Swishes over rocks for Todd Gilliland in Indianapolis

A brief break at Pocono Raceway was sandwiched between several weeks of recent speed from Gilliland and co. It’s his 11th finish of 17th or better in the last 13 races, something most drivers can’t claim. 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 circuit as a rookie, it would come as no surprise to see him one day kiss the brick oval there.

Notable Underdog Runs

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. had one of his best weekends of the season. For the first time this year and the first time since Richmond Raceway last summer, Stenhouse reached the second lap of qualifying and finished the session in ninth place.

Stenhouse held his serve in the first stage and earned two points in ninth place. After running around the top 10 for most of the second stage, he improved his first stage performance by two spots and finished the stage in seventh place.

NASCAR’s newest father stayed out to start the final stretch, running in the top five until the caution on lap 110, when the No. 47 pitted. Despite being in the eye of the storm in 25th place after the stop, the 36-year-old slowly worked his way up. Drivers pitting for fuel and late cautions helped him out, helping him finish in 11th place. It’s his best finish in the Brickyard 400 and his fourth 11th-or-better finish in the past six races.

Right behind Stenhouse was Carson Hocevar, who finished 12th. The rookie started behind the eight ball to start 30th after qualifying, but quickly made his way up during the event. Hocevar was generally a fixture in the top 20, but his race was not without additional drama.

On lap 110, Hocevar got his car three-abreast in the middle of Ryan Blaney entering Turn 1. The two made contact, resulting in a day-ending accident for both Joey Logano and Jimmie Johnson. However, Blaney and Hocevar were unaffected by the carnage.

From there, Hocevar moved into the top 10 and even took the lead when late-stage strategies came into play, eventually scoring his seventh result of 17th or better in the last eight events.

Besides Hocevar, Spire Motorsports was able to get all three of its drivers inside the top 20 with Corey LaJoie in 14th and Zane Smith in 17th. LaJoie had to bounce back from a penalty for his team going over the wall too early, but was still able to run inside the top 20 for much of the race. LaJoie’s top 15 also came with a setback when he ran out of fuel on the final lap.

Smith’s race looked set for a potential top-three finish as he followed the same strategy as race leaders Blaney and Denny Hamlin in the closing laps. Unfortunately, a caution with two laps to go was too much for the No. 71 team to get comfortable with fuel, forcing Smith to pit. Despite the result, it was another quietly solid day for the rookie, who recorded his third top 20 in the last four weeks.

Rick Ware Racing was another team that had a great day of organizing at the Brickyard. A week after a solid run at Pocono, Cody Ware followed it up with the team’s best finish at IMS. Ware suffered a setback in the second stage when he punctured a tire and left debris in his wake on lap 70, ultimately dropping him a lap down. He was able to bounce back, however, and used some late cautions to earn his best finish since the 2023 Daytona 500.

Rounding out the top 20 was Justin Haley, who had another solid race for the team. Haley stayed out after the second stage to restart in the top 10, and built his way up from there. After another caution shortly into the final stage, Haley again stayed out to move into the top five, spending several laps toward the front of the field. He lost his position on the track after pitting with just under 40 laps to go, and fought 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, as did Brad Keselowski, and put them both in the top five as the laps ticked by. While it seemed inevitable that Hemric would have to pit, he remained aggressive and got as high as third as the laps ticked by. After race winner Kyle Larson passed Hemric for third with nine laps to go, Hemric pitted before a caution forced overtime.

On the restart, Hemric made a huge run at John Hunter Nemechek, who backed into the corner and threw a block, causing Hemric to hit him and causing a violent crash. Hemric, who was unhurt, finished 30th after showing promising speed.

What they say

Gilliland (sixth):

Nemechek (29th) and Hemric (30th):

Johnson (33rd):

Harrison Burton (36th) and AJ Allmendinger (37th):

Who’s really the boss?

As we head into a two-week Olympic break, Gilliland finds himself on the podium for the second time. Stenhouse claimed his second consecutive silver medal, while Hocevar scored a 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 Schedule of the Week

If you were looking for the iconic red and white No. 21 this weekend, you’re still looking.

Burton had a scheme that suited the Brickyard with Draiver on board. With a black and rose gold design, the figures on the car had a unique design that even looked brick-shaped in places. Unfortunately, it didn’t even make it to the halfway point of the race, as Burton suffered a broken wishbone in the first major crash of the afternoon, forcing him out of the race.

Luken Glover joined the Frontstretch team as a staffer in 2020, further expanding his love of racing that dates back to his earliest memories. Glover inherited his passion for racing from his grandfather, who helped former NASCAR team owner Junie Donlavey in his Richmond, Virginia, garage. Glover graduated from the University of the Cumberlands in 2023, is the author of “The Underdog House,” contributes commentary pieces, and occasionally reports from the track. Additionally, Glover enjoys working in waitstaff, coaching basketball, playing sports, and karting.

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