Indianapolis Motor Speedway 2025 NASCAR Track Profile

[Editor’s note: The following article is from Athlon Sports’ 2025 Racing Annual magazine. Order your copy online today, or buy one at retail racks and newsstands nationwide.]

Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the most iconic and historic track in North America – and arguably the world – but it’s hardly because of NASCAR. The facility that hosts the NTT IndyCar Series’ legendary Indianapolis 500 has been around since 1909. The 2.5-mile course is more of a rectangle than an oval, and despite all four turns looking identical, cars react to each differently.

NASCAR has visited IMS since 1994 when Jeff Gordon announced his Cup Series presence with authority. The series raced at the track’s infield road course instead of the oval from 2021-23, but last year NASCAR brought back the Brickyard 400 in honor of its 30th anniversary at Indy and will use the oval once again in 2025.

Kyle Larson won that race in the same paint scheme he donned in the Indy 500 earlier in the year. But he led only eight laps. Tyler Reddick had the dominant car, leading the most laps (40) before finishing second.

Other than Larson, Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch are the only o ther active drivers with Brickyard 400 wins. In 17 starts, Busch has the most top 10s (12), is tied with Denny Hamlin for the most top 5s (five), and has the most laps led (329) among active drivers.

The Brickyard 400 is the final jewel in the crown that Hamlin has left to win (aside from that pesky championship), and he has been painfully close to doing so. In 2018, he was passed for the win by Keselowski with two laps to go. Hamlin was leading in 2020 when a tire blew with eight laps to go. In 2024, the No. 11 driver won the first stage, led 21 laps, and was in the top 5 most of the day until gett ing caught up in an overtime crash.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway track info

Site: Speedway, Indiana

Laps: 2.5-mile oval

Banking/Turns: 9 degrees

2025 Date: July 27

Distance: 160 laps, 400 miles

2024 winner

Kyle Larson

Scouting report

After four years of racing on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, the decision was made to put NASCAR back on the 2.5-mile oval for the Brickyard 400 in 2024 – and both national touring divisions delivered. The Cup race, specifically, was the most compelling edition in its three-decade history. The Next Gen car, with reduced power and wider tires, was able to maintain side-by-side racing more than its predecessor. And make no mistake, it still means a great deal to win on the same layout as the Indianapolis 500 – certainly more than on the road course.