If the Brickyard 400 has lost some of its allure among racing fans, which half-empty grandstands at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last year and probably again Sunday would seem to indicate, that isn’t the case for the 43 teams and drivers taking part in NASCAR’s 18th visit to Indy.
Starting with pole winner David Ragan and continuing throughout the field, the overwhelming sentiment is that other than the Daytona 500, there’s still no other race they’d rather win than the Brickyard.
“There’s only a couple tracks on our schedule that when you walk into the track you feel the history of the facility,” said three-time winner Jimmie Johnson, who will start third today. “This is one of them.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr., Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, knows what it meant to his famous father to win the 1995 Brickyard. Earnhardt will start 22nd as he tries to figure out a track on which he has just two top-10 finishes in 11 tries.
“Everyone wants to win at this race,” he said. “Everyone wants to go through the process they have at post race, the celebration and the unique thing that they do here.
“I’ve read about the history and how this place has survived two world wars and how it was basically the proving grounds for the automobile back in the turn of the century. I would love to be able to say I’ve won a race here. It’s at the top of the list.”
Starting with pole winner David Ragan and continuing throughout the field, the overwhelming sentiment is that other than the Daytona 500, there’s still no other race they’d rather win than the Brickyard.
“There’s only a couple tracks on our schedule that when you walk into the track you feel the history of the facility,” said three-time winner Jimmie Johnson, who will start third today. “This is one of them.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr., Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, knows what it meant to his famous father to win the 1995 Brickyard. Earnhardt will start 22nd as he tries to figure out a track on which he has just two top-10 finishes in 11 tries.
“Everyone wants to win at this race,” he said. “Everyone wants to go through the process they have at post race, the celebration and the unique thing that they do here.
“I’ve read about the history and how this place has survived two world wars and how it was basically the proving grounds for the automobile back in the turn of the century. I would love to be able to say I’ve won a race here. It’s at the top of the list.”
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