NASCAR at Indy: Can Shane van Gisbergen surprise again? How to watch, betting info

The best stock car drivers in the world are headed to the Brickyard ... sorta.

The NASCAR Cup Series is set to visit the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. The race will be broadcast on NBC, IMS Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

This isn’t the Brickyard oval that race fans of the 2000s know and love; this is the reconfigured road course that hosted its inaugural Cup race in 2021. That race was won by AJ Allmendinger — one of his two all-time Cup wins — and then Tyler “Road Course Jesus” Reddick won it in 2022.

One important programming note: There are a few market preemptions due to NFL preseason games Sunday. See those details below. The race will be available in all markets on Peacock, the NBC Sports app and nbcsports.com.

*JIP = Joined in Progress

Story lines heading into Verizon 200

Here are five story lines to know heading into Sunday’s race in Indianapolis.

▪ Shane van Gisbergen is here and ready to wreak havoc again. The New Zealand-born and full-time Supercars Championship driver shocked the racing world when he was last in a Cup car — winning the first NASCAR Cup Series street race when the series descended on Chicago. The 34-year-old is back in Trackhouse Racing equipment again, driving for Project91, and will be among the most discussed drivers in the race. He competed in the Truck Series race — an oval — on Friday. And as NBC’s Dustin Long reported: this weekend, particularly Sunday’s Cup race, will serve as a precursor to him moving to NASCAR next year in some capacity.

▪ Noah Gragson and Legacy Motor Club have parted ways. The 25-year-old driver and his race team announced Thursday that he has been released from his contract so Gragson can “take time to work through the NASCAR reinstatement process.” NASCAR and his race team suspended him after what he called his “disappointing” behavior on social media earlier this week. As far as this weekend is concerned, close Jimmie Johnson collaborator Mike “Rocky” Rockenfeller will drive the No. 42 entry this weekend. He also will race next weekend at Watkins Glen.

▪ Michael McDowell takes himself out of the NASCAR free agency frenzy. The Ford driver who is in playoff contention at the moment is having a career year — and that made his departure from Front Row Motorsports in NASCAR’s silly season a possibility if another opportunity at a larger team presented itself. But that changed on Wednesday, when FRM exercised its option to retain Todd Gilliland and McDowell for all races in 2024. An important note: Zane Smith, a young FRM driver in the Truck Series, is still in discussions with the team but is also exploring other opportunities, per a release.

▪ Sunday’s restart zone has been moved, which will hopefully prevent the crapshoot that last year’s ending was. The new restart zone is in between Turns 13 and 14, with the “Choose V” located prior to Turn 7. This adjustment is an attempt by NASCAR to avoid the caution-after-caution-after-caution finishes that have plagued road courses this year — as well as Indy’s race last year. (Turn 1 at Indy is so tight that cars were crawling through there.)

▪ Who will be the next Indianapolis road course winner? Sports bettors selected predictably for this weekend’s race at Indy. Martin Truex Jr. — driver of the hottest team in the Cup Series at the moment — opened as the favorite at 4-1 odds. Reddick came after him (11-2). A winless Chase Elliott, who is watching his playoff chances get slimmer by the weekend but is remarkable at road courses, opened at 15-2 odds, with van Gisbergen coming right after him at 10-1 odds.

How to watch NASCAR race at Indy

• Race: Verizon 200 at the Brickyard

• Place: Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course

• Date: Sunday, August 13

• Time: 2:30 p.m.

• Purse: $9,158,803

• TV: NBC, 2 p.m.

• Radio: IMS, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

• Distance: 199.998 miles (82 Laps)

• Stages: Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 15), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 35), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 82)

Starting lineup for race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway