Brad Keselowski passed Denny Hamlin on the second-to-last lap and held on to the lead to win the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
It was the second straight win for Keselowski, who finishes the NASCAR Cup Series regular season as the hottest driver heading into the playoffs.
No Changes to Postseason Field
The Brickyard 400 was delayed by a day because of rain, but that didn’t lessen anticipation for the race. As the final regular season contest, it represented the last chance for drivers to improve their playoff position, or for those on the bubble, to ensure they made it into the postseason at all.
In the end, the final two playoff spots went to the drivers who were sitting in 15th and 16th place heading into the race. Jimmie Johnson and Alex Bowman didn’t have great races – finishing in 16th and 33rd positions, respectively – but without an upset winner, that was enough to hold on to their playoff berths.
“I’m just proud I’ve made every playoff since NASCAR started them,” Johnson said after the race. “We have a lot of experience and I think our experience in pressure-packed situations will help us.”
Ultimately, the battle for first place didn’t have any serious playoff implications, but it still provided plenty of excitement. Off a restart with just three laps remaining, Hamlin held the lead, but was having a difficult time fending off Keselowski, who was on fresher tires.
After multiple attempts and a little bumping between the two leaders, Keselowski was eventually able to cleanly pass Hamlin and pull away for an unassailable lead. Erik Jones would also pass by Hamlin to claim second place, .904 seconds behind the leader, while Hamlin finished third.
“Last year, I lost this race almost the exact same way,” Keselowski said after his win. “To bring it home this way, after messing up last year, is just incredible.”
Kyle Busch Wins Regular Season Title
Kyle Busch didn’t have his best race of the year, finishing in eighth place after starting from the pole. However, that was still enough for Busch to clinch the regular-season championship, giving him a 15-point bonus heading into the playoffs.
“We had a lot of ups and downs, mostly downs, but fought our way back,” Busch said while receiving the trophy for the regular-season winner. “In the grand scheme of things it was a pretty good day considering we get to go home with some hardware.”
The bonus points that come along with the title put Busch even with Kevin Harvick, as the two drivers will each start the playoffs with 2,050 points. Martin Truex Jr. starts the posted season in third position with 2,035 points, while Keselowski has moved into fourth place at 2,019 points.
Keselowski’s hot finish has moved him up the list of contenders for the NASCAR Cup Series championship, but the favorites remain the big three that have dominated all season long. According to Ladbrokes, Harvick (11/4) and Truex (11/4) remain the co-favorites, while Busch (3/1) is a very close third choice. The next tier of contenders includes Kyle Larson (7/1), Keselowski (12/1), and Chase Elliot (14/1).
The NASCAR playoffs begin next week with the South Point 400 in Las Vegas. The postseason begins with 16 drivers in contention, with the field narrowing to 12, eight, and four contenders across the 10 playoff races.
