The Brickyard 400 was introduced in 1994 and is now The Allstate 400 at The Brickyard. Brickyard refers to the Speedway's nickname due to the fact that it was paved in brick in 1909. The bricks remain under the asphalt pavement to this day.
Held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, this 400 mile race was the first race other than the Indianapolis 500 to be held at the Speedway since 1916. As NASCAR's most attended event, a crowd of more than 250,000 fans annually is common. It is the second highest paying race in dollars.
The race has been broadcast live on tv since the first race in 1994. From 1994 to 200, ABC Sports televised the race. In 2001 and until 2006 NBC began broadcasting the race as part of a new eight-year 2.4 billion television deal. ESPN now has a contract of 4.48 billion that will last from 2007-2014. IMS Radio Network has been broadcasting the race on radio. From 1994-1999, Mike Joy was the anchor. Mike King served as chief announcer from 2000-2003. PRN began co-producing the race in 2004 and Doug Rice joined King as co-anchor. Bob Jenkins replaced King as co-anchor in 2007.
Ten out of fifteen wins, at the Brickyard 400, are attributed to four drivers. Jeff Gordon, a second year driver with Hendrick Motorsports, made a historic win in NASCAR's debut of the Brickyard in 1994. He also went on to win 1998, 2001 and 2004. Jeff Gordon also holds the record for most top 5's (9) and most top 10's (12). Dale Jarrett with Robert Yates racing team won two races in 1996 and 1999. Tony Stewart won in 2005 and 2007 as part of the Joe Gibbs Racing Team. Jimmie Johnson, also with Hendrick Motorsports, won his two races in 2006 and 2008. Chevrolet has the most wins for a manufacturer at 10. Following them is Ford with three, Pontiac with one and Dodge with one.
The history of the race is impressive. It drew the largest crowd to date in 1994 for the first running for a NASCAR event. The second year of the race was delayed due to rain. The tradition of the crew kissing the row of bricks at the start-finish line was started in 1996 by Dale Jarret. Jeff Gordon became the first repeat winner in 1998. In 2005, Tony Stewart, a hometown favorite won his first race and climbed the catch fence to celebrate.
In more recent years, there continue to be more records set. Juan Pablo Montoya became the first, and only to date, driver to race in all three of the major events hosted by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway: The Brickyard 400, Indianapolis 500 and the Formula One US Grand Prix in 2007. In 2008, the Car of Tomorrow was used at the race for the first time. The Goodyear tires suffered bad wear patterns which caused blowouts, some after only 10 laps of racing. This year's race is sure to have records of its own!
Held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, this 400 mile race was the first race other than the Indianapolis 500 to be held at the Speedway since 1916. As NASCAR's most attended event, a crowd of more than 250,000 fans annually is common. It is the second highest paying race in dollars.
The race has been broadcast live on tv since the first race in 1994. From 1994 to 200, ABC Sports televised the race. In 2001 and until 2006 NBC began broadcasting the race as part of a new eight-year 2.4 billion television deal. ESPN now has a contract of 4.48 billion that will last from 2007-2014. IMS Radio Network has been broadcasting the race on radio. From 1994-1999, Mike Joy was the anchor. Mike King served as chief announcer from 2000-2003. PRN began co-producing the race in 2004 and Doug Rice joined King as co-anchor. Bob Jenkins replaced King as co-anchor in 2007.
Ten out of fifteen wins, at the Brickyard 400, are attributed to four drivers. Jeff Gordon, a second year driver with Hendrick Motorsports, made a historic win in NASCAR's debut of the Brickyard in 1994. He also went on to win 1998, 2001 and 2004. Jeff Gordon also holds the record for most top 5's (9) and most top 10's (12). Dale Jarrett with Robert Yates racing team won two races in 1996 and 1999. Tony Stewart won in 2005 and 2007 as part of the Joe Gibbs Racing Team. Jimmie Johnson, also with Hendrick Motorsports, won his two races in 2006 and 2008. Chevrolet has the most wins for a manufacturer at 10. Following them is Ford with three, Pontiac with one and Dodge with one.
The history of the race is impressive. It drew the largest crowd to date in 1994 for the first running for a NASCAR event. The second year of the race was delayed due to rain. The tradition of the crew kissing the row of bricks at the start-finish line was started in 1996 by Dale Jarret. Jeff Gordon became the first repeat winner in 1998. In 2005, Tony Stewart, a hometown favorite won his first race and climbed the catch fence to celebrate.
In more recent years, there continue to be more records set. Juan Pablo Montoya became the first, and only to date, driver to race in all three of the major events hosted by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway: The Brickyard 400, Indianapolis 500 and the Formula One US Grand Prix in 2007. In 2008, the Car of Tomorrow was used at the race for the first time. The Goodyear tires suffered bad wear patterns which caused blowouts, some after only 10 laps of racing. This year's race is sure to have records of its own!