When the decision was made to remove the Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, the move eliminated one of the four crown jewels from the season’s schedule.
Well, that crown jewel will return after three years of the NASCAR Cup Series competing on the 2.439-mile road course layout at Indianapolis.
The legendary speedway made the announcement on Thursday afternoon with a video that it shared on social media. The event, which will run on the 30th anniversary year of the Inaugural Brickyard 400, will be named the Brickyard 400 presented by PPG. The race will run on July 21, 2024.
The #Brickyard400 presented by @PPG returns??
30 years after the Inaugural race, we’re running it back to our @NASCAR roots, 90’s themed and all. ?#NASCAR | #ThisIsIndy | @PPGRefinish_NA pic.twitter.com/YwkuW12xzY
— Indianapolis Motor Speedway (@IMS) September 28, 2023
In addition to the NASCAR Cup Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series will also return to the Brickyard on July 20, 2024.
Jeff Gordon won the first-ever Brickyard 400 in 1994, and over the course of the storied history of the event, the winner’s list reads as a who’s who of the sport.
Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Dale Jarrett, Ricky Rudd, Bobby Labonte, Bill Elliott, Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Jamie McMurray, Paul Menard, Ryan Newman, Kyle Busch, Kasey Kahne, and Brad Keselowski are the drivers that have achieved victory in the 400-mile event around the yard of bricks.
Harvick, who is retiring at season’s end, was the last driver who tasted victory lane in a Brickyard 400 back in 2020.
As we still await the complete 2024 NASCAR Cup Series schedule, the Brickyard 400 announcement is the second 2024 schedule news drop of the day on Thursday.
It was revealed, earlier in the day, North Wilkesboro Speedway will return as the host venue for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race.