A strong lap time in practice doesn’t always guarantee a pole position in qualifying, but it does provide a solid baseline for understanding a car’s performance that weekend. It gives teams a good idea of what to expect. And, when you set the fastest lap time before the Brickyard 400, hopes naturally start to soar.

Tyler Reddick has achieved just that, putting the #45 team in a great position to challenge points leader Chase Elliott and vie for those crucial playoff points. After practice in Indianapolis, Reddick sounded optimistic, saying, “If everything goes well, we’ll grab those points.”

Can Tyler Reddick become the table-topper in Brickyard?

The NASCAR Cup Series is returning to the oval at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Cup Series last raced on the Indianapolis oval in 2020. After that, NASCAR decided to race at IMS in 2021. The series has run on the Indy Road Course for the last three years. The return to the oval is historic, as it marks the 30th anniversary of the first race held at Brickyard 400. In 1994, Hendrick Motorsports’s Jeff Gordon won the first race here.

This race weekend is also special, as it will be the first time the next generation of cars, which was introduced in 2022, will run on this track. The debut of the Next-Gen has made it uncertain to predict a winner. However, for the time being, we can probably predict it from practice lap times. 23IX racer Tyler Reddick has taken the top spot in practice laps. He paced the field with a lap of 182.582 mph in the 50-minute practice session.

Reddick, who won the Verizon 200 in its 2022 edition, will be hoping to repeat his performance. The #45 is only 15 points behind the top spot of Elliot. Post-practice, Reddick seemed optimistic about his chances at the Brickyard 400, he said, “Certainly. But not necessarily to lose your mind like I have to win right. When you have solid cars like these, it’s just about executing. We do our job tom, we should have a really good shot. Very solid pit stop. I think that is our main priority.”

According to Reddick, it all depends on execution, getting a good starting position in qualifications, and optimizing the pit stops. If it all happens perfectly, the team will get the points.

Other favorites weren’t too far behind Reddick. Pocono winner, and in hope of a back-to-back win, Ryan Blaney was second on the speed chart with a lap time of 181.928 mph. Denny Hamlin is surely a favorite, if not the most, even though he’s not won a single race here. He clocked a time of 181.561 mph. The top three were followed by Chrisopher Bell and Alex Bowman in lap time.

There are a lot of uncertain factors, including the fact that no one has raced this oval in three years. When they finally arrive after a long haul, it will be in a new kind of car. The Brickyard has everyone scratching their heads as they predict a winner.

Denny Hamlin is a favorite to win in Indianapolis

If we were to solely decide based on practice time, we would have Hamlin’s 23XI driver as the winner, and Hamlin himself would be 3rd. However, it isn’t all that simple. Brickyard is a game of strategy, as veteran Denny Hamlin said in a press conference. He had echoed the words of Tyler Reddick when he said, “It will be an execution-type race; you’ll need to qualify well, but you just never know what can happen. Strategy is a big thing there.” 

It has been said time and again that Brickyard has similarities to Pocono. Even Hamlin said this in the press conference. Racers who dominated on the Tricky Triangle are likely to dominate here as well.

Would Ryan Blaney get a back-to-back victory, or would Hamlin finally get the missing piece in his puzzle? Halim is the top choice for Kevin Harvick. Kevin Harvick was the last winner of the oval when it took place in 2020. He was also the winner of the 2019 edition, making him the star of Brickyard 400. This is why he probably took the liberty of predicting the winner.

On Actions Detrimental, he said,  “I kind of spilled mine earlier. I just keep picking the #11. I think I did pick the #11 last week. I think they’re going to win,” Harvick said. “I think they’re going to win the championship this year. We might not make it all the way through the playoffs, and you can give me a hard time, but if I had to pick today, that’s my guy.”

In a PRNlive episode, Jordan Bianchi also rooted for Hamlin. He said, “I would expect Hamlin’s going to be very much in the mix on Sunday. Again, it goes back to the fact that he has never won this race before. He’s won the Coca-Cola 600, he’s won Daytona three times, he’s won the Southern 500. What is the one major that’s missing from his resume? It’s this one.”  

Denny Hamlin is just a natural choice, as everyone wants him to finally win at the Brickyard. He has come extremely close to winning but hasn’t. However, this time, things seem to be in his favor. He’s coming off momentum with his P2 finish at Pocono. He showed a good pace in the practice session. It would be thrilling to see where he is placed after the qualifications and how he converts all this into a victory.

Do you think Hamlin will be able to add the Brickyard 400 feather to his crown? Or will Tyler Reddick maintain his pace right until the checkered flag? Let us know in the comments below.