FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sunday, July 23rd, 2017

NOTES & QUOTES FROM NBC’S MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES COVERAGE FROM INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

 

“It took multiple restarts, but he got it done.” – Steve Letarte on Kasey Kahne 

“It has been a very crazy day here today.” – Rick Allen

“Once again, Kyle Busch dominates the race, but is not going to end up in victory lane.” – Jeff Burton

 

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.– July 23, 2017 – NBC Sports Group presented its fourth week of the 2017 NASCAR race season, with more than 18 hours of trackside coverage from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in Indianapolis, Ind. Coverage was highlighted by this afternoon’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race on NBC. Kasey Kahne and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet won the race after taking the lead with three laps to go in overtime.

NBC Sports Group’s lead NASCAR announcer Rick Allen, 21-time Cup Series winner Jeff Burton, and Daytona 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte called the race. Marty Snider, Kelli Stavast, Dave Burns and Parker Kligerman reported from pit road alongside features contributor Rutledge Wood.

Coverage began on NBC at 2 p.m. ET with Countdown to Green. Krista Voda anchored pre-race coverage alongside analysts Kyle Petty and Dale Jarrett.

Race Results

Position Driver Car #
1 Kasey Kahne 5
2 Brad Keselowski 2
3 Ryan Newman 31
4 Joey Logano 22
5 Matt Kenseth 20

 

The following are highlights from this afternoon’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series coverage from “The Brickyard” on NBC.

POST-RACE COVERAGE

Allen: “It took nearly six hours for Kasey Kahne to get to this point, where he can now celebrate with the crowd.”

Letarte on Kahne: “Six hours and 102 races. This is not just about winning the Brickyard 400, but about breaking his 102 race winless drought.”

STAGE 3

Allen: “If you take a look at the overtime line, Kasey Kahne was there before the caution flag was out. Kasey Kahne will win the Brickyard 400.”

Burton: “A great restart for Kahne. Not a good restart. It was a great restart.”

Allen on the final laps: “It has been a very crazy day here today.A one hour and 47 minute rain delay after only 12 laps, and then the chaos we have seen here towards the end of the race.”

Burton: “Once again, Kyle Busch dominates the race, but is not going to end up in victory lane. This trend in 2017 continues.”

Allen: “The winless streak will continue for Kyle Busch. It will now be over a year (since his last Cup series win).”

Letarte on the collision between Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. with 48 laps to go: “It was time to contest. Time to race down turn 1, side-by-side, and that is exactly what created this accident. Two drivers trying to win one of the marquee races of the year.”

Burton added: “This is racing. This is side-by-side racing for the win. It’s hard racing. It’s track position racing. You have to be aggressive. You have to push on these restarts. This is the result when you push, but if you don’t, you are not going to win these races.”

STAGE 2

Allen: “Once again Kyle Busch and the No. 18 have swept the first two stages.”

Letarte: Martin Truex Jr. may win the award for most impressive season, but Kyle Busch is hands down winning the award for most impressive car.”

Letarte on stage-leader Erik Jones, following lap 75: “He’s attacking it. The last time he went to pit road was lap 52.”

STAGE 1

Allen: “Kyle Busch wins Stage 1, his sixth stage win of 2017, second only to the guy right behind him in this race (Martin Truex Jr.).

Burton: “The stage master, the guy who has won the most stages, Martin Truex Jr. is once again putting pressure on Kyle Busch.”

COUNTDOWN TO GREEN PRE-RACE COVERAGE

Allen on Indianapolis Motor Speedway: “They have been racing at this racetrack for over a century. NASCAR has raced here for almost a quarter of a century. The greats of NASCAR seem to rise when they come to the big stages, especially the Brickyard 400.”

Burton: “Tradition is what has made this racetrack so special, before NASCAR came here. When you think about the Indy 500, there are so many great drivers that have raced here. When you come to this facility as a NASCAR driver, you feel like a guest and are honored to be here.”

–NBC SPORTS GROUP–