Kyle Larson enters the Brickyard 400 as the defending winner of the event. However, it is also his first time racing at the historic oval since competing in the Indianapolis 500 this past May.

Larson was attempting to complete the rare ‘Double’ after a failed attempt in 2024. And while he did take part in both races this time, he came several hundred miles short of running all the laps due to wrecking out of both races.

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As he returns to IMS, Larson told NASCAR on TNT that the experience “hasn’t changed how I view this place. I always viewed it as being an amazing facility with an amazing history and all that.”

Reflecting further on the attempt, Larson admitted: “I obviously wish it would have gone better. I just made a lot of mistakes this May and crashed a few times, and just put myself in bad positions. I’ll always be grateful for the chance to get to do the Double. (I) wish it would have gone better, but still, a lot of fun and a lot of stress throughout those couple of weeks. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

Will he ever run the Indy 500 again?

Kyle Larson, Arrow McLaren

As Larson has previously said, he has no desire to attempt the ‘Double’ again in the immediate future, citing logistical challenges. However, he still wants to run the Indy 500 again, but a third attempt at the iconic race will likely have to wait until the end of his NASCAR career.

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“It doesn’t sit well with me that I made two mistakes in both of the years I’ve done it and didn’t get the finishes I wanted,” said Larson. “But even if I don’t get to run the Indy 500 again, I’m grateful to have gotten to do it … We’ll see what the future holds.”

The impact on Larson’s NASCAR season

Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Larson also hasn’t won a Cup race since attempting to run the Indy 500 and the Coke 600 during Memorial Day Weekend, but he doesn’t necessarily feel the two are connected.

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“We’ve been off since the Double attempt this year, but I just think that’s circumstantial,” explained Larson. He also believes that running the Indy 500 doesn’t take anything away from the Cup program, as he is constantly running other races all around the country.

“I don’t think it takes anything away. I race all the time, so I don’t spend a whole lot of time prepping for NASCAR races in general.”

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Taylor Swift‘s love for Travis Kelce is sweet like honey. 

The “August” singer—who has been dating the Kansas City Chiefs tight end since late summer 2023—celebrated Travis’ cameo in Happy Gilmore 2 with a rare return to social media on July 25. 

Sharing a poster of the golf comedy, Taylor wrote on her Instagram Story, “Happy Gilmore 2 had me cackling and cheering the whole movie! An absolute must watch, 13/10, go watch it on @netflix as soon as humanly possible.”

She also added a honey emoji in reference to a funny scene in which Bad Bunny rubs the gooey treat on Travis’ shirtless body.

As for the NFL star’s acting skills? Writer and star Adam Sandler said he had an enchanting experience with Travis on set. 

“Travis just came from a football game,” the actor told E! News earlier this month. “I think he had a game on Sunday, and he was on our set on Monday and showed up with bruises on his back and he just was pulling up, gave us a couple days of greatness and then back to life.” 

After his long-awaited F2 win at Silverstone, Leonardo Fornaroli reveals to LWOS the renewed determination he carries into Belgium.

F2 Momentum Builds for Leonardo Fornaroli After Silverstone Success

Leonardo Fornaroli has finally entered the club of Formula 2 winners. The Italian’s path to the top step of the podium has been a long and testing one. Now, it has paid off.

1492 days before Silverstone, Fornaroli was 16 years old, racing for Iron Lynx in Italian Formula 4.

He arrived at Misano, the second round of the championship, filled with confidence following a strong showing at Le Castellet, where he had scored points in all three opening races.

Fornaroli started Race 1 from pole position and led from lights to flag. That weekend, he secured three podium finishes across all races.

While the season did not unfold exactly as he had hoped, he demonstrated his speed and potential.

The Pressure of Winning

In motorsport, consistency remains a key factor. Every driver aims to strike the right balance between scoring points and winning every race, without overdoing it, which can have negative consequences.

Fornaroli has long understood the value of consistency. It has been instrumental in his rise through the junior ranks, even earning him a driver title. In Formula 3 last year, he exemplified this balance while driving for the title-winning team Trident.

The Italian team has played a pivotal role in Fornaroli’s development since his debut season in the European Formula Regional Championship. With Trident, he endured the frustration of struggling for top results, but also savoured the highs, standing on podiums and eventually securing a title in the final race at Monza.

Although he closed the 2024 season on a high, one thing was still missing: a race win. While consistency is an important factor in demonstrating a driver’s reliability, it is not everything in motorsport. Drivers do not go out on track to finish in the points or second. They race to reach the top step, to prove they have outperformed everyone else.

That hunger fuelled Fornaroli every time he put his helmet on and took to the track. But desire alone is not always enough; sometimes, achieving that next level requires a mental shift.

READ MORE: Formula 2 Championship Battle Continues in Belgium at the Spa-Francorchamps

Fornaroli’s F2 Journey: Close, but Not Quite

Over the years, Fornaroli has come close to victory multiple times since that breakthrough win in Misano. One of the most notable near-misses came earlier this season in Monte Carlo’s feature race, a track where overtaking is famously difficult.

After emerging unscathed from the opening chaos, he found himself comfortably in the lead. Victory seemed within reach. However, some might say fate had different plans for him.

The Italian was blindsided by a late safety car call, which helped Jak Crawford pit and exit in front of the group. The race was then red-flagged for damage to the barrier. As a result, Fornaroli finished in second place, feeling bitter about how things turned out for him.

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A New Chapter: Silverstone and Beyond

At Silverstone, after a difficult qualifying session, Fornaroli managed to clinch pole for the Sprint Race.

This time, he refused to let the opportunity evade him. When the lights went out, he briefly lost the lead to Kush Maini but quickly reclaimed it. From that point on, he controlled the race and crossed the line in first.

Now, as he heads to Spa, where margins are tight, Fornaroli is determined to hit the ground running and replicate the result from Silverstone.

Ahead of the Belgian round, LWOS spoke with Foranoli about what achieving that victory means for him and how he can translate the joy of the event into determination for this weekend:

“Yes, it was a little relief. Finally, I managed to win my first race in F2, and it was very nice. I was very happy about that race, and this win gives me a bit more confidence because now I know that I have the potential to win. Still, it was a sprint race, so it gives me more motivation to try to take something bigger.” – Leonardo Fornaroli to LWOS.

Last year, Spa served as the penultimate round of the Formula 3 season, where  Fornaroli took the championship lead. This weekend, he will aim to at least match that performance, if not surpass it.

READ NEXT: Belgium GP Brings the Heat: Storylines To Watch at Spa

Main Photo

Credit: IMAGO / PsnewZ

Recording Date: 07/14/2025

Kyle Larson will look to go back-to-back at the Brickyard 400 when he takes part in the championship round of the NASCAR In-Season Challenge at the 2025 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday. Ty Dillon, meanwhile, will face off against Ty Gibbs for the head-to-head In-Season Challenge title. Larson will look to win his fourth race of the season, but first since May 11. Larson, the 2021 Cup Series champion, has 13 top-10 finishes this season, including a fourth-place finish at last week’s EchoPark Automotive 400 at Dover Motor Speedway.

Denny Hamlin is the +440 favorite in the 2025 Brickyard 400 odds via FanDuel Sportsbook, with Larson at +500. Other favorites include Ryan Blaney at +700 and William Byron and Chase Elliott at +1000 in the latest 2025 NASCAR at Indianapolis odds, from DraftKings Sportsbook. Sunday’s race is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. ET. Before making any 2025 Brickyard 400 picks or NASCAR predictions, you need to see what NASCAR insider Steven Taranto has to say, and get $150 in bonus bets instantly at Fanduel if your $5 bet wins. 

Taranto, who moonlights as a sim racer and has 20 career wins in iRacing, is the lead NASCAR writer for CBSSports.com. He has an annual NASCAR media credential and also publishes a popular weekly NASCAR predictions column, famously calling Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez’s breakthrough wins in 2022.

Taranto was red-hot for SportsLine in 2024 as he nailed 17 winners, including 16-1 longshot William Byron at the Daytona 500 and 14-1 longshot Chase Elliott at Texas. He correctly picked the Straight Talk Wireless 400 winner in Larson on March 23. Anyone following his NASCAR picks at their favorite sportsbooks could have seen huge returns.

Now, Taranto has analyzed the starting lineup and odds for Sunday’s 2025 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He’s only sharing his best bets at SportsLine. You can also use them to take advantage of the latest FanDuel promo code, DraftKings promo code or BetMGM promo code.

2025 NASCAR Brickyard 400 expert picks

For the 2025 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Taranto is high on Indiana native Chase Briscoe at +1100. The 30-year-old has second-place finishes in each of the past two weeks. He was runner-up at the Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway on July 13 and at the EchoPark Automotive 400 at Dover Motor Speedway this past Sunday. He has one win on the year, taking first at the Great American Getaway at Pocono Raceway on June 22.

He has 10 top-10 finishes this season. In 161 career races over five years at the Cup Series level, Briscoe has registered three wins with 39 top-10 finishes and six pole positions. His best season finish was ninth in 2022. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver was the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year. See which other drivers he’s backing at SportsLine.

Top NASCAR props for Brickyard 400

Head-to-head: Taranto sees Ty Dillon (+195) finishing ahead of Ty Gibbs (-280). Dillon, a 12-year NASCAR Cup Series veteran, is still seeking his first win on the circuit, although he has eight top-10 finishes in 249 races. He placed eighth at the Quaker State 400 at Atlanta. Dillon, 33, was the 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year.

Gibbs, meanwhile, is the grandson of NASCAR team owner Joe Gibbs and is seeking his first Cup Series win. He does have 27 top-10 finishes over his four-year Cup Series career in 103 races run. He has six top-10 finishes this season, including each of the past three weeks. Gibbs was second at the Grant Park 165 in Chicago three weeks ago. See all of Taranto’s picks at SportsLine. 

How to make 2025 Brickyard 400 predictions

Taranto has also identified four other drivers in his 2025 NASCAR Brickyard 400 best bets. He’s also high on a huge NASCAR longshot who’s going off at 100-1, potentially netting any backer a huge payday. You can only see who they are here.

So who wins the 2025 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis and which massive longshot could stun NASCAR? Visit SportsLine now to see the 2025 NASCAR Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway picks and best bets from a NASCAR insider who nailed a colossal 17 winners last year, and find out.

2025 NASCAR Brickyard 400 odds, lineup

See full 2025 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway picks at SportsLine

(odds subject to change)

Denny Hamlin +440
Kyle Larson +500
Ryan Blaney +700
Tyler Reddick +1000
Chase Elliott +1000
William Byron +1000
Christopher Bell +1200
Chase Briscoe +1200
Chris Buescher +1200
Ty Gibbs +1900
Brad Keselowski +2100
Joey Logano +2200
Carson Hocevar +2900
Bubba Wallace +3100
Alex Bowman +3200
Ross Chastain +3200
Kyle Busch +4000
Austin Cindric +5000
Josh Berry +5000
John Hunter Nemechek +7500
Ryan Preece +7500
Erik Jones +7500
Daniel Suarez +10000
AJ Allmendinger +18000
Michael McDowell +19000
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. +24000
Austin Dillon +24000
Jesse Love +28000
Cole Custer +28000
Noah Gragson +28000
Zane Smith +28000
Shane Van Gisbergen +34000
Justin Haley +36000
Todd Gilliland +38000
Ty Dillon +50000
Cody Ware +50000
Josh Bilicki +50000
Riley Herbst +50000
Katherine Legge +50000 

NASCAR is set for another race many consider a “crown jewel” on the schedule this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with the Brickyard 400 back for the second year in a row following a three-year stretch of NASCAR’s trip to Indy instead involving a Cup Series race on the track’s interior road course, rather than the famed oval.

While Indianapolis is, by every measure, a superspeedway, it is not considered a drafting track, so the standard intermediate qualifying format is set to be used. Quite simply, there is one round of qualifying, and each driver gets one single-lap attempt around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) Speedway, Indiana oval.

There are still technically qualifying “groups”, though I’m still not really sure why, seeing as how all the times are stacked up against one another, and unlike last year, there is no longer a second round shootout for the pole position. There is also no longer any kind of row-by-row lane designation based on group number.

The qualifying order was determined by the two-variable metric which was introduced ahead of the 2025 season, replacing the four-variable metric that was used from 2020 to 2024, including for last year’s Brickyard 400. A full breakdown of the new order can be found here.

Here’s a look at Saturday’s qualifying order, featuring 39 drivers after a total of four lineup changes were made following the most recent race weekend at Dover Motor Speedway.

NASCAR at Indianapolis: Full Brickyard 400 qualifying order

Indianapolis qualifying: Group 1

1 – Jesse Love, No. 62 Beard Motorsports Chevrolet

2 – Josh Bilicki, No. 66 Garage 66 Ford

3 – Katherine Legge, No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet

4 – Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford

5 – Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford

6 – Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

7 – A.J. Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

8 – Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford

9 – Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

10 – Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota

11 – Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford

12 – Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

13 – Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

14 – Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford

15 – Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota

16 – Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

17 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet

18 – Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford

19 – William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

20 – Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

Indianapolis qualifying: Group 2

21 – John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
22 – Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
23 – Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford
24 – Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford
25 – Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford
26 – Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
27 – Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
28 – Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
29 – Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
30 – Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota
31 – Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford
32 – Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
33 – Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
34 – Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford
35 – Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
36 – Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
37 – Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
38 – Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
39 – Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota