Indianapolis has two very different race weekends every year, and a lot of visitors only know about one of them. The Indianapolis 500 gets the pageantry, the 250,000-person crowd, and the “greatest spectacle in racing” tagline. Brickyard Weekend, held every July, is the other one — smaller, cheaper, and built around NASCAR rather than open-wheel IndyCars. If you’ve been putting off a Speedway trip because Indy 500 tickets and hotel prices during Race Month felt out of reach, Brickyard Weekend is worth a second look.

In 2026, the NASCAR Cup Series returns to the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval for a three-day weekend, July 24-26, headlined by the Brickyard 400 presented by PPG on Sunday. This guide covers what actually happens each day, what tickets cost, how camping works, and how the whole experience compares to the Indy 500 — so you can decide whether this is the Indianapolis race trip that fits your budget and interest level.

When Is Brickyard Weekend 2026?

Brickyard Weekend 2026 runs Friday through Sunday, July 24-26, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. IMS frames it as “an old-school, three-day NASCAR race weekend” — meaning the schedule builds across three separate days rather than concentrating everything into a single Sunday, which is part of what makes it more approachable than the Indy 500.

Friday, July 24 is opening day: NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series practice sessions. This is the cheapest day to attend and the best day to watch cars up close without a stadium-sized crowd.

Saturday, July 25 features the Pennzoil 250 presented by Take 5 Oil Change, one of the marquee races on the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (Xfinity-level) calendar. Qualifying for Sunday’s Cup Series race also happens this day.

Sunday, July 26 is the Brickyard 400 presented by PPG — the NASCAR Cup Series main event, and the reason most visitors make the trip. Race start time is early afternoon; check IMS.com closer to race week for the confirmed green-flag time, since NASCAR broadcast windows can shift schedules by an hour or two.

What Is the Brickyard 400, and Why Is It Called That?

The Brickyard 400 takes its name from the same source as Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s nickname, “The Brickyard” — the track was paved with 3.2 million bricks when it opened in 1909, and a yard of the original brick surface is still preserved at the start-finish line today. Every winning driver, in any series that races at IMS, kisses the bricks in victory lane. It’s the track’s signature tradition.

The race itself is younger than the venue’s nickname. The first Brickyard 400 ran on August 6, 1994 — the first race other than the Indianapolis 500 held at IMS since 1916 — and Jeff Gordon won it in front of an estimated crowd of more than 250,000, instantly making it one of NASCAR’s most-attended events. The race has carried several sponsor names since (Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, Crown Royal 400, and others), and currently runs as the Brickyard 400 presented by PPG. Regardless of title sponsor, it has been a NASCAR “crown jewel” race for three decades, alongside the Daytona 500 and Coca-Cola 600.

Brickyard 400 vs. Indy 500: What’s Actually Different

If you’ve been to the Indy 500 or are comparing the two, here’s what changes at Brickyard Weekend:

Crowd size and atmosphere. The Indy 500 fills the Speedway to roughly a quarter-million people; Brickyard Weekend draws a meaningfully smaller crowd. That means shorter lines, easier parking, and a less overwhelming infield experience — especially on Friday and Saturday.

Ticket prices. Brickyard Weekend tickets are noticeably cheaper across the board. Friday practice-day tickets run around $15, and general Sunday admission starts well below Indy 500 comparable pricing, though premium reserved seating for the Brickyard 400 itself still climbs into the $150-200 range depending on location and how close to race week you buy.

The racing itself. IndyCars are open-wheel, single-seat cars that run largely on aerodynamic grip and pack racing is rare outside a handful of ovals. NASCAR Cup cars are full-bodied stock cars, and Cup racing at a 2.5-mile oval like IMS tends to produce more side-by-side, pack-style competition in the closing laps. If you’ve only seen the Indy 500, the Brickyard 400 will sound and look different — heavier cars, different pit strategy, a different fan culture in the stands.

Camping culture. Camping is a much bigger part of the Brickyard 400 weekend than it is for the Indy 500. NASCAR fan culture and campground culture are closely linked nationwide, and IMS leans into that for Brickyard Weekend with more camping lots and a more built-out RV scene than Race Month sees.

Who shows up. Brickyard crowds skew toward driver-loyal NASCAR fans — you’ll see a lot more driver-number T-shirts and team colors in the stands than at the Indy 500, where the fandom is more regional and generational than tied to an individual driver.

Tickets: What to Expect

IMS prices Brickyard Weekend tickets in tiers that get more expensive the closer you buy to race week, so early buyers save the most. As of the 2026 on-sale, rough starting points look like this:

  • Friday (practice day): around $15 — the cheapest single day to attend, and a good option if you mainly want to see cars on track up close without paying for a marquee race.
  • Saturday (Pennzoil 250 + Cup qualifying): starting around $35, with reserved options above that.
  • Sunday (Brickyard 400): general viewing areas and infield mounds start in the $40-60 range in early pricing windows; reserved grandstand and premium suite seating runs from roughly $105 up to $200 depending on location and purchase timing.

Children 15 and under get in free with a paying adult’s general admission ticket for Brickyard Weekend — a real cost advantage over Indy 500 pricing if you’re planning a family trip. Buy through IMS.com directly rather than a resale marketplace if this is your first Brickyard Weekend; official pricing tiers reward early purchase, and third-party resale sites often mark up seats that are still available at face value through IMS.

Camping at Brickyard Weekend

If you want the full NASCAR-weekend experience, camping is the way to do it. IMS offers RV and tent camping across several lots (including areas identified as Lot 1A, Lot 2, and Lot 4, among others), plus infield camping inside Turn 4 for people who want to be inside the oval for the whole weekend. Infield RV sites typically include electrical hookups, and premium infield camping packages exist for travelers who want a reserved, fixed spot rather than first-come parking.

Camping opens ahead of the Friday practice session, which means you can roll in Thursday, get set up, and have your whole rig in place before the on-track action starts. This is one of the clearest ways Brickyard Weekend differs from staying in the city — you’re on-site for the full three days without a hotel bill or a commute, which matters if you’re traveling from out of state and want to control costs.

Camping spot availability and pricing change year to year, so confirm current options and reserve directly through IMS’s official camping page rather than assuming last year’s layout carries over.

Getting There and Where to Stay

Indianapolis Motor Speedway sits in Speedway, Indiana, about seven miles northwest of downtown Indianapolis — the same track, same general logistics, as the Indy 500. If you’re not camping on-site, you have two realistic options:

Stay near the track in Speedway. Walkable to the gates, with bars and restaurants that fill up on Brickyard Weekend but nowhere near Indy 500 levels. Good if minimizing travel time matters most.

Stay in Indianapolis proper and commute in. Neighborhoods like Fountain Square and Broad Ripple put you closer to a wider range of budget-friendly food and lodging, with a short rideshare or transit trip out to the Speedway on race days. Because Brickyard Weekend traffic is lighter than Race Month traffic, the commute is far more tolerable — you’re not looking at the multi-hour post-race gridlock that defines a Memorial Day Sunday at IMS.

Because Brickyard Weekend is a lower-demand weekend for Indianapolis hotels compared to May, prices are generally more reasonable, and last-minute bookings are more realistic than they’d ever be for the Indy 500. If you’re weighing a budget-conscious Indianapolis trip more broadly, our Indianapolis budget restaurants guide covers where to eat well without spending race-weekend prices.

Who Brickyard Weekend Is Actually For

This is a genuinely good race weekend for a specific kind of visitor: NASCAR fans who’ve never made the trip to IMS, budget-conscious race fans priced out of Indy 500 week, families who want the free-kids-admission math to work in their favor, and campers who want a multi-day motorsports weekend without Race Month’s crowd and cost. If you’re chasing the singular spectacle of 33 IndyCars and a 250,000-person crowd, that’s still the Indy 500’s territory. If you want real NASCAR Cup Series racing, a manageable crowd, and a three-day weekend that doesn’t require booking a hotel eight months out, Brickyard Weekend delivers that at a lower price and a lower stress level.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the Brickyard 400 in 2026? The Brickyard 400 presented by PPG runs on Sunday, July 26, 2026, as the finale of Brickyard Weekend, which begins with practice on Friday, July 24, and continues with the Pennzoil 250 on Saturday, July 25. Confirm the green-flag start time on IMS.com closer to race week, as broadcast windows can shift it.

How much are Brickyard 400 tickets? Friday practice-day tickets start around $15, Saturday tickets start around $35, and Sunday Brickyard 400 tickets range from roughly $40 for general viewing areas to $150-200 for premium reserved seating, with prices increasing the closer you buy to race week.

Is the Brickyard 400 the same as the Indy 500? No. The Indy 500 features open-wheel IndyCars and runs in late May; the Brickyard 400 features NASCAR Cup Series stock cars and runs in July. They’re separate races on separate weekends with different ticket pricing, crowd sizes, and racing styles, though both take place at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Can you camp at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Brickyard Weekend? Yes. IMS offers RV and tent camping in multiple lots around the track, plus infield camping inside Turn 4, with camping typically opening ahead of Friday’s on-track sessions. Camping is a bigger part of the Brickyard Weekend culture than it is at the Indy 500.

Do kids get discounted tickets to the Brickyard 400? Children 15 and under are admitted free when accompanied by a paying adult’s general admission ticket for Brickyard Weekend, which makes it one of the more affordable major motorsports weekends in the country for families. Confirm the current kids-admission policy on IMS.com before you travel, as terms can change year to year.