NASCAR at Indianapolis results: AJ Allmendinger wins chaotic, crash-filled race at The Brickyard

Zac Al-Khateeb

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NASCAR at Indianapolis results: AJ Allmendinger wins chaotic, crash-filled race at The Brickyard image

NASCAR's first foray into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course was a chaotic, crash-filled mess that resulted in several cautions and two red-flag conditions as NASCAR attempted not only to clear cars from the track but also remove obstacles that proved too problematic for drivers.

Nowhere was that more evident than on Turn 6, where drivers had issues with the curb and speed bump all day. Several drivers spun out on the turn, but it didn't result in any significant delays until Lap 78, where roughly 10 cars crashed or spun in some form. The race went straight to overtime after the red-flag conditions were lifted, but the remaining drivers couldn't get one lap past the turn before more crashes ensued. That resulted in the second and final red flag of the day.

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Heading into the second overtime attempt, the top four racers were Denny Hamlin, NASCAR Cup Series rookie Chase Briscoe, AJ Allmendinger and Matt DiBenedetto, none of whom had a win to their name this season. It looked as if Hamlin, who has been consistent all year, would finally get that elusive first win, but Briscoe, who had just been assessed a penalty for cutting through the track, spun him out on the penultimate lap.

Allmendinger, an Xfinity Series driver who only drives road courses in the Cup Series, took advantage of the opportunity and made his way to victory lane in just his fourth Cup race this year. Moreover, Hamlin lost his regular-season points lead as Kyle Larson finished 22 points ahead of him Sunday.

The good news for Hamlin and bubble drivers Kevin Harvick and Tyler Reddick: Because Allmendinger is an Xfinity driver, he is not eligible to make the playoffs. So if there was to be any new first-time winner this season, there wasn't a better driver for that trio than the driver of the No. 16 car. Despite his unfortunate finish, Hamlin also locked himself into a playoff spot, though he has significant distance to make up in terms of playoff points.

Sporting News tracked updates and lap-by-lap highlights from NASCAR's race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Check out the complete results from the 82-lap, 200-mile Verizon 200 at The Brickyard.

NASCAR at Indianapolis live updates, highlights from The Brickyard

(All times Eastern)

5:03 p.m.: Final: Allmendinger wins! Your final top 10:

  1. AJ Allmendinger
  2. Ryan Blaney
  3. Kyle Larson
  4. Chase Elliot
  5. Matt DiBenedetto
  6. Kurt Busch
  7. Erik Jones
  8. Justin Haley
  9. Austin Cindric
  10. Ryan Newman

5:02 p.m.: Briscoe spins Hamlin out! Disaster for the No. 11 car. Allmendinger takes the lead on the last lap!

5:01 p.m.: They're past Turn 6.

5 p.m.: And here we go again. Briscoe's off into the grass but squarely behind Hamlin in second place.

4:54 p.m.: Hamlin still leads, but the three drivers directly behind him — Briscoe, AJ Allmendinger and DiBenedetto — are all winless this season. That's your top four drivers without a win this year and playoff spots on the line. Larson dropped to seventh.

4:53 p.m.: Reddick's out there without a hood.

4:49 p.m.: Red-flag conditions lifted. Back to a regular caution.

4:45 p.m.: Red-flag conditions again. Are they going to get rid of the bump on Turn 6 now, too?

4:41 p.m.: Caution 6 (overtime). Can you believe it? Another crash on Turn 6. Dillon, Custer and McDowell's cars are pretty damaged.

4:40 p.m.: Hamlin breaks away from the pack early.

4:39 p.m.: They're back at it! Two laps remain.

4:15 p.m.: No more curb at Turn 6.

4:14 p.m.: The question now: Can Hamlin hold off Larson for his first win of the season? They're running 1-2, currently.

4:13 p.m.: This is on the lap before the fallout: LaJoie went airborne.

4:11 p.m.: We're heading to overtime!

4:08 p.m.: Red flag conditions are up. Five laps remain.

4:01 p.m.: NASCAR also working on the sod and barrier near where Logano crashed.

3:55 p.m.: Judging from video review ... it looks as if 10 cars were involved in the crash, though not all of them were damaged — some merely spun out. Harvick, for example, is still on the track, but has a piece of someone else's car wedged into the left of his car:

3:49 p.m.: The road course is now closed under red flag conditions while NASCAR cleans up the carnage. There's also significant damage, again, to Turn 6.

3:44 p.m.: Caution 5 (Lap 78). NASCAR's not going to take chances on this one. Ryan Preece also has a lot of damage and is on the grass.

3:43 p.m.: Hamlin and Briscoe are fighting for the lead ... and there's several cars spinning out on Turn 6! Logano, Byron and Daniel Suarez's cars are destroyed. Byron reported that he hit the curb, which had come up off the track.

3:42 p.m.: More debris on the track on Turn 6, and Truex is spun out off the track. Another caution incoming with six laps to go?

3:41 p.m.: Hamlin will try to hold off the field with seven laps remaining. Larson (fifth) and Elliott (16th) are the most likely to take the lead from them.

3:38 p.m.: Hamlin and Kurt Busch staying out on the track during the pit availability. Trying to grab some positions.

3:31 p.m.: Caution 4 (Lap 72). Looks like debris on Turn 6.

3:29 p.m.: Larson's your leader with just 10 laps to go. Elliott's the closest racer to him, 4 seconds behind his teammate.

3:05 p.m.: Hamlin's gotta take better care of the lead if he wants to get this win.

3:02 p.m.: Lots of top-eight drivers pitting, except Hamlin. He passed the crowd by and is now in the lead.

2:58 p.m.: Larson now commands an over-3-second lead over second-place Byron, though he hasn't pitted since Lap 33. Lots of chances for lead changes with 30 laps remaining.

2:57 p.m.: Briscoe's on pit road after what looks to be some minor damage sustained to his car. He's getting some new tires as well.

2:44 p.m.: And there's the restart on Lap 44. Only 39 laps remain.

2:41 p.m.: So that's what they needed to fish out from under the curb:

2:36 p.m.: Almirola is getting some work done on his car.

2:35 p.m.: Caution 3 (Lap 43). Looks like the caution flag is out, but not because of any issues with cars; they need to repair the curb where the issue took place.

2:34 p.m.: Two cars spun out near the rear of the field, but no caution out. Looks like Almirola and Stenhouse were at the center of it.

2:33 p.m.: Larson and Elliott are your leaders heading into the final stage. They finished first and second last week at Watkins Glen.

2:24 p.m.: Reddick may have won the stage, but look at that battle between Elliott and Larson:

2:20 p.m.: Caution 2 (Lap 35). And there's another stage win for Reddick, who holds off Dillon for his second of the day and third of the season. Your full top 10:

  1. Tyler Reddick
  2. Austin Dillon
  3. Ryan Preece
  4. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
  5. Matt DiBenedetto
  6. Justin Haley
  7. Corey Lajoie
  8. Andy Lally
  9. Kyle Larson
  10. Chase Elliott

2:18 p.m.: Reddick and Dillon, both in need of points, battling it out for first place with just two laps left in the stage. Remember, Dillon trails his teammate by 15 points for the final playoff spot (assuming no new first-time winners).

2:16 p.m.: Lots of green-flag pits, including each of the top six. Reddick's still out there for now and could go for his second stage win of the day.

2:06 p.m.: Uh-oh. Keselowski hits the wall. Elliott is now the leader. Shortly after, Joey Logano spun out and lost considerable positioning as well.

2:02 p.m.: Kurt Busch enters pit road to get four fresh tires after taking a flat to his front right tire. That'll cost him some position.

2:01 p.m.: Christopher Bell and Matt DiBenedetto are battling and end up in the grass. Again, no caution.

1:59 p.m.: Now Elliott is in the lead. Looks like there will be several lead changes with big battles all over the field.

1:57 p.m.: Byron lost six places after taking the turn too fast and going off the track. He's still in the top 10, at No. 8.

1:55 p.m.: Keselowski's back in front, with Byron, Elliott, Joey Logano and Kyle Larson behind him in the top five.

1:42 p.m.: Caution 1 (Lap 15). Reddick gets the stage win — just his second of the season — and some much-needed points. Your top 10:

  1. Tyler Reddick
  2. Michael McDowell
  3. Austin Dillon
  4. Erik Jones
  5. Ryan Preece
  6. Brad Keselowski
  7. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
  8. Justin Haley
  9. Chase Briscoe
  10. Chase Elliott

1:41 p.m.: Reddick overtakes McDowell on Lap 14 and needs to hold him off to get the stage win. (Remember, McDowell started the season with a win in Daytona).

1:40 p.m.: Now McDowell and Reddick are jockeying for the lead; Reddick needs those points.

1:39 p.m.: Lots of people pitting under green, including each of the top six drivers. Only two laps remaining in the stage.

1:32 p.m.: And now Aric Almirola's on pit row; looks like he suffered some damage to the front right of his vehicle after contact with Corey LaJoie. He's getting new tires.

1:30 p.m.: Uh-oh. Austin Cindric lost traction on a turn and spun out (no caution). Looks like his rear wheels locked up. Either way that's considerable position lost for him.

1:25 p.m.: Martin Truex Jr. has pitted with what's being described on the NBC telecast as a front-right tire rub.

1:23 p.m.: Chase Briscoe overtakes William Byron — who had the poll — for the lead on Lap 3.

1:19 p.m.: And there's the green flag! Here comes the field, two by two, down the stretch.

1:06 p.m.: The most famous words in NASCAR:

12:54 p.m.: Reminder that today's race has stage ends on Laps 15, 35 and 82.

12:38 p.m.: Hamlin will likely root for Chase Elliott in the last road course of the season:

12:36 p.m.: The tension is palpable.

NASCAR start time today

  • Time: 1 p.m. ET (TV time)
  • TV channel: NBC (TSN 3, 5 in Canada)
  • Live stream: NBCSports.com | fuboTV ( 7-day free trial )

The green flag for Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race on Indianapolis Motor Speedway's 2.439-mile road course is scheduled to drop at 1:13 p.m. ET.

Weather conditions should be ideal. The National Weather Service's forecast for Sunday afternoon at the track calls for sunny skies and a high temperature near 80 degrees.

NASCAR starting lineup at Indianapolis

Here is the complete starting lineup for NASCAR's race at Indianapolis, the Verizon 200 at The Brickyard.

Start pos. Driver Car No. Team
1 William Byron 24 Hendrick Motorsports
2 Chase Briscoe 14 Stewart-Haas Racing
3 Chase Elliott 9 Hendrick Motorsports
4 Kyle Larson 5 Hendrick Motorsports
5 Daniel Suarez 99 TrackHouse Racing
6 Martin Truex Jr. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing
7 Joey Logano 22 Team Penske
8 AJ Allmendinger 16 Kaulig Racing
9 Ross Chastain 42 Chip Ganassi Racing
10 Cole Custer 41 Stewart-Haas Racing
11 Tyler Reddick 8 Richard Childress Racing
12 Michael McDowell 34 Front Row Motorsports
13 Austin Cindric 33 Team Penske
14 Denny Hamlin 11 Joe Gibbs Racing
15 Matt DiBenedetto 21 Wood Brothers Racing
16 Ryan Blaney 12 Team Penske
17 Christopher Bell 20 Joe Gibbs Racing
18 Aric Almirola 10 Stewart-Haas Racing
19 Chris Buescher 17 Roush Fenway Racing
20 Kurt Busch 1 Chip Ganassi Racing
21 Kyle Busch 18 Joe Gibbs Racing
22 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing
23 Austin Dillon 3 Richard Childress Racing
24 Alex Bowman 48 Hendrick Motorsports
25 Kevin Harvick 4 Stewart-Haas Racing
26 Corey LaJoie 7 Spire Motorsports
27 Bubba Wallace 23 23XI Racing
28 Erik Jones 43 Richard Petty Motorsports
29 Justin Haley 77 Spire Motorsports
30 Ryan Preece 37 JTG Daugherty Racing
31 Brad Keselowski 2 Team Penske
32 Ryan Newman 6 Roush Fenway Racing
33 Anthony Alfredo 38 Front Row Motorsports
34 James Davison 15 Rick Ware Racing
35 Andy Lally 78 Live Fast Motorsports
36 Josh Bilicki 52 Rick Ware Racing
37 Cody Ware 51 Petty Ware Racing
38 Quin Houff 00 StarCom Racing
39 Garrett Smithley 53 Rick Ware Racing
40 Timmy Hill 66 Motorsports Business Management

Zac Al-Khateeb

Zac Al-Khateeb Photo

Zac Al-Khateeb has been part of The Sporting News team since 2015 after earning his Bachelor's (2013) and Master's (2014) degrees in journalism at the University of Alabama. Prior to joining TSN, he covered high school sports and general news in Alabama. A college sports specialist, Zac has been a voter for the Biletnikoff Award and Heisman Trophy since 2020.