Brickyard Bonanaza: IndyCar and NASCAR Make for Historic Holiday Weekend

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Independence Day weekend 2020 might not be the like the star-spangled celebrations we’ve enjoyed in the past, but at least there will be fireworks in the epicenter of the motorsports universe. Too bad fans won’t be there to see it.

A historic weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway has IndyCar and NASCAR events in consecutive days at the hallowed racetrack. The grandstands will be nearly empty due to the COVID-19 crisis, but all races are televised by NBC.

On July 4 at 12pm ET, NTT IndyCar Series drivers Josef Newgarden, Alexander Rossi, Scott Dixon, Simon Pagenaud, Will Power and others race for 85 laps around the speedway’s 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course in the GMR Grand Prix, which was rescheduled from May.

Following the IndyCar race (approximately 2:30pm ET), the NASCAR Xfinity Series holds the Pennzoil 150 at the Brickyard, the first NASCAR race ever held on the track’s road course. Noah Gragson, Chase Briscoe, Harrison Burton and Austin Cindric are among the series’ top up-and-coming drivers.

On Sunday at 4pm ET, the NASCAR Cup Series Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 at the Brickyard has Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott and other stars driving for 160 laps around Indy’s 2.5-mile oval. Harvick started last year’s race at the pole and finished first, getting to plant a victory kiss on the Yard of Bricks.

Elsewhere in racing, Formula 1 will start its season with eight races in Europe. Austria hosts races July 5 (ESPN, 9am ET) and July 12, and the Hungarian Grand Prix is July 19. F1 plans on having 15-18 races this season, with more to be announced. ESPN and ESPN2 televise F1 races.

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Member of the Television Critics Association. Charter member of the Ancient and Mystic Society of No Homers. Squire of the Ancient & Benevolent Order of the Lynx, Lodge 49, Long Beach, Calif. Costco Wholesale Gold Star Member since 2011.