On June 2, 1992 nine NASCAR WINSTON CUP teams were invited to the legendary INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY for what was billed as a ‘Goodyear tire test’. Few were fooled by that. It was really a test to see how the bulky sedans would race on the world’s most famous race track. The excitement was incredible. ESPN covered it. Over 2 days, thousands of fans turned out to feel the thunder of the NASCARS V8’s as they ran laps. We got goose bumps just thinking about a field of 43 of these taking the green on such hallowed ground.
In the spring of ‘93, Speedway president, Tony George along with Bill France jr. made the announcement that all of NASCAR waited for. the inaugural BRICKYARD 400 would be run august 6, 1994.
As is sometimes the case, the fantasy was better than the reality. Sure, the Brickyard race is an exciting event. Rarely has the action on track lived up to the hype. For NASCAR, it is more about ‘the show’. Big crowds, lots of color and noise. and if this year’s race includes an on track incident between Kyle Bush and Dale Jr. well, the press will make a lot of ink about it.
Interestingly, in the past few years, the BRICKYARD 400 has enjoyed a bigger TV rating than the INDY 500. The power of NASCAR.
Grumpy
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