Best of the Rest: Brickyard Weekend

*Welcome to a new series of weekly articles I will be doing for NASCAR’s top 3 series, entitled “Best of the Rest”. This series is designed to bring some recognition to three teams or drivers that, while maybe did not finish Top 10, had a much needed strong run*

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BEST OF THE REST: BRICKYARD WEEKEND

CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES (TSPORT 200 / LUCAS OIL INDIANAPOLIS RACEWAY PARK)

1. Luke Fenhaus (#66 ThorSport Racing Ford): While somewhat flying under the radar, Fenhaus made just his third series start at LOIRP. Grabbing his best finish thus far, the #66 Ford qualified 14th, and came home 7th.
2. Dean Thompson (#5 TRICON Garage Toyota): In a season marked with inconsistent runs, Thompson and his Toyota had a much needed good run coming home 9th. The TRICON team’s solid run was also the top finishing truck out of the 4-truck team.
3. Timmy Hill (#56 Hill Motorsports Toyota): Coming home 19th after qualifying 25th, journeyman Hill and his self-owned #56 entry had much needed solid day.

   

XFINITY SERIES (PENNZOIL 250 / INDIANAPOLIS)

1. Conor Daly (#26 Sam Hunt Racing Toyota): IndyCar series veteran Daly made his Xfinity Series debut on the oval in Indianapolis wheeling Sam Hunt’s #26 Supra to a solid 14th place finish, after qualifying 16th. With a solid run like this, Daly has hopes he can make more oval starts in the series this season.
2. Daniel Dye (#10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet): Dye and the Kaulig Racing #10 Camaro had a strong finish in a race filled with attrition in the closing laps. While not without incident, Dye finished 7th after qualifying 22nd in his sixth start in 2024.
3. Joey Gase (#35 Joey Gase Racing Chevrolet): While the finish was certainly not what Gase and crew were surely hoping for, the team had a strong showing in Indianapolis, coming home on the lead lap in 24th.

   

NASCAR CUP SERIES (BRICKYARD 400 / INDIANAPOLIS)

1. Daniel Suarez (#99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet): In an extremely inconsistent season so far, Suarez and his Trackhouse crew had fantastic run in Indianapolis, finishing a strong 8th after starting 25th. The #99 entry was also the second-highest finishing Chevrolet, next to race winner Kyle Larson.
2. Spire Motorsports (#7, #71, #77 Chevrolets): Making a strong showing in a drama-filled Brickyard 400, Spire Motorsports placed all 3 three of it’s entries in the Top 20. Rookie Carson Hocevar had the strongest showing, finishing 12th. Fellow Spire drivers Corey LaJoie (#7) came home 14th, while fellow rookie contender Zane Smith (#71) grabbed a solid 17th.
3. Rick Ware Racing (#15 and #51 Fords): Rick Ware Racing has shown a marked improvement this season, and the trend continued in the Brickyard 400. Ware’s full-time driver Justin Haley showed the #51 team has continued to improve, coming home 20th. Meanwhile, series part-timer Cody Ware wheeled his #15 Ford to a surprising 18th place, besting teammate Justin Haley despite some late race issues.