More details of Indy Xfinity road race revealed

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emailBy: Kelly Crandall | 6 hours ago

The NASCAR Xfinity Series race on the Indianapolis road course will be 62 laps, track officials have announced.

This July 4 will mark the first time the Xfinity Series has raced on the road course, which will be the 14-turn, 2.439-mile course configuration. Stage 1 will end on Lap 20 with Stage 2 going until Lap 40.

NASCAR officials announced the course design last week following feedback and data gathered from Matt DiBenedetto. The Wood Brothers Racing driver participated in a test of both the 14 and 12-turn layout last month.

Pennzoil will be the race entitlement sponsor, the Pennzoil 150.

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“Anticipation continues to build as more exciting details are revealed about the Pennzoil 150 at the Brickyard, which will help to launch a new era for the annual NASCAR weekend at IMS,” said track president Doug Boles. “We’re thankful to all of our partners, especially Pennzoil and NASCAR, for their support of this historic race. The Pennzoil 150 at the Brickyard will add even more great action to go along with live music from superstar acts, fireworks, food, friends, and fun during a Fourth of July weekend party to remember.”

The Xfinity Series moved from the short track of Lucas Oil Raceway to Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2012.

“The part that I like the most about this course is that it actually does have multiple passing opportunities, and that was one of the things we wanted to evaluate is how it’s going to race, how technical it is in the passing zone,” said DiBenedetto. “So, the cool thing is what we love as road racers is heavy braking zones. Clearly, the end of the front straightaway here, you have a very heavy braking zone. You also have another long back straightaway getting into Turn 7, which is a heavy braking zone. And then on the 14-turn course, you have another braking zone coming into (Turns) 12, 13, and 14.

“There’s high-speed stuff. There’s low-speed stuff. So, it’s pretty much everything we could ask for from a competitor’s standpoint for raceability.”

A tentative weekend schedule has Xfinity Series cars on track Friday and Saturday. Following the conclusion of the Xfinity Series race, NASCAR officials expect an approximate 90-minute break to convert the track for the NASCAR Cup Series to begin its preparation for the Brickyard 400.