Daniel Suárez on pole at Indy road course ahead of Tyler Reddick; full starting grid

The NASCAR Cup series stages its annual double-header with the IndyCar series this weekend, with both running on venerable Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course.

In two events since joining the Cup calendar, the Indy road course has been as predictable as summer weather in the Midwest. It’s safe to expect more of the same this weekend with four available playoff spots to be decided with three races remaining in the regular season and a bevy of road course ringers in the field.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the Verizon 200 at The Brickyard:

Verizon 200 starting grid

1. Daniel Suárez (99), Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

2. Tyler Reddick (45), 23XI Racing Toyota

3. Chase Elliott (9), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

4. Michael McDowell (34), Front Row Motorsports Ford

5. Kyle Busch (8), Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

6. Kyle Larson (5), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

7. Christopher Bell (20), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

8. Shane van Gisbergen (91), Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

9. Alex Bowman (48), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

10. Ty Gibbs (54), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

11. Brodie Kostecki (33), Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

12. Martin Truex Jr. (19), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

13. Chase Briscoe (14), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

14. Corey LaJoie (7), Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

15. Justin Haley (31), Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

16. Ryan Blaney (12), Team Penske Ford

17. Chris Buescher (17), RFK Racing Ford

18. Joey Logano (22), Team Penske Ford

19. Bubba Wallace (23), 23XI Racing Toyota

20. Austin Cindric (2), Team Penske Ford

21. Ross Chastain (1), Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

22. Brad Keselowski (6), RFK Racing Ford

23. Todd Gilliland (38), Front Row Motorsports Ford

24. Harrison Burton (21), Wood Brothers Racing Ford

25. Denny Hamlin (11), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

26. A.J. Allmendinger (16), Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

27. Austin Dillon (3), Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

28. Kamui Kobayashi (67), 23XI Racing Toyota

29. Andy Lally (51), Rick Ware Racing Ford

30. Ryan Preece (41), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

31. Jenson Button (15), Rick Ware Racing Ford

32. Josh Bilicki (78), Live Fast Motorsports Ford

33. Aric Almirola (10), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

34. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (47), JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet

35. Ty Dillon (77), Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

36. Erik Jones (43), Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet

37. Mike Rockenfeller (42), Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet

38. Kevin Harvick (4), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

39. William Byron (24), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Verizon 200 TV/Streaming schedule

All times Eastern

Saturday
11:35 a.m. – 12:35 p.m.: Practice (NBC Sports app)
12:35 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.: Qualifying (NBC Sports app)

Sunday
2:30 p.m. – 6 p.m.: Verizon 200 (NBC, NBC Sports app)

Verizon 200 details

Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course (14-turn, 2.43-mile clockwise hybrid racing facility)
Length: 82 laps for just under 200 miles
Last year’s winner: Tyler Reddick (8), Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

Top drivers and best bets for the Verizon 200

Road racing requires quite a different skill set than the ovals that make up the majority of the schedule and as such, just four drivers who excel at it enter the weekend at better than 10-to-1 odds according to BetMGM.

Best odds to win
Martin Truex Jr. +500
Tyler Reddick +525
Chase Elliott +700
Shane van Gisbergen +850

Truex has five road course wins in his 17 seasons, including one earlier this season at Sonoma. Reddick has won three times on road courses in the past two seasons, including this event a year ago. Elliott rattled off seven road course wins from 2018-2021, and van Gisbergen won in his debut at the Chicago street race earlier this season.

Yahoo Sports’ Nick Bromberg wrote earlier in the week on the odds and suggests good mid-tier value can be found in 2021 Indy road course winner A.J. Allmendinger (+1400) and Chris Buescher (+2000) who has won the last two races on the trot.

William Byron barred from qualifying

NASCAR parked William Byron’s No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet for Saturday’s qualifying session after it failed inspection three times. The issue was with the right front fender. In addition to starting at the back of the field for the race, Byron’s crew chief Tyler Jones is out for the weekend and Byron will have to serve a drive-through.

Noah Gragson out at LMC

Five days after NASCAR and Legacy Motor Club both suspended Noah Gragson indefinitely, the team released the driver of the No. 42 Chevrolet. Last week Gragson liked a meme on Instagram mocking the 2020 death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody.

Accomplished endurance car veteran Mike Rockenfeller will drive the No. 42 car this weekend and next weekend at Watkins Glen — another road course.

Shane van Gisbergen leads list of road course ringers

Last month van Gisbergen became the first driver in 60 years to win his debut Cup Series event when he was victorious in the Chicago street race and he’s back in the third Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet entry.

Van Gisbergen’s fellow Supercar competitor Brodie Kostecki will drive in a one-off role for a third Richard Childress Racing entry (the No. 33). F1 2009 world champion Jenson Button will make his third Cup start in the No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Ford. Andy Lally will make his 43rd Cup Series start in the No. 51 Rick Ware entry. Kamui Kobayshi, who started 75 F1 races from 2009-2014, will drive a third 23XI Racing entry (the No. 67).

NASCAR Cup Series playoff bubble

With Buescher’s back-to-back wins over the past two weeks, at least one driver who has not won in 2023 will be among the playoff field. Here’s what the playoff bubble looks like:

Driver – points ahead of/behind 16th place
Kevin Harvick – +180
Brad Keselowski – +168
Bubba Wallace – +58
Ty Gibbs – +3
—
Michael McDowell – -3
Daniel Suárez – -5
A.J. Allmendinger – -24
Alex Bowman – -44

Verizon 200 entry list

Ross Chastain (1), Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Austin Cindric (2), Team Penske Ford
Austin Dillon (3), Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Kevin Harvick (4), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Kyle Larson (5), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Brad Keselowski (6), RFK Racing Ford
Corey LaJoie (7), Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Kyle Busch (8), Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Chase Elliott (9), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Aric Almirola (10), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Denny Hamlin (11), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Ryan Blaney (12), Team Penske Ford
Chase Briscoe (14), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Jenson Button (15), Rick Ware Racing Ford
A.J. Allmendinger (16), Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Chris Buescher (17), RFK Racing Ford
Martin Truex Jr. (19), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Christopher Bell (20), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Harrison Burton (21), Wood Brothers Racing Ford
Joey Logano (22), Team Penske Ford
Bubba Wallace (23), 23XI Racing Toyota
William Byron (24), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Justin Haley (31), Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Brodie Kostecki (33), Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Michael McDowell (34), Front Row Motorsports Ford
Todd Gilliland (38), Front Row Motorsports Ford
Ryan Preece (41), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Mike Rockenfeller (42), Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet
Erik Jones (43), Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet
Tyler Reddick (45), 23XI Racing Toyota
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (47), JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
Alex Bowman (48), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Andy Lally (51), Rick Ware Racing Ford
Ty Gibbs (54), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Kamui Kobayashi (67), 23XI Racing Toyota
Ty Dillon (77), Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Josh Bilicki (78), Live Fast Motorsports Ford
Shane van Gisbergen (91), Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Daniel Suárez (99), Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Weather for the Verizon 200

The forecast calls for warm temperatures in the mid-to-upper 80s and a more than likely chance of rain on Saturday and Sunday. Thunderstorms are forecast for Saturday’s Cup series qualifying and IndyCar race, while there’s a 66% chance of rain for Sunday’s Cup race.