NASCAR Crown Royal 400 2015: Preview and prediction

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Jul 26, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jeff Gordon (24) during qualifying for the Crown Royal Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports /

Sunday, NASCAR will return to Indianapolis, where one lucky driver will be kissing the bricks and riding high into “The Chase” after the Crown Royal 400.

As the race to secure a spot in “The Chase” winds down, NASCAR will head this week to the illustrious Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Crown Royal 400. With most of NASCAR’s heavyweights having locked up a spot already, it’s highly unlikely there are too many more different winners before “The Chase” begins.

Many of the drivers already that have a spot in, have multiple wins and the competition amongst NASCAR’s best has created for some quality racing instead of drivers taking it easy with a spot secured to compete for the Sprint Cup Championship.

However, there is a driver with wins under his belt that can’t take it easy yet. After missing a majority of the beginning of a season, thanks to a serious leg injury, Kyle Busch has returned and created one of the best stories in NASCAR by winning three of the last four races.

Those three wins though, are not enough to put Busch in one of the final spots yet. Along with a win, Busch needs to be in the top-30 in points once the postseason of racing begins. He currently sits in 33rd and should be comfortably within the top-30 by the time “The Chase” begins, but Busch better than anyone knows he can’t take it for granted, and as a result, that sense of urgency has led him to three wins.

A fourth win on Sunday, would almost assuredly guarantee him a spot, and he would tie himself with Jimmie Johnson for most wins on the season. The story of Kyle Busch this season has already been an all-time great, and with each week, it takes a new twist or turn that makes it better.

When it comes to Indianapolis, everyone wants to be able to have that opportunity to kiss the bricks after the race as it is one of the traditions at one of the greatest tracks of all time. While Busch has been great, there are several drivers who have been driving just as good lately.

This week will be no walk in the park as the stakes are just as high as they have ever been.

Race Notes

Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Date/Time: Sunday, July 26, 2015 3:30 p.m. ET

TV: NBC Sports

Laps: 160

Most Wins: Jeff Gordon (5)

Fantasy Outlook: Fantasycpr provides this week’s best bets at Indianapolis

Let’s examine who’s hot and who’s not heading into this weekend’s race at Indianapolis.

Next: Who's Hot?

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