NASCAR announces new Brickyard 400 practice time for Cup Series after rain at Indianapolis

Today was a washout in Indianapolis as the NASCAR Cup Series was supposed to practice. There will still be Brickyard 400 practice. Instead of a 50-minute practice today, the Cup cars will get a 25-minute session on Saturday.

Tomorrow’s NASCAR Cup Series schedule will include 2:00 PM ET practice. After that session, the series will go into qualifying. Following that, the Xfinity Series will take to the track to race at 4:30 PM ET.

With the Brickyard 400 being a Crown Jewel event, NASCAR wants drivers to have as much practice as possible. A full schedule tomorrow for race fans.

UPDATE: The NASCAR Cup Series will have one combined 25-minute practice session Saturday at 2 p.m. ET at @IMS. #BuschLightPole Qualifying will then take place at 2:40 p.m. ET. pic.twitter.com/GaGsebxtZy

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 25, 2025

Weather has made it difficult for all of the NASCAR national series today. Indianapolis Motor Speedway is hosting the Cup and Xfinity Series. Meanwhile, the ARCA Menards Series and Truck Series are racing at Indianapolis Raceway Park. Two very different tracks in the heart of the racing world.

Hopefully, the weather cooperates the rest of the weekend. It is incredibly hot and humid in the Indianapolis area. Even down here in Kentucky, where I am writing from, the weather is particularly oppressive this weekend.

With all of that heat and humidity comes the chance of rain and storms. The Brickyard 400 is a very important race. To see it cut short or delayed by weather would be tough. Fans don’t want it, NASCAR doesn’t want it, so let’s avoid it.

Brickyard 400 weekend important for Denny Hamlin

Coming off his win at Dover, Denny Hamlin has his eyes on the Brickyard 400. It is the final Crown Jewel he needs to complete his collection. When it comes to the extra accolades and records and race wins, Hamlin is all about solidifying his legacy in that manner. A championship could come with that, but he’s not focused on it.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway is so important to so many drivers for different reasons. For some, it is the place where their love for racing began. For others, it is a sacred site to be respected and revered. It is a facility that everyone wants to be able to say they won at, no matter what car they are in.

For Denny Hamlin, wins are special right now. He’s had more than 700 starts, he’s 44 years old. But he doesn’t appear to be slowing down. Earlier today, Hamlin and Joe Gibbs Racing announced a two-year contract extension to keep the driver around until 2027. Hamlin says it is likely his final extension, but we will see how it all works out.