"Their IQ is high" - Kevin Harvick gives high marks to Indy fans ahead of Indianapolis' NASCAR Cup Series race

Kevin Harvick had all the praise in the world for the Indianapolis motorsport fans. During the recent Kevin Harvick's Happy Hour podcast on NASCAR on Fox, the former NASCAR driver labeled the IQ of Indianapolis fans as "high."

After an eventful race at Pocono last Sunday, NASCAR moves to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time this season. The upcoming race on Sunday (July 21) is set to be the 22nd race of the 2024 season, and a much anticipated one.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is regarded as one of the oldest and most prominent motorsport facilities in the world. The track holds significant importance in the motorsport world globally and is a National Historic Landmark in the United States.

Living up to the reputation of the racetrack, the fans are also said to be very passionate and take racing very highly. No wonder why this facility is regarded as the racing capital of the world, and fans form a major part of it.

"The fans are incredibly smart about racing; their IQ is high," Harvick said. "When you look at our TV ratings, Indianapolis is always in the top five. When you go to Indy, the race fans understand racing more than anywhere else in the country. I guess it's because there are so many ingrained in the city around the racetrack.

"The racetrack is a significant part of everything the community does. If you don't know about racing in Indy, you probably need to move because you won't fit in. The racing IQ of the Indy fans is really fun as a racer to experience, being able to engage with them about racing."

Besides NASCAR and other racing series, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway also hosts the Indianapolis 500 in the IndyCar Series, which is regarded as one of the races of the Triple Crown of Motorsport.

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Kevin Harvick shares his prediction for the Indianapolis race

NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin looks on. Image Courtesy: USA TODAY Sports

Kevin Harvick, during the Happy Hour podcast, predicted the winner of the upcoming Indianapolis race. He foretold that Denny Hamlin, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver is the hot favorite to win the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis.

"I kind of spilled mine earlier. I just keep picking the #11. I think I did pick the #11 last week. I think they're going to win," Harvick said. "I think they're going to win the championship this year. We might not make it all the way through the playoffs, and you can give me a hard time, but if I had to pick today, that's my guy."

Hamlin, the #11 driver, has been on a rollercoaster ride this season. After having six consecutive top-five finishes from Dover to Illinois, the JGR driver faced five back-to-back poor results from Sonoma to Chicago.

However, in the most recent race at Pocono, the 2014 champion finished the race in second place, behind race winner Ryan Blaney. This should give Denny Hamlin all the confidence to go out there and win the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis.