th. The rookie started behind the eight ball to begin after qualifying 30th, yet quickly made his way forward throughout the event. Hocevar was a mainstay in the top 20 for the most part, but his race didn’t come without extra drama.
On lap 110, Hocevar stuck his car three-wide in the middle below Ryan Blaney entering turn 1. The two made contact, igniting an accident that ended the day for both Joey Logano and Jimmie Johnson, though Blaney and Hocevar were not hindered following the carnage.
From there, Hocevar made an appearance in the top 10 and even the lead as strategies came into play in the final stage. Ultimately, he scored his seventh result of 17th or better in the past eight events.
In addition to Hocevar, Spire Motorsports landed all three of its drivers in the top 20 with Corey LaJoie in 14th and Zane Smith in 17th. LaJoie had to bounce back from a penalty for his crew being over the wall too soon, yet was able to run inside the top 20 for much of the race. LaJoie’s top 15 also came with adversity after he ran out of fuel on the final lap.
Smith’s race was looking on target for potentially a top three finish, as he was on the same strategy as race leaders such as Blaney and Denny Hamlin in the closing laps. Unfortunately, a caution with two laps remaining was too much for the No. 71 team to feel comfortable on fuel, forcing Smith to pit. Despite the result, it was another quietly solid day for the rookie, notching his third top 20 in the last four weeks.
Rick Ware Racing was another team with a great organization day at the Brickyard. A week after running solid at Pocono, Cody Ware followed it up with the team’s best finish at IMS. Ware suffered a setback in stage two when he cut a tire and left debris on lap 70, eventually falling a lap down. However, he was able to gain it back and use some late cautions to score his best finish since the 2023 Daytona 500.
Rounding out the top 20 was Justin Haley, who once again pieced together a quality race for the team. Haley stayed out after stage two to restart inside the top 10, advancing forward from there. Following another caution shortly after the beginning of the final stage, Haley stayed out again to crack the top five, spending several laps towards the front of the field. He lost his track position after putting with just under 40 laps remaining, scrapping his way back for his ninth top 20 of the season.
Daniel Hemric went from being on track for top dog to being in the dog pound. Hemric stayed out on lap 112, the same as Brad Keselowski, putting both inside the top five as the laps wound down. Though it seemed inevitable Hemric would have to pit, he stayed aggressive and got as high as third as the laps elapsed. Once race winner Kyle Larson passed Hemric for third with nine laps left, Hemric hit pit road before a caution forced overtime.
On the restart, Hemric gained a huge run on John Hunter Nemechek, who backed up corner entry and threw a block, causing Hemric to hit him and unleash a violent crash. Hemric, who was uninjured, finished 30th after showing promising speed.
What They’re Saying
Gilliland (sixth):
Nemechek (29th) & Hemric (30th):
Johnson (33rd):
Harrison Burton (36th) and AJ Allmendinger (37th):
Who’s Really the Top Dog?
As we enter a two-week Olympic break, Gilliland stands atop the podium for the second time. Stenhouse secured his second consecutive silver medal while Hocevar scored the hat trick with his third bronze medal.
Gold: Stenhouse Jr. (4x), Erik Jones (4x), Hocevar (3x), Nemechek (2x), Allmendinger (2x), Gilliland (2x), LaJoie, Hemric, Haley, Smith, Joey Hand
Silver: Gilliland (6x), Haley (2x), Allmendinger (2x), Hemric (2x), Nemechek (2x), Stenhouse Jr. (2x), Burton, Hocevar, Smith, Ty Dillon, Anthony Alfredo, LaJoie
Bronze: Nemechek (3x), Stenhouse (3x), LaJoie (3x), Gilliland (3x), Hocevar (3x), Jones (2x), Kaz Grala, Shane van Gisbergen, Haley, Allmendinger, Hemric
Small Team Scheme of the Week
If you were looking for the iconic red and white No. 21 this weekend, you are still looking.
Burton sported a scheme fit for the Brickyard with Draiver coming on board. Featuring a black and rose gold design, the figures on the car had a unique design that even looked brick-shaped in certain areas. Unfortunately, it didn’t even see the halfway point of the race, as Burton suffered a broken control arm in the first big crash of the afternoon, forcing him out of the race.
About the author
Luken Glover joined the Frontstretch team in 2020 as a contributor, furthering a love for racing that traces back to his earliest memories. Glover inherited his passion for racing from his grandfather, who used to help former NASCAR team owner Junie Donlavey in his Richmond, Va. garage. A 2023 graduate from the University of the Cumberlands, Glover is the author of "The Underdog House," contributes to commentary pieces, and does occasional at-track reporting. Additionally, Glover enjoys working in ministry, coaching basketball, playing sports, and karting.
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