NASCAR At Indianapolis 2012: Brickyard 400 Start Time, Lineup, TV/Radio Schedule And More

It’s NASCAR race day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and we’ve got the actual race start time, the starting lineup and some other facts about today’s race for you below.

What time does the race start today? Mari Hulman George will give the famous “Gentlemen, start your engines” command at 1:10 p.m. Eastern time today, followed by the green flag of NASCAR’s second-biggest race of the season at 1:19 p.m. So if you want to skip the pre-race show and just tune in for the race, turn on your TV set at 1:19 p.m.

Race name/distance: This race is not called the Brickyard 400 anymore. It’s officially called (deep breath), “Crown Royal Presents the Curtiss Shaver 400 at the Brickyard Powered by BigMachineRecords.com.” What the heck, right? (Related: Who is Curtiss Shaver?) Anyway, the race is 160 laps around the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a total of 400 miles.

TV, radio and live streaming: The race can be seen on ESPN. This is ESPN’s first Sprint Cup Series broadcast of the season, and the network will show every race for the rest of the year. There IS live streaming of the race today, which can be found via the “Watch ESPN” app. If you’ll be away from your computer and TV, check the Performance Racing Network’s web site for a list of affiliate radio stations in your area.

*** NOTE: If you’re out and about and can’t watch the race, make sure to follow me (@jeff_gluck) on Twitter. I’ll be tweeting updates about the event. ***

National anthem: Raul Malo, lead singer of “The Mavericks,” will sing the national anthem today. The Mavericks were a country music group who disbanded early last decade, but recently announced a reunion.

Tickets: Indianapolis has been hit hard by attendance woes. There are plenty of tickets available if you’re thinking of making a last-minute trip.

Weather: Nice. The Brickyard can be a humid and uncomfortable race, but the unofficial NASCAR weatherman, Brian Neudorff, is predicting a pleasant day with temperatures in the high 80s (and no rain).

Last time: Paul Menard stretched his fuel to win last year’s Brickyard 400, holding off a closing Jeff Gordon in the final laps. The year before, Jamie McMurray won at Indy.

Starting lineup for today’s NASCAR race at Indianapolis: