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NASCAR Cup Series weekend schedule: TV, streaming info, odds, picks and what to watch for in Indianapolis

NASCAR heads to the home of American auto racing for an albeit different kind of race weekend. For one, Cup cars will share the stage with the IndyCar series with both staging full-length races on the same circuit on Saturday and Sunday. For another, it’s running clockwise on the famous speedway and utilizing the infield road course.

Here’s everything you need to know for the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard weekend:

Weekend schedule and how to watch

Fans in the United States can watch parts of all sessions and the race on the USA network, the USA mobile app (requires a cable or satellite subscription), the NBC Sports app and Peacock platform. Radio coverage is available on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM.

(All times ET)

Saturday, July 30

Qualifying: 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. (USA, MRN, SiriusXM)

Sunday, July 31

Verizon 200: 2:30 - 6 p.m. ET (NBC, MRN, SiriusXM)

Top drivers and best bets for the Verizon 200

The Cup series' road race ace Chase Elliott is the favorite according to BetMGM at +450. It's not without precedent, as he has won seven road course races in 22 career starts, including a staggering six wins in 15 starts since 2019. Elliott, the current points leader, is on a stunning run of form, finishing in the top two in each of the last five races this season and was fourth on the Indy road course in 2021. His Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson, another road course ringer, and Ross Chastain clock in with the next-best odds at +700, followed by Daniel Suarez and Tyler Reddick both at +1000.

Yahoo Sports' Nick Bromberg likes last year's race winner AJ Allmendinger and Martin Truex Jr. who both sit at +1400, while also noting veteran Kevin Harvick (+2800) is an attractive long-shot bet for the win.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course layout, what to expect

It’s not quite a speedway, and it’s not quite a traditional road circuit but it is a significant challenge – even without curbs coming loose and causing chaos. The Indy road course runs the opposite direction of the iconic oval and avoids the banked speedway corners, instead ducking into an infield section made up of mostly sharp corners broken up by a long straightaway. Turn 6 was the action zone last year, causing four cautions – two for debris as the curb on turn exit was coming up and then two late accidents that wiped out eight cars and extended the race distance by 12 laps.

Weather forecast for the Verizon 200 weekend

It's going to be warm and cloudy, but dry. Temperatures are forecast to be between 81-83 degrees fahrenheit with a zero percent chance of rain. Given the punishment the track took last year and figures to this year with a full weekend of running between two top series – and the Xfinity Series – that may be a good thing.