Legendary Speedway Hosts Top NASCAR Event:
The Allstate 400 at the Brickyard is one of the biggest events on the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup schedule. The race is held on the world famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway in front of a huge crowd. Unfortunately the racing itself isn't the best, but there is no arguing the fact that this is one that everybody wants to win.
The Track:
Indianapolis Motor Speedway's 2.5 mile rectangle is one of the most famous race courses in the world. Unfortunately it wasn't built for stock cars as it has only 9 degrees of banking in the four distinct corners and very long straightaways. As a result the fast, flat track isn't a great place for stock car racing.
Race Distance:
160 laps = 400 miles
The Big Picture:
This is race number 21 of 36. Only 6 races to go until the cutoff. Mark Martin in seventh has a small cushion on tenth but only 34 points separate Jeremy Mayfield in eighth from Carl Edwards in twelfth.
The current points top ten are: 1. Jimmie Johnson 2,799. 2. Tony Stewart 2,733. 3. Greg Biffle 2,712. 4. Rusty Wallace 2,617. 5. Kurt Busch 2,537. 6. Ryan Newman 2,507. 7. Mark Martin 2,490. 8. Jeremy Mayfield 2,394. 9. Elliott Sadler 2,391. 10. Dale Jarrett 2,372.
Storylines:
The Allstate 400 at the Brickyard is all about history. These hallowed grounds have hosted the greatest names in motorsports and somebody will add their name to the list of legends on Sunday.
You can also expect comparisons between NASCAR and Formula One. F1 held a disasterous race here just a few weeks ago when one tire manufacturer withdrew for safety concerns leaving just six cars to race. Goodyear has had its share of problems in 2005 but the sport would never allow the fiasco that F1 saw.
Media Coverage:
TV: NBC Sunday August 7th 2:30PM Eastern.
Radio: IMS Radio Network and XM Satellite
Actual Race: 2:40PM Eastern
Last Year:
In 2004 Casey Mears scored his second pole position in a row but the race was all Jeff Gordon. Jeff lead 122 of the 161 lap race to take the win.
One historic tidbit about this race is that the 2004 Brickyard 400 was the very first ever green-white-checkers finish in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup racing as the scheduled 160 lapper was extended to 161 laps because of an incident involving Ryan Newman and Brian Vickers on lap 155.
Predictions:
If Jeff Gordon is going to battle his way into the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup in 2005 he needs to start now. He won this event in dominating fashion last year. He has the equipment the skill and the motivation to win.
My backup pick this week isn't straying too far into the unknown. The Brickyard 400 is traditionally a good race for the points leaders and this year should be no exception. Jimmie Johnson is my backup and a strong candidate to get his first Brickyard win in 2005.
