The year was 1994. William Jefferson Clinton was nearly halfway through his first term as president. The Indiana Pacers advanced to the conference finals for the first time since joining the NBA, and yours truly still had some hair.
That year also represents the first NASCAR event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and it set the stage for the annual race that still remains popular with the stock car faithful. The brainchild of Tony George and Bill France Sr., the inaugural Brickyard 400 would be won by a youthful Jeff Gordon which spring boarded him to what would become a Hall of Fame career. Victory in this event assures a driver they are placed amongst racing royalty and in some cases defines their career. While events surrounding the race over the years have changed, the Brickyard 400 has maintained great significance by virtue of the combination of NASCAR and the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Much to the chagrin of the naysayers who claimed it would not last, the event is now some two decades old and as we approach the 2014 edition of this race on July 27, there are no less than 15 drivers capable of winning.
The parity in NASCAR has never been greater and while multiple winners Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, and Tony Stewart are at the top of the favorites list, they will have plenty of company with the likes of Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch. By no stretch of the imagination can one overlook or count out Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, or Denny Hamlin as well as former winners Jamie McMurray and Paul Menard. One additional driver to keep an eye upon is Juan Pablo Montoya who previously dominated the race, only to have problems late and see victory slip away as a result. Montoya, a regular on the Verizon Indy Car circuit will be driving a Roger Penske entry as he seeks to become the first driver to win both the Indy 500 and the Brickyard 400.
Race notes: All of the upper echelon teams in NASCAR recently formed what is being called a Race Team Alliance.
This will provide a unified front for teams seeking to be more involved in the decision-making process of NASCAR in terms of scheduling, cost containment, and of course, shared revenue. This alliance will no doubt change the way NASCAR currently does business and give teams more input on matters of importance.
The NASCAR Nationwide Series will run the Lilly Diabetes 250 on July 26 beginning at 4:30 p.m. If sports cars are your passion, you can also check out the TUDOR United Sports Cars on July 25 at 7 p.m.
Tickets for all the aforementioned events including the Brickyard 400, which begins at 1 p.m. on July 27, are still available at the IMS box office. Both NASCAR events will also air locally on ESPN.
Danny Bridges, who thinks Jeff Gordon will win his fifth Brickyard trophy going away this weekend, can be reached at (317) 578-1780 or at Bridgeshd@aol.com.
Danny Bridges is an award-winning journalist and a longtime sports columnist for the Indianapolis Recorder. He covers college, professional sports and especially all things IndyCar racing. He can be reached at 317-370-8447 or at bridgeshd@aol.com.
