The Sprint Cup drivers and teams will battle for the win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as NASCAR heads back to the Brickyard.
The 2.5-mile track in Indianapolis was originally made out of crushed rock and tar until it was transformed to bricks all the way around in 1909. Over the years sections of the track were covered by asphalt to repair and upgrade the racing surface. In 1961 the last area that remained brick (the front straightaway) was covered with asphalt except for a 36-inch strip of the original bricks at the start/finish line. This small section of bricks is what has become to be known as the “yard of bricks” which is where the Indy Speedway gets its nickname and that small section of bricks has become some of the most hallowed ground in all of motor sports.
In recent years the race’s main sponsor, Crown Royal, has held a contest to include the name of a hero in the official name of the race. This year’s official race name is the Crown Royal presents the Combat Wounded Coalition 400 at the Brickyard. While this is a great way to honor an amazing organization dedicated to helping our wounded military service men and women (find out how you can help at their website here), there is no disrespect meant by me or any race fans that will forever simply call the race the Brickyard 400.
NASCAR Champion Dale Jarrett began the tradition of kissing the bricks after he won the Brickyard 400 in 1996. Dale and his crew chief Todd Parrott walked out and kissed the fabled yard of bricks in celebration and to pay tribute to the historic speedway. When the entire racing team joined the driver and crew chief for a group kiss of the bricks a tradition was born that continues for not only the Brickyard 400 winners, but also for the Indy 500 winners.
However, to earn the right to kiss the bricks is not an easy task for NASCAR drivers, crew chiefs and teams. The track is unlike any other on the Sprint Cup circuit. The front and back stretches are long and allow for high-speed. The lead into turns that only have nine degrees of banking with a very short straight section between turns one and two and again between turns three and four. This requires the car to have very good handling, plenty of acceleration power and good overall speed to make passes to be in position to win the race on lap 160, the last lap.
Which active drivers have performed the best at the Brickyard over their Sprint Cup careers? Let’s take a look.
Top 10 Driver Ratings at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Jimmie Johnson – 106.5
Kyle Larson – 103.6
Kyle Busch – 101.5
Tony Stewart – 101.2
Kasey Kahne – 97.4
Matt Kenseth – 97.0
Kevin Harvick – 96.6
Denny Hamlin – 91.3
Greg Biffle – 90.3
Joey Logano – 88.7
(Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2015 races (11 total) among active drivers at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.)
There are two active drivers who have won multiple times at Indianapolis. Jimmie Johnson has four Brickyard 400 victories. Indiana native Tony Stewart, who is in his final full-time Sprint Cup season, has won the race twice in his home state.
Six drivers have earned the right to kiss the bricks a single time in their NASCAR Sprint Cup careers. Those drivers are Bobby Labonte, Kevin Harvick, Jamie McMurray, Paul Menard, Ryan Newman and the winner of the 2015 Brickyard 400 Kyle Busch.
This year there will a major “wild card” in the mix for the Brickyard 400. Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be sitting out of the race due to medical reasons. Jeff Gordon is coming out of retirement to drive the #88 for his former Hendrick Motorsports teammate this weekend in Indianapolis (and next week in Pocono). Since last season was his final full-time Sprint Cup season Jeff is not considered an active driver and was not included in the driver ratings above. However, his racing resume indicates he will be a factor in this weekend’s Brickyard 400 and could be a serious contender to win the race.
Jeff is the all-time race wins leader for the Brickyard 400 with five victories in the race including the inaugural race in 1994 with his most recent victory coming in the 2014 race. Heading into the 2015 race at Indianapolis Jeff had a driver rating of 105.6 at the track. Jeff is the only driver to have participated in every NASCAR Sprint Cup race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and will now keep that streak alive with the 23rd running of the Brickyard 400. Putting the four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion behind the wheel of a good race car that is fielded by the race team he spent his entire Sprint Cup career racing with definitely creates a “wild card” for the active drivers to deal with in the race.
We will all find out which driver and team earns the honor of kissing the bricks this year when the Crown Royal presents the Combat Wounded Coalition 400 at the Brickyard (Brickyard 400) gets under way at 2 PM central time (3 PM eastern) Sunday, July 24th at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
By: Buck Stevens
