The price of the brick just went up.
The tone and tenor of the Cup Series has gone up a notch in recent weeks. The moat between a 16th- and 17th-place regular season may as well be an ocean; one gets you a playoff appearance, the other brings heartbreak.
LIVE: NASCAR returns to the Brickyard for Verizon 200
The wrecks are more painful, the pit stops more angsty. A simple slip up could be the difference between postseason glory and disaster.
Road courses might not offer quite the same speed as their circular track counterparts. But what it doesn't have in chaos, it makes up for in strategy. The track is a chessboard, drivers forced to trot their way across open space methodically. Passes aren't easy. Neither are full-blown wrecks.
It's a testing environment. And yet, it's one Cup Series drivers will have to get used to. Indianapolis Motor Speedway is perhaps the most iconic venue in all of American motorsport. And although Sunday's race doesn't have quite the gravitas of the city's more famous predecessor, it should prove a hearty challenge nonetheless.
No one said it would be easy. A smooch with the cobbled brick road, though? That's more than worth it.
MORE: Watch the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard live with Fubo (free trial)
With that, here's what you need to know about the starting lineup and pole-sitter for the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard.
Who won the pole for Indianapolis in 2023?
Daniel Suarez took the pole for Sunday's race as he posted the fastest lap time in qualifying. He outpaced Tyler Reddick, who will join him in the front row. It's the third career pole and first of the season for Suarez.
MORE: Updated points, scenarios as drivers chase Cup Series championship
NASCAR at Indianapolis starting lineup 2023
Leading the field for Sunday's race are Daniel Suarez and Tyler Reddick. Chase Elliott will be right behind Reddick after qualifying third on Saturday.
| Starting pos. | Driver | Car No. | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daniel Suarez | 99 | Trackhouse Racing |
| 2 | Tyler Reddick | 45 | 23XI Racing |
| 3 | Chase Elliott | 9 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 4 | Michael McDowell | 34 | Front Row Motorsports |
| 5 | Kyle Busch | 8 | Richard Childress Racing |
| 6 | Kyle Larson | 5 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 7 | Christopher Bell | 20 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 8 | Shane Van Gisbergen | 91 | Trackhouse Racing |
| 9 | Alex Bowman | 48 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 10 | Ty Gibbs | 54 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 11 | Brodie Kostecki | 33 | Richard Childress Racing |
| 12 | Martin Truex Jr. | 19 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 13 | Chase Briscoe | 14 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 14 | Corey Lajoie | 7 | Spire Motorsports |
| 15 | Justin Haley | 31 | Kaulig Racing |
| 16 | Ryan Blaney | 12 | Team Penske |
| 17 | Chris Buescher | 17 | RFK Racing |
| 18 | Joey Logano | 22 | Team Penske |
| 19 | Bubba Wallace | 19 | 23XI Racing |
| 20 | Austin Cindric | 2 | Team Penske |
| 21 | Ross Chastain | 1 | Trackhouse Racing |
| 22 | Brad Keselowski | 6 | RFK Racing |
| 23 | Todd Gilliland | 38 | Front Row Motorsports |
| 24 | Harrison Burton | 21 | Wood Brothers Racing |
| 25 | Denny Hamlin | 11 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 26 | A.J. Allmendinger | 16 | Kaulig Racing |
| 27 | Austin Dillon | 3 | Richard Childress Racing |
| 28 | Kamui Kobayashi | 67 | 23XI Racing |
| 29 | Andy Lally | 51 | Rick Ware Racing |
| 30 | Ryan Preece | 41 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 31 | Jenson Button | 15 | Rick Ware Racing |
| 32 | Josh Bilicki | 78 | Live Fast Motorsports |
| 33 | Aric Almirola | 10 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 34 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 47 | JTG Daugherty Racing |
| 35 | Ty Dillon | 77 | Spire Motorsports |
| 36 | Erik Jones | 43 | Legacy Motor Club |
| 37 | Mike Rockenfeller | 42 | Legacy Motor Club |
| 38 | Kevin Harvick | 4 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 39 | William Byron | 24 | Hendrick Motorsports |
