User:KD0710/Brickyard 200
Race origins[edit]
Brickyard 400[edit]
Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which opened in 1909, held its first NASCAR on Saturday, August 6, 1994. Jeff Gordon, driving the No. 24, won the first event after leading 93 laps.[1] Gordon would go on to win four more Brickyard 400 titles, more than any other driver.[2]
Starting in 2001, the race was moved to Sunday, but remained on the first weekend of August.[3] Six years later, in 2007, coinciding with ESPN taking over NASCAR television rights, the race swapped dates with Pocono Raceway. The Brickyard 400 moved to the last weekend in July, and Pocono to the first weekend in August, which made the Brickyard race the first race in ESPN's coverage.[4]
After fan attendance fell from 200,000 to an estimated 35,000 in 2017[5], NASCAR and IMS agreed to make the race the final race of the regular season by moving it to September beginning in 2018.[6] They once again attempted to stimulate attendance by moving the race to Fourth of July weekend.[5] Following the purchase of IMS in 2019, by Roger Penske, the track and NASCAR agreed to move the race back to August using a road course format beginning in 2021.[7]
Race details[edit]
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The first race on the road course took place on August 15, 2021. The race on the 14-turn course was won in overtime by road course ringer A. J. Allmendinger.[8] The race was one of six road courses for the 2021 season, which was overhauled that same year.[9]
The race followed the IndyCar Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series, which were both raced on the road course track the day before.[10]
Attendance[edit]
The Brickyard 400 once drew some of the largest crowds in NASCAR history, with more than 250,000 spectators.[11][12] Although popular, attendance began dwindling for several factors including a tire controversy at the 2008 race, poor sightlines compared to other NASCAR tracks, the overall lack of competition, and uncomfortably hot summer temperatures in July/August.[13] In addition, following the change from a track-organized television contract (1994–2000) to a centralized NASCAR television package, the local television blackout the Speedway imposed was lifted.[14] Attendance dropped to an estimated 35,000 in 2017.[5]
While NASCAR does not release attendance data, IMS reported that they had pre-sold 50,000–60,000 tickets with walk-up sales expected, for the inaugural event.[15]
Race recaps[edit]
2021[edit]
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Before the race and qualifying started, NASCAR removed a curb off Turn 6 following complications during the previous day's NASCAR Xfinity Series race. The curb was designed to prevent cars from using the last part of asphalt before the grass.[16] Qualifying was held on the morning of the race and won by William Byron. His pace was 100.044 mph during his one-lap run.[17]
The start time for the race was 1:00 p.m. and aired on NBC.
Local-driver Chase Briscoe battled Byron early and led much of the first stage before taking his first pit stop in a three-stop strategy before the Lap 15 stage break. He finished ninth in the stage, behind stage one winner Tyler Reddick. Chase Elliott, hoping to be the first father-son duo to win the NASCAR classic at Indianapolis, led most of the second stage before making his pit stop at the end of the stage. Reddick again won stage two.[18]
Kyle Larson led 17 laps before pitting and once again resumed the lead ten laps later and led 11 additional laps. With eight laps to go, Denny Hamlin took the lead and was there when on Lap 73 a caution was issued due to debris from the curb on Turn 6, which forced NASCAR to attempt to repair it. During the restart on Lap 77, Martin Truex Jr. wrecked after running over the Turn 6 curb and shrapnel from it was kicked off the racing surface. A caution flag was not thrown, due to NASCAR determining their was no immediate issue. The following lap, Byron ran over the broken curb, which caused a nine-car collision in the chicane. A 19:14 red flag led to the removal of the curb and an additional extended caution period when another car was leaking oil.
Due to the length of the caution, the 82-lap race would end in overtime. On the Lap 89 restart, another multiple-car pileup occurred in the same Turn 6 chicane, without a curb and a 4:08 red flag was forced. On the Lap 94 restart, Hamlin ran Briscoe beyond track limits, which led to Briscoe being assessed a stop and go penalty in the Turn 10 penalty area. As the cars reached Turn 10, Briscoe, still incensed by Hamlin's tactics, spun Hamlin. The penalty was turned into a pass-through but with no time left, NASCAR ceased scoring Briscoe. A. J. Allmendinger, in a part-time Kaulig Racing team set to be a full-time team in 2022, scored the upset win after 95 laps. Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson filled out the podium.[19]
Past winners[edit]
| Year | Date | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Race Distance | Race Time | Average Speed (mph) |
Report | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laps | Miles (km) | ||||||||||
| Road Course, 2.439 miles (3.925 km) | |||||||||||
| 2021 | August 15 | 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 95* | 231.705 (372.875) | 3:20:59 | 69.171 | Report | [20] |
| 2022 | July 31 | Report | |||||||||
Manufacturer wins[edit]
| # Wins | Manufacturer | Years Won |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chevrolet | 2021 |
Pole position winners[edit]
| Year | Driver | Car Make | Entrant | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | William Byron | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | 100.044 mph |
Statistics[edit]
NASCAR Cup Series records[edit]
(Through 2021)
| Most wins | 1 | A. J. Allmendinger |
| Most poles | 1 | William Byron |
| Most laps led | 28 | Kyle Larson |
| Most laps led in single race | 28 | Kyle Larson |
Brickyard 400, Verizon 200 & Indianapolis 500[edit]
Only two drivers have competed in the Brickyard 500, Verizon 200, and Indianapolis 500.
- A. J. Allmendinger – finished seventh in the 2013 Indianapolis 500 for Team Penske, raced ten times in the Brickyard 400, with a best result of 10th in 2008 and 2017, and won the first Verizon 200.
- Kurt Busch – finished sixth in the 2014 Indianapolis 500 with Andretti Autosport, competed in 20 Brickyard 400 races with a high of 5th place in 2001, and crossed the line sixth in the 2021 Verizon 200.
Television and radio[edit]
NBC[edit]
Under the terms of a new $2.7 billion television deal from 2015 to 2024, the race is part of the NASCAR on NBC package.
| Year | Network | Host | Lap-by-lap | Color commentator(s) | Pit reporter(s) | Ratings | Viewers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | NBC | Steve Letarte Kyle Petty Dale Jarrett |
Rick Allen | Steve Letarte Mike Bagley (turn 1) Dale Earnhardt Jr. (turn 7) Jeff Burton (turn 12) |
Dave Burns Marty Snider Kelli Stavast |
1.8[21] | 2.831 |
Radio[edit]
All races have been broadcast on radio through the IMS Radio Network. Since 2004, Performance Racing Network has co-produced the race. Doug Rice, who is the chief announcer for PRN, currently anchors the broadcast, with PRN staff joining with IMS during the race broadcast.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Hembree, Mike. "Ray Evernham recounts Jeff Gordon's win in first Brickyard 400". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
- ^ Miller, Brody. "Jeff Gordon: IMS means too much to not have Brickyard be successful". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
- ^ "Brickyard 400 moved to Sunday in new schedule". Brainerd Dispatch. 2000-09-28. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
- ^ "Brickyard kicks off ABC/ESPN NASCAR coverage in '07". ESPN.com. 2006-07-28. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
- ^ a b c Journal, Indianapolis Business (2019-03-26). "Brickyard 400 moving to July 4th weekend in 2020". The Republic News. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
{{cite web}}:|first=has generic name (help) - ^ Keefer, Jim Ayello and Zak. "NASCAR moves Brickyard 400 to September starting in '18". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
- ^ Weaver, Matt (2021-08-09). "NASCAR Drivers Already Miss Indianapolis Oval". Autoweek. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
- ^ "Allmendinger scores Cup victory in wild finish at Indianapolis Road Course". Official Site Of NASCAR. 2021-08-15. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
- ^ "NASCAR's 2021 schedule boasts six road courses with COTA making its debut". Official Site Of NASCAR. 2020-09-30. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
- ^ Ryan, Nate (2020-09-30). "IndyCar NASCAR doubleheader 2021 on IMS road course - NBC Sports". MotorSportsTalk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
- ^ Remondini, David J. (July 31, 1994). "Brickyard tickets are summer's hottest (Part 1)". The Indianapolis Star. p. 21. Retrieved July 19, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Remondini, David J. (July 31, 1994). "Brickyard tickets are summer's hottest (Part 2)". The Indianapolis Star. p. 22. Retrieved July 19, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Pitts, William (2021-01-19). "NASCAR at Indianapolis Lost Its Novelty With A Disastrous Race In 2008". Sportscasting | Pure Sports. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
- ^ Miller, Geoffrey. "NFL-Style Local TV Blackout Would Help NASCAR's Empty Seat Problem at Indy". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
- ^ "Ticket Sales "Strong" For Verizon 200 At The Brickyard". 93.1FM WIBC. 2021-07-30. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
- ^ Long, Dustin (2021-08-14). "NASCAR removes curb in Turn 6 for Cup race - NBC Sports". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
- ^ "Byron wins pole for Cup race on Indy road course". ESPN.com. 2021-08-15. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
- ^ NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications (15-08-2021). "Race Results for the 28th Annual Verizon 200 at the Brickyard - Sunday, August 15, 2021" (PDF). Jayski.com. Retrieved 29-03-2022.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|access-date=and|date=(help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "NASCAR, Indy track president address curbing issues in Cup Series race". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
- ^ "2021 Verizon 200 at the Brickyard". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
- ^ "Indianapolis TV ratings". Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. 2021-08-17. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
