At North Wilkesboro last week, a track left for dead until recently, Joey Logano ended a win drought he’d had since May 2025, and Denny Hamlin (second place) extended his points lead. This week, NASCAR heads to one of the most legendary events on the circuit for the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The runner-up last week, Hamlin is favored in the odds and will look to kiss the bricks for the first time.As always, Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi answer our most pressing questions and make predictions about the upcoming race.The Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on TNT and HBO Max.The Brickyard 400 race winner oddsGiven that passing at the Brickyard 400 is notoriously difficult, how do drivers set themselves apart and what makes a driver singularly made for the Indy oval?Jeff: This is very much a track position race, but that only emphasizes what it takes to be the best of the best. It’s about unloading with a fast car, putting together a top-notch qualifying lap on the limit, being on top of pit strategy, having excellent restarts and not making a single mistake. It takes everyone on a team to win this race, and that’s why it’s one of the most elite tests in NASCAR and truly one of the great crown jewel races.Jordan: There is a skill to saving, and this skill is one drivers will certainly be utilizing on Sunday, and the ones who can best do it will put themselves in an advantageous position. Hitting your marks on corner entry is another key facet here, especially paramount because there is only one lane to get around Indianapolis. You miss your mark and your lap time is going to suffer.While Hamlin is one of the most successful NASCAR drivers ever and is running (or at least walking) away with the points lead this season, he has never won the Brickyard 400. Is this year his year, and what is it about Indy that makes it so difficult for even the best drivers?Jeff: You only get so many chances at Indianapolis. Take away a three-year stretch when IMS put this race on the road course instead of the oval, take away the Brickyards won by the late Kyle Busch and the retired Kevin Harvick, and there’s a shocking stat: Only three drivers in the field (Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson and Bubba Wallace) have won a Brickyard 400. It underscores how it all has to go right; if a driver has a year when their car isn’t perfect, when the strategy goes awry or when they get caught up in a crash, that’s one chance gone. When you consider even the Hall of Fame drivers only get 15 to 20 chances in a race when every team brings their absolute best each season, it’s just really hard to accomplish.Jordan: Indianapolis is one of those tracks where every component within a team is absolutely essential to achieving success. A driver must have: a powerful engine because of the long straightaways, a car that handles smoothly through the track’s corners (which really only have one preferred groove) and the ability to save fuel with a crew chief able to devise a strategy to help their driver save fuel and gain track position due to how difficult it is to pass here. And because there are few cautions, there’s an emphasis on green-flag pit stops and the pit crew’s ability to be fast and mistake free. In short, a lot has to go right, and if one thing isn’t at the maximum level for all 400 miles, it can be a lot to overcome.