The famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway has taken its lumps during the past 12 years, with the Indy Racing League taking control of the track’s premier open-wheel race to begin a lingering and exhausting North American open-wheel feud, and Formula One finally ending a rocky relationship after the recent and perhaps final U.S. Grand Prix.
However, like everything else NASCAR touches, stock cars have flourished at Indy, helping bring back memories of legends and stories of how they conquered the magnificent venue.
For Nextel Cup points leader Jeff Gordon, the 2.5-mile oval will never get too old or too political to appreciate.
“I have four wins here – four of the most amazing wins of my career,” Gordon said in a statement. “Any time you win at Indy, whether it’s your first win or your fourth, is incredible.”
Gordon is looking to cement his stardom at Indy in Sunday’s 14th Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. His four Brickyard victories tie him with former Indy 500 greats Rick Mears, A.J. Foyt and Al Unser for the most on the 2.5-mile oval. Retired F1 star Michael Schumacher has five wins, each on the road course.
“I witnessed Schumacher’s fifth win (in 2006) and knew the comparisons would begin,” said Gordon, who won the inaugural Brickyard at age 23 in 1994, and then again in 1998, 2001 and 2004. “But I don’t even compare what we’ve done in a stock car to what Mears, Unser and Foyt did. Those guys are legends here.”
Mears, Unser and Foyt each won their Indy 500s in a unified series. Since the infamous open-wheel split in 1995, the 500 has been about wannabes or no-shows, and more recently, about which team would win: Andretti or Penske.
The 400, meanwhile, has grown into the Daytona of the North and handily outdraws the season-opening Daytona 500. Nine different winners and six car owners have won the Brickyard, and unlike the Indy 500, at least a dozen drivers will have to do more than just show up to race. And, unlike the 500, half the field won’t be lapped 20 miles into the race.
Even the Cup drivers with traditional NASCAR roots know how special it is to have a chance to win at Indy.
“For me it just goes back to when I was younger; there weren’t a lot of races that were televised at that time, but the Indianapolis 500 was always televised,” Ricky Rudd, the Brickyard’s 1997 winner, said in a release. “I just remember watching a lot more of the Indy car races on TV when I was a kid, so I had it in my mind how important any race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway was.”
Gordon has led a record 433 laps in NASCAR races at Indy and has only finished outside the top 10 three times.
DEI expands
Dale Earnhardt Incorporated is reportedly absorbing Ginn Racing, making it a four-car team in time for this weekend’s race at Indy. The deal, set to be announced today, was confirmed to The Associated Press.
DEI will immediately add the No. 01 Chevrolet, which is co-driven by Mark Martin and rookie Aric Almirola, and take the season points from Ginn’s No. 14 team and apply it to DEI ‘s No. 15 entry of Paul Menard.
The No. 14 has been driven this season by Sterling Marlin, but the two-time Daytona 500 winner was released from the ride last week. Marlin was 29th in the points, which assured that car a spot in the field each week. Menard is 38th, outside of the top 35 that are locked in, and the points from the No. 14 will now guarantee him a spot in the field.
SPOTLIGHT: CARL EDWARDS
Playoff hopeful to drive hurt
At some point, NASCAR teams could prevent their Nextel Cup drivers from participating in other dangerous activities, but racing in other circuits might never be one of them. For money or for fun, it’s in their blood and something they aren’t inclined to sacrifice. Edwards, like many other Cup drivers, went racing during last weekend’s off week. Edwards dislocated his right thumb in a dirt-track accident at I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, Neb., and will drive with pain in this weekend’s Busch and Cup events at Indianapolis. He leads the Busch standings and is fifth in the Cup chase, but you can bet power steering will be of bigger concern for him than maintaining his positions. Sunday’s Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, the second-biggest race of the season, kicks off a 17 consecutive-week stretch of racing, with the final 10 being playoff races. So Edwards has little time to heal. On Friday, he’ll begin three consecutive -and long -days of practicing, qualifying and racing in the two circuits. If nothing else, he’ll be thankful they aren’t road courses.
ON THE MOVE: JEFF BURTON
Veteran cemented in Top 5
Burton, who finished third at the season-opening Daytona 500, is the only Cup driver to have been in the top five in standings all season. That speaks to his consistency to run up front, but he has only one win. Burton, currently fourth, has finished worse than 24th just twice, when he ended 34th and 43rd in back-to- back races at Talladega (Ala.) and Richmond (Va.).
Nextel Cup leaders
A look at the top 12 in the standings through 19 starts, with wins, top-5, top-10 finishes and money won:
(Points W T5 T10 Earnings)
Jeff Gordon 2,911 4 12 17 $4,154,310
Denny Hamlin 2,608 1 7 11 $2,900,200
Matt Kenseth 2,565 1 7 13 $3,614,370
Jeff Burton 2,491 1 6 10 $3,746,700
Carl Edwards 2,473 1 5 7 $2,384,280
Tony Stewart 2,429 1 5 12 $3,493,360
Jimmie Johnson 2,423 4 9 11 $3,959,680
Kevin Harvick 2,337 1 4 9 $5,158,960
Kyle Busch 2,314 1 4 10 $2,544,940
Clint Bowyer 2,281 0 1 10 $2,096,170
Martin Truex Jr. 2,208 1 4 7 $2,795,260
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2,151 0 3 7 $2,830,890
THIS WEEK’S RACE: ALLSTATE 400 AT THE BRICKYARD
A biggie at Indy
Noon, Sunday, ESPN
Where: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2.5-mile oval, 9 degrees banking in turns)
Distance: 400 miles, 160 laps
Qualifying: Saturday, 8 a.m., ESPN
Staff writer Mike Chambers can be reached at 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
