For racing fans in America, no track has more
history than the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It is the scene of the
Indianapolis 500, seen by many as the greatest and most prestigious
race in this country. For most of the raceway's long, glorious history, only
Indy Cars raced there. Nobody gave the thought to another form of racing
arriving there. That was until
NASCAR arrived in the 1990's. What some saw as an invasion,
NASCAR saw as an opportunity, and took full advantage. The first
Brickyard 400 is the focus of Part 4 of this series.
The
Indianapolis Motor Speedway was opened back in 1909 in the western
parts of
Indianapolis, now called
Speedway, Indiana. Many refer to the track as "The Brickyard" because
in the early days, the racing surface was made of bricks. In 1911, a new
tradition in sports was held on Memorial Day Weekend. It was the first 500
mile race, which is now known as the
Indianapolis 500. The race became a fixture of American sports. That
history has made the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway a hallowed place for race fans. Much like
Yankee Stadium is to baseball fans, the Rose Bowl to football, and
Madison Square Garden to basketball. From 1919 until 1993, the
Indianapolis 500 was the only racing held at the track. Nobody thought
that anyone else would dare try and have a race at The Brickyard. But,
NASCAR would take that dare.
The thoughts of NASCAR racing at
Indianapolis kind of happened by accident. Legendary driver
A.J. Foyt was filming a commercial for Sears-Craftsman tools at the
track. He and IMS President Tony George took his stock car for a few laps
around the track. That caused at least a little bit of interest of someday
NASCAR racing there. In March of 1992, there was a test for IROC to see if
they could race there. After that, it was determined that it would be better
to give the Winston Cup cars a try. A two day tire test was conducted with
Goodyear during April of 1993. More than 10,000 fans showed up to
watch the test. It basically was to see if
NASCAR would be able to race at The Brickyard. After the successful
tests, it was announced
on April 14th that the NASCAR Winston Cup Series would hold a race at
the famed track. It would be held on August 6th, 1994 and would be called The
Brickyard 400.
The anticipation and excitement for the race was
felt by everyone in
NASCAR. Finally, the day arrived. A packed sell out crowd was in
person and the race was a ratings smash for ABC. Rick Mast was the pole
winner for the event. There was drama during the race, that even included a
bit of a family feud. During the race, Brett Bodine wrecked older brother
Geoff while both were in contention for the win. The race would be won by
Indiana resident
Jeff Gordon. For Gordon, it was his second career Winston Cup win.
His first was at the
Coca-Cola 600 earlier in the '94 season. But for the Hoosier resident,
this win was just as emotional as that first win.
Racing at the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway was another sign of the growing stature
NASCAR was seeing at that time. The boom that had been going on for
about the last decade and a half prior was showing no signs of slowing.
NASCAR's debut at
Indianapolis was going on at the same time that the Indy Car factions
were having major problems. Legal battles had been going on for several
years. The factions split for the 1996 season. The bigger names of Indy Car
racing stayed with the established series knows as CART (Championship Auto
Racing Teams). It would be the IRL that would race at the
Indianapolis 500. There were few big name drivers in that race. Many
casual fans didn't know the drivers. As a result, the popularity of Indy Car
racing fell while NASCAR's continued to grow. Some drivers who were racing
those Indy Cars are now in
NASCAR. Most notable examples are
Tony Stewart and Robby Gordon. While many of the bigger Indy Car names
are now in the IRL and racing in the
Indianapolis 500 again, the luster in some eyes has worn off of that
race. All that while the
Brickyard 400 remains a hot ticket.
The race is now known as the Allstate 400 at The
Brickyard. In the eyes of most in
NASCAR, this race is the second biggest on the schedule behind only the
Daytona 500. It is still considered a major prize to win the race.
Aside from Gordon,
Dale Earnhardt,
Dale Jarrett, Ricky Rudd,
Bobby LaBonte,
Bill Elliott,
Tony Stewart,
Kevin Harvick, and Jimmie Johnson have added a Brickyard victory to
their career resumes. While the
Indianapolis 500 will always have the history, the
Brickyard 400 has been established as a milestone win for any driver.
It will always be special for anyone to say that they have won a race at the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Recently, a new tradition at The Brickyard has
taken place. All race fans know about the winners drinking milk after the
Indianapolis 500. After the
Brickyard 400, the winner, along with his team, go to the front
stretch, where a row of the original bricks that once made up the racing
surface is there. They all go down and kiss that row of bricks. It may be a
bit on the gross side, but to the winner, it's part of the experience of
winning at
Indianapolis. It is a special place. Since that August afternoon in
1994,
NASCAR has made it's own legacy there. And the legacy will continue to
build as the years go on.By:
CrimsonCowboy
Final Laps of the 1994 Brickyard 400 from
Youtube.com