IMS Reports Spike in Ticket Sales for Brickyard 400 Return – Indianapolis News | Indiana Weather | Indiana Traffic

SPEEDWAY, Ind. (WISH) — More than 70,000 fans showed up for the return of the Brickyard 400 to Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, a 15 percent increase over last year’s Verizon 200 at the track, according to IMS.

NASCAR’s return to the famed oval circuit was crowned with a new champion: Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson.

Larson attempted to pull Double Duty in May by running the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. Weather conditions ruined his chances, and Larson finished 18th in his first attempt at the Indy 500. Less than two months later, he got his redemption in overtime, beating Ryan Blaney and a rising Tyler Reddick in double overtime for his first checkered at the Brickyard.

“It’s something you dream about for a long time,” Larson told News 8 after kissing the stones.

Thirty years after Jeff Gordon won the first Brickyard 400, and his first of a record five, Kyle Larson joined his current team owner Hendrick Motorsports and joined the exclusive club of drivers who have won at IMS.

“I was joking with him earlier today, I was like, ‘Man, I gotta win today because I gotta make you aware of some of these stats and records,'” Larson said. “So it feels special to have one and share in 11 Brickyard 400 wins for Hendrick Motorsports.”

“I mean, it’s hard to believe it’s been 30 years since the first one,” Gordon said. “That’s a coveted trophy and a great place to race. I can see how much it means to Kyle, and to me that’s what this race and this track is all about.”

NASCAR Cup Series drivers could feel the excitement of the Brickyard’s return all weekend.

“Every time I come here I feel the love from the Hoosier State,” said Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe, who is originally from Mitchell, Indiana. “So it’s always nice to be back home and appreciate all the support.”

“It was fun, man,” said Todd Gilliland, who finished sixth. “It’s a chaotic race — a lot of it’s one lane, so people are aggressively passing. We saw that with Kyle Busch and others. … For me, it was really fun. You could definitely feel the prestige.”

The prestige ensured that the track was packed with NASCAR races for the first time in four years.

“I think the amount of tickets we sold last week, that’s probably 11 or 12 years of interest,” Roger Penske said. “I think the sport, the speedway, what we’ve been able to do here has made a big difference.”

“It’s just special to come here to Indianapolis,” said fourth-place finisher Christopher Bell. “It’s a super (expletive) race track, probably one of the coolest we’ve ever been to. It’s just a privilege to be able to race here.”

A privilege that will be seen again on the oval circuit in 2025.