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A NASCAR BLOG BY Art Weinstein
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Brickyard race not a big deal for this fan
Jul
26
This may sound crazy, even sacrilegious, but today’s Sprint Cup race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway doesn’t get my motor firing on all cylinders.
It’s not that big of a deal to me.
Almost everyone in NASCAR: drivers, officials, TV executives, sponsors, etc., rate this as the second-biggest NASCAR race of the year, trailing only the Daytona 500. I suspect there are many NASCAR drivers who would rather win at the world-famous Brickyard than they would the Daytona 500, but won’t say it, because it would be politically incorrect.
I might feel the same way if I were a driver. Indy is the center of the racing universe, home of the Indianapolis 500 since 1911. It is tradition, it is Americana, it is the row of bricks on the track, it is …
… just another race for me, from a fan perspective. I love tradition, and fully realize the Brickyard’s glorious past, but if you’re talking NASCAR heritage, the Brickyard race arrived on the scene about the same time as Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
In terms of NASCAR tradition, you couldn’t beat Darlington Raceway’s Southern 500, a race held from 1950-2004 on Labor Day weekend. That was a great NASCAR tradition. And I still would rather watch Darlington’s spring race, instead of the Allstate 400, again, because of the grand old track’s NASCAR heritage.
The Daytona 500 has a 50-year history, while NASCAR has only been racing at Indy since 1994. I’d rather be watching the Daytona 500 this weekend. Maybe even the July Daytona night race. I’d probably rather be tuning into both Talladega races, as well.
I’d rather be watching the Bristol Motor Speedway night race today. Or, the Coca-Cola 600, which began in 1960. Or the fall race at Richmond International Raceway, a track that held its first NASCAR Cup race in 1953.
It’s great NASCAR is racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, drawing huge crowds and plenty of buzz for the sport. Many believe NASCAR’s move there in 1994 legitimized the sport for millions of motorsports fans and helped spur NASCAR’s explosive growth in recent years.
But as a fan, the race itself is down my pecking order of favorite races. I sense I’m not alone in feeling that way.
It’s not that big of a deal to me.
Almost everyone in NASCAR: drivers, officials, TV executives, sponsors, etc., rate this as the second-biggest NASCAR race of the year, trailing only the Daytona 500. I suspect there are many NASCAR drivers who would rather win at the world-famous Brickyard than they would the Daytona 500, but won’t say it, because it would be politically incorrect.
I might feel the same way if I were a driver. Indy is the center of the racing universe, home of the Indianapolis 500 since 1911. It is tradition, it is Americana, it is the row of bricks on the track, it is …
… just another race for me, from a fan perspective. I love tradition, and fully realize the Brickyard’s glorious past, but if you’re talking NASCAR heritage, the Brickyard race arrived on the scene about the same time as Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
In terms of NASCAR tradition, you couldn’t beat Darlington Raceway’s Southern 500, a race held from 1950-2004 on Labor Day weekend. That was a great NASCAR tradition. And I still would rather watch Darlington’s spring race, instead of the Allstate 400, again, because of the grand old track’s NASCAR heritage.
The Daytona 500 has a 50-year history, while NASCAR has only been racing at Indy since 1994. I’d rather be watching the Daytona 500 this weekend. Maybe even the July Daytona night race. I’d probably rather be tuning into both Talladega races, as well.
I’d rather be watching the Bristol Motor Speedway night race today. Or, the Coca-Cola 600, which began in 1960. Or the fall race at Richmond International Raceway, a track that held its first NASCAR Cup race in 1953.
It’s great NASCAR is racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, drawing huge crowds and plenty of buzz for the sport. Many believe NASCAR’s move there in 1994 legitimized the sport for millions of motorsports fans and helped spur NASCAR’s explosive growth in recent years.
But as a fan, the race itself is down my pecking order of favorite races. I sense I’m not alone in feeling that way.
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Comments
7 responses to "Brickyard race not a big deal for this fan"
missouriracefan said:
Jul 27, 2008 at 6:25 AMI understand the aura surrounding this race but I can gladly not attend this Sunday's race at the Brickyard. My husband and I have attended races at the majority of the NASCAR tracks and my absolute least-liked racetracks are Pocono, Daytona, and the Brickyard. I could not see a thing at Pocono because people stood for the whole race and the stands are not graduated enough for someone only a little over 5' tall. Plus the race is unbearably long. Both Daytona and the Brickyard have buildings in the infield or grandstands obstructing the view around the track. I want to see the whole race and not be reduced to watching it on the infield screen. Now I skip those races and watch the always annoying coverage on television. I plan to watch today's race in the comfort of my air-conditioned home while my husband and son make the annual pilgrimage to the Brickyard. See you at Talladega and the other fall races!
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» Confirm Abuse Reportdel brown said:
Jul 27, 2008 at 3:14 PMSince I've never watched more than 25 laps of any Indy race ( open wheel or NASCAR ) - for some reason the track really bores me - I really tried to watch this race. But failed. Quit around lap 7 when NASCAR moved the comp yellow up to lap 10. It looked like there were going to be a lot of comp yellows so I started watching an MLB game. After the game was over went out to pick up some parts for a street rod I'm building then tuned back in with about 20 laps to go only to learn that there will be a comp yellow with 10 to go. That did it - off went the tv. Adios Brickyard 400. Doubt I'll even bother tuning in at all in the future.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportCallaway said:
Jul 27, 2008 at 3:50 PMWell apparently Goodyear must share your opinion based on the crappy tire they brought today. With 700 tires designated for Pocono next week sitting there Big Mike and his lackeys decided to bore the daylights out of everyone not only at the track but at home as well by toughing his way through the long day with a known bad tire. Hope the crew guys got double pay today they sure earned it having to deal with tire swaps every 10 laps. And another great day for the miracle of modern technology the COT that along with the tire issue seems destine to kill the sport with it's poor balance, coil binding, bump stops, generic looks and a magic racing success formula that has eluded some of the best engineers in motor sports. This albatross today shouldn't be left on the Brickyard doorstep but squarely on Nascar management and Goodyear Tire and Rubber.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportmissouriracefan said:
Jul 28, 2008 at 12:20 PMGlad I stayed home!
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» Confirm Abuse ReportRobin Drummond said:
Jul 28, 2008 at 5:01 PMWhen you're running on a pretty flat track and a car the engineers can't figure out, what do you expect? The right tires are going to blow! I kind of like the ten lap stops. It was like a lot of sprints. I did feel bad for the crews members, but they DO get paid a lot of money for doing a very difficult job. Maybe by next year enough testing will help Goodyear with the right tire. Let's hope so.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportK B said:
Jul 29, 2008 at 3:39 PMAnother fan's prespective ... I started as a fan of open wheel and after it tore apart became a fan of stock cars back in the 90's. But Indy is HUGE IMO. There is so much history in it and for NASCAR and Goodyear to make it a joke this year is not right. We already had tire issues this year and for it to happen again and at Indy is showing how their arrogance has gotten the best of them.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportJim Teats said:
Jul 30, 2008 at 3:27 PMNascar should even cancel the results of this race. The cars nevered a change to advance there positions. If you were in front you stayed. Been watching for 50 years and this is worsted race ever run. I am starting lose interest the races. Was attending 12 to 14 a year. Will be cutting back to only a few short tracks races.
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