After falling off the schedule from 2021 through 2023, the Brickyard 400 has been back as a NASCAR Cup race for the last three years now. However, some — including third-generation racer Kyle Petty — believe that it should not be counted among the crown jewel races of NASCAR.
Petty even took it a step further, noting that he was never in favor of NASCAR going to Indianapolis, even before the inaugural event in 1994. “That’s their hallowed ground (IndyCar) and Daytona is ours (NASCAR),” said Petty on this week’s episode of NASCAR’s Inside the Race. “We didn’t need to cross over. Indianapolis is one of the reasons, maybe the main reason that there is motorsports in North America and the United States … it’s a sacred place. Is it big to race there? It is big to race there, but only because it’s Indianapolis, and only because of the history that IndyCar has created there. Mario Andretti, Troy Ruttman, guys like that created that — it’s not big for me. I didn’t see Lee Petty, Buck Baker, Junior Johnson win there. I have no history there. My DNA has no history at Indianapolis.
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Petty continued: “This is not a crown jewel … It’s Charlotte, it’s Daytona, and it’s Darlington. That’s where our history is. This is not our history. There’s places that are special to the sport, and I think that Indy is special to motorsports.”
Of course, Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the most historic oval in the world, and has hosted the Indy 500 since 1911. However, NASCAR didn’t start racing at IMS until 1994. By contrast, the Daytona 500 has been on the schedule since the track opened in 1959. It’s the same situation for the Southern 500 at Darlington, which dates back to 1950, and the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, which dates back to 1960.
Veteran crew chief Steve Letarte argued that while NASCAR at the IMS oval may not be that impressive for the fans watching, it’s still special for the drivers and teams who get to compete at its hallowed grounds.
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“I don’t think the Brickyard 400 is for the fans,” said Letarte. “I think we run all year long for the fans. When I walk through the garage area, the Brickyard 400 means more in the garage, than perhaps to the fan base. I know as someone who competed there — the opportunity to race at that race track, a race track I grew up watching the Indy 500 as a little kid. There’s no bigger race in the globe than the Indy 500, and that’s fact. We have our Daytona 500, and it is without a doubt our biggest race, but the chance to race on that race track (Indianapolis) was special to me. So, dare I say, this is an event for the competitors, so they have a chance to drive, crew chief, or pit cars around the Yard of Bricks.”
Motorspot.com’s own Matt Weaver contributed to the panel, giving his take on where the race fits in the NASCAR world: “I think that the inaugural Brickyard 400 served a purpose,” said Weaver. “It was the perfect race at the perfect time, for NASCAR to emerge as ‘the’ motorsport in North America. That was the reason to be there, then. It was never the racing product. It was never this extraordinary race. But for 15, 20 years you raced in front of these large crowds. The spectacle — it felt like an extension of the Indianapolis 500 that we do not have anymore.”
Petty latched onto that comment, noting that the Brickyard 400 “felt like a baby brother” to the Indy 500 in his view.
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Weaver continued: “Those first handful of years, it looked like the Indianapolis 500. So if we’re not going there for the atmosphere, the 250,000 people, and if we’re not going there for the product, then what purpose does it serve for where NASCAR wants to go? We’ve talked so much in the past five years about what is our identity, who are we, and where do we want to go.”
Some fans have argued that the Bristol Night Race or the Talladega 500 should be counted as crown jewel events, more so than the Brickyard. However, others hold firm that the history of Indianapolis as a speedway is more than enough to elevate it to the level of a crown jewel race. Some are just frustrated by the inability to pass with tue current car and aero package, devaluing it in their eyes. Let us know where you stand!
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