The final race of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series regular season is the Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Here we are at the final race of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series regular season and one last chance for a driver to sneak his way into the playoffs with a win on Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway! A kiss of the bricks would be extra sweet for any driver outside of the top 16 on Sunday and this is definitely possible.
Throwback weekend at Darlington Raceway was a big success, especially for Brad Keselowski and Team Penske. Keselowski was able to fend off all challengers and bring his Miller Genuine Draft Ford to victory lane for the first time in the 2018 season.
If I were the competition, I would start to look over my shoulder at Team Penske, as they are starting to get hot at the right time of year before the playoffs begin at Las Vegas Motor Speedway next week.
We have been privileged enough to see a couple of different names atop the leaderboard at Indianapolis when the checkered flag waved in recent years. Last year, Kasey Kahne shocked the world by winning, and in similar fashion, Paul Menard did so in 2011.
Here is what to watch for this weekend in the Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard, also known as the Brickyard 400.
What to watch
An outsider becomes an insider
It’s do-or-die time for several drivers this Sunday at the Brickyard. Sunday’s race at Indianapolis is the final shot at making the playoffs for those on the outside looking in. Some of the names to look out for are Kasey Kahne, the defending Brickyard winner, Ryan Newman, who won the race in 2012, and Jamie McMurray, who won the race in 2010. There are several others whose names could be at the top when it’s all said and done.
Pre-playoff drama
One of the best aspects to NASCAR is the way drivers race when they are desperate. Ryan Newman’s incident with Kyle Larson in Phoenix in 2014 comes to mind. Newman needed to beat Larson to the line on the final lap to secure a spot in the Championship 4 and did so by running Larson up the track.
Although we wouldn’t ordinarily see this type of behavior, we could see it for the win this Sunday. If someone outside of the top 16 is battling for the win, that driver may take drastic measures to make it in.
Late caution will create a wild finish
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One thing we haven’t seen much of in 2018 are late cautions, which make for very interesting racing in the last few laps. Last year, Kasey Kahne was victorious in overtime after beating Brad Keselowski to lock himself into the playoffs. This race only had an average green flag run of eight laps between caution flag periods.
This Sunday’s Indianapolis race being the last race before the playoffs begin could produce hard pushing, tire issues, brake failures and several other scenarios that could bring out the yellow flag late in the race. If you’re the leader with 10 laps to go, don’t count on the race going green to the end.
What will you be watching for this weekend at Indianapolis? Will a driver outside of the top 16 be victorious and punch his ticket into the playoffs? Tune into NBC Sports Network this Sunday at 2:00 p.m. ET for the live broadcast of the Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard!