When the green flag drops to start the 20th running of the Brickyard 400, 43 of world’s best racecar drivers will have a chance to make racing history. But as history has shown, only a handful of them will truly have a shot at cementing a legacy amongst racing’s elite.
In the 19 previous runnings of the Brickyard 400, only 12 drivers have been able to enjoy the sweet taste of victory. And in those 19 previous races, only four drivers have been able to repeat their success more than once, thus making this race one of the hardest to win in all motorsports.
When it first opened for racing in 1911, the 2.5 mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway almost immediately became the exclusive home to the stars of the IndyCar Series and the hosting venue to the famed Indianapolis 500. The track’s unique brick-shaped design, coupled with the heart-blazing speeds and the legendary winners of the 500-mile marathon helped the Indianapolis Motor Speedway earn the reputation for being “The Hallowed Grounds of Racing.”
For most of the 20th Century, the stars of the IndyCar Series had the privilege to race on the legendary speedway once a year.
But that changed in 1992 when then-NASCAR Chairman, Bill France, Jr. made a deal with the officials at the speedway that would allow the drivers of the then-sponsored Winston Cup Series to begin racing on the track.
In the inaugural race in 1994, a sold-out crowd viewed a spectacular battle in the final 20 laps as Ernie Irvan and Jeff Gordon traded the top spot five times. Gordon come out on top after Irvan suffered a cut tire with five laps to go. While the victory helped propel Gordon to stardom, the race itself further expanded NASCAR’s fan base.
Since that inaugural event, the Brickyard 400 has been marked as one of the marquee races in all of motorsports, especially in NASCAR. Winning this race and joining racing legends like Al Unser, Sr., A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears, Dale Earnhardt, Dale Jarrett, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon has made this summer event legendary by its own right.
How important is this race to drivers and teams?
For several years, there has been a debate in the motorsports community on which is the biggest race of the year – the Daytona 500 or Brickyard 400? And while many individuals believe that it is clearly Daytona, the answer may not be as obvious as it seems. Tony Stewart, three-time Sprint Cup Series champion and two-time Brickyard 400 winner, said early in his career that he would give up his championships for a victory at Indianapolis. Such a bold statement from such an accomplished racer bodes to significance of this race.
But what does it take to win this race?
The answer is simple – everything.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has some of the longest straightaways in NASCAR, so horsepower and reliability is incredibly important. The track’s four sharp turns are banked less than 10 degrees, which makes handling a premium. With speeds well over 200 mph on the straightaways, aerodynamics also becomes a huge factor. With aero being such a variable, track position is key as passing in Indianapolis is extremely difficult. And to keep that track position, the crew chief and the pit crew must be at their best throughout the race.
When one sees all that it takes to win this race, it becomes no surprise why only 12 drivers have won this event and why less than a handful have had repeated triumphs at the speedway.
When one narrows it down, Indianapolis simply brings out the best in drivers and teams.
It is for this reason that the winner of this race is often placed as a favorite to win the series championship and for good reason.
In the 19 seasons prior, the winner of the Brickyard 400 has gone on to win the championship in the same season eight times, including four-straight years from 1998 to 2001. In fact, the winner of the Brickyard 400 has been a contender for the title 12 times, with the worst finisher being Kevin Harvick after he finished fifth in the 2003 point standings.
And while some believe this trend is fading, considering that three of the last four winners have finished 11th or worse in the points, the numbers this weekend indicate that this year’s winner will likely be one of the title favorites.
In Saturday afternoon’s qualifying session, Kevin Harvick and Jeff Gordon – arguably two of the best drivers this season – swept all three qualifying rounds by posting the fastest and second fastest speeds, respectively. And when you include Brad Keselowski – the hottest racer in the series – with a third place starting spot, the signs begin to indicate that the best driver and team will rise to the challenge when the chequered flag waves on Sunday.
With that said, anyone can still win this race as Paul Menard and the No.27 team showed in 2011 by besting Gordon and the fastest car that year on fuel mileage and pulling the improbable upset.
But this track’s history has shown time and time again that the best do stand out from the rest.
And when the chequered flag falls on Sunday and it’s time to kiss the bricks, odds are that the best team will be the one standing in victory lane.
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