Indiana-Connected Stewart, Gordon Out Front Heading To Indianapolis
Tony Stewart (No. 14 Old Spice Chevrolet) and Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet) both own multiple NASCAR Sprint Cup Series titles, multiple wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the top two spots in the current series standings, respectively.
Both drivers also appear primed for another championship run. And as NASCAR Sprint Cup teams prepare for Sunday’s Allstate 400 at The Brickyard, both return to a special place.
An Indiana native, Stewart resides in Columbus and considers Indianapolis his home track. Gordon spent his formative racing years in Indiana.
Aside from personal impacts, another victory in the Allstate 400 at The Brickyard would count not only as a standings boost for either driver, but also toward potential seeding in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
For Gordon, it would mean history.
The four-time series champion leads all NASCAR drivers with four wins at Indianapolis (1994, 1998, 2001, 2004). A fifth win would tie him with Formula 1 great Michael Schumacher for most wins at the historic facility. He’s tied for second with A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears – Indianapolis 500 champions, all.
As a kid growing up, I always dreamed about racing at Indy and thought those dreams had gone away when I was moving down south and starting my NASCAR career,” Gordon said. “I love the fact that the Brickyard 400 happens every August or July. And it’s just a spectacular event.”
Stewart, a two-time series champion, has two Indianapolis victories (2005 and 2007). A third would mean another personal milestone in his first year of team ownership; even if Stewart-Haas Racing teammate and fellow Hoosier Ryan Newman (No. 39 Stewart Haas Racing Chevrolet) wins, Stewart would score his first victory as an owner at his favorite track.
Wins are crucial: Sunday’s Allstate 400 at The Brickyard marks the fourth event in the Race to the Chase, the 10-race stretch prior to the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Drivers begin the Chase by having their point totals reset at 5,000, then are seeded according to the number of wins they accrued in the season’s first 26 events (10 bonus points for each win).
Stewart has two wins thus far; Gordon has one.
Brick In The Road: Indianapolis An Important Stop For Title Contenders
Depending on who pulls into Victory Lane, Sunday’s 16th annual Allstate 400 at The Brickyard could portend the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion.
The eventual series champion has won the race seven times in its 15-year history – no crystal balls required. That suggests Indianapolis as a serious signpost en route to the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
Two drivers have won it twice – Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet). Gordon won at Indianapolis in his title years of 1998 and 2001 while Johnson did so in 2006 and 2008.
Three drivers have done it once – Dale Jarrett in 1999, Bobby Labonte (No. 96 ASK.com Ford) in 2000 and Tony Stewart in 2005.
“I think the momentum is really going to be key just prior to the Chase,” Gordon said during Tuesday’s NASCAR Teleconference, “who can get that momentum and go into the Chase and even start the Chase with that strong momentum and continue it on.
“That, I believe, what’s going to separate the team or the top teams that are going to go vie for the championship.”
Johnson said mastering the environment is the first step toward succeeding at Indianapolis.
“The track is a tricky track,” he said. “Clouds blow over, it changes the track dramatically, and speed, and how the car handles. All four corners are different and technical. The true character of that track shows up and the challenge of that track presents to everybody that shows up. And for a lot of years, it’s haunted me.
“But, here, the last couple times, it’s been good to me.”
NASCAR’s Role In Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s Centennial (1909-2009)
Indianapolis Motor Speedway is celebrating its 100th birthday this year, and although known more for its open-wheel tradition, the track has seen its share of NASCAR history.
Stock-car racing became a fixture there in the early 1990s, with the advent of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ Allstate 400 at The Brickyard.
But NASCAR references and competitive crossover are found throughout Indianapolis’ long existence. Some examples follow:
NASCAR founder Bill France was a pit-crew member for driver Joel Thorne during the 1938 and 1939 Indianapolis 500s. Thorne finished seventh and ninth, respectively.
The car that Mauri Rose drove in his 1941 Indianapolis 500 victory proved quite versatile. The grandfather of outgoing Indianapolis Motor Speedway President (and soon-to-be International Speedway Corporation Vice President for Business Operations) Joie Chitwood drove the same car in the 1946 Indianapolis 500.
Buck Baker later drove the car in the NASCAR Speedway division title in 1952. It remained in Charlotte, N.C., until Bob Harkey arranged for its return to Indianapolis. The car now is on display at the IMS Hall of Fame.
Red Byron, the first NASCAR Sprint Cup champion (1949), practiced, but didn’t qualify for the 1947 and 1948 Indianapolis 500s.
Red Vogt, one of stock-car racing’s earliest and most sought-after mechanics, helped Byron prepare for his Indianapolis 500 attempts.
Legendary NASCAR driver and team owner Junior Johnson drove part of the rookie driver’s test for the 1963 Indianapolis 500, as a teammate to then-fellow rookie Bobby Unser.
Curtis Turner attempted to qualify for the 1963 Indianapolis 500 in a car prepared by another famous mechanic, Smokey Yunick.
The Wood Brothers, one of NASCAR’s oldest and most accomplished teams, pitted the car for 1965 Indianapolis 500 winner Jim Clark and his teammate Bobby Johns, who finished seventh.
NASCAR legends Cale Yarborough, Bobby Allison and Donnie Allison all boast Indianapolis 500 history. Yarborough started the 1966, ‘67, ‘71 and ‘72 races. Bobby Allison started the ‘73 and ‘75 races. Donnie Allison (’70 and ’71) was the highest finisher of the three, finishing fourth in the 1970 Indianapolis 500 and earning rookie of the year honors.
Current NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers with Indianapolis 500 experience include Tony Stewart, 2000 winner Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 42 Target Chevrolet), John Andretti (No. 34 Taco Bell Chevrolet) and Robby Gordon (No. 7 John Manville Toyota).
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ first test at Indianapolis was June 22-23, 1992. Nine drivers participated – Rusty Wallace, Dale Earnhardt, Ricky Rudd, Mark Martin (No. 5 CARQUEST/ Kellogg’s Chevrolet), Bill Elliott (No. 21 Motorcraft Ford), Darrell Waltrip, Ernie Irvan, Davey Allison and Kyle Petty. Elliott had the top speed (168.767 mph).
Drivers, Officials Expect Tires To Be A Non-Issue
NASCAR and Goodyear officials believe extensive tire tests have resolved wear problems that cropped up in last year’s Allstate 400 at The Brickyard.
Thirty teams logged more than 13,000 miles at the 2.5-mile track during seven tests since last summer’s event. The final session concluded a month ago, on Tuesday, June 16.
“I’m very confident in the tires,” said Jeff Gordon, a four-time winner at Indianapolis, during Tuesday’s NASCAR Teleconference. “I did the last test there and was very pleased.”
Attention to detail and unique outside resources aided both Goodyear’s and teams’ efforts, said NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton.
“The last two tests, Goodyear really honed in on different constructions, different tire compounds and things that would add life to the tire but also add a lot of grip,” Pemberton said. “It’s tough to get both and I think they’ve done a great job in doing just that. It’s amazing to see what’s been accomplished in the last 10 months or so.
“There will be a lot of good information that comes out of these tests that we will be able to take to other race tracks, such as different compounds and constructions. Things that will help the grip and help make the racing better all the way around.”
“I think there was a lot to it because it seemed like a pretty tough process,” said Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge), who finished seventh in last year’s Allstate 400 at The Brickyard. “I must have tested six or seven times there since last year’s race. The teams have put a ton of time testing up there and I feel like the tire is as good as anything that I’ve been on up there.
“So, it’s gonna be an awesome race.”
Two-time Indianapolis winner Tony Stewart is similarly confident.
“I think they’ve come back with a combination that not only is durable, but also made it where it should be better racing at that time, too,” Stewart said.
His view was enhanced by a trip to Goodyear’s Akron, Ohio headquarters, where he learned about the race tire assembly process.
“It’s a process that makes you shake your head because you just don’t realize what goes into making a tire,” Stewart said. “And the good thing is it’s not done by a machine, it’s done by a physical person that actually puts that tire together.
“There’s a lot of machines that assist in that process, but some of the key components are still done by a Goodyear engineer that sits there and makes sure it’s as perfect as it can be.”
Loop Data: All Or Nothing The Statistical Trend For Johnson At Indianapolis
Since the inception of Loop Data in 2005, it’s been all or nothing for Jimmie Johnson at Indianapolis Motor Speedway – literally.
In the last four Allstate 400 at The Brickyard events, Johnson has either kissed – as in “The Bricks” – or crashed.
In 2005, Johnson finished 38th, posting a Driver Rating of 58.8, an Average Running Position of 23.0 and ran only 46 of the 160 Laps in the Top 15.
A year later, he captured only the second Daytona 500-Allstate 400 sweep en route to his first series championship. In that race, he had a Driver Rating of 124.3 and an Average Running Position of 7.7.
But then in 2007, Johnson suffered another DNF (accident). For the most part, his statistics were even worse than 2005: an Average Running Position of 30.1, a Driver Rating of 66.1 and a Laps in the Top 15 number of just 38.
Finally, last season, he dominated once again. In his second career Indianapolis win, Johnson scored a near-perfect Driver Rating of 147.3 (a perfect rating is 150.0), an Average Running Position of 2.5, 36 Fastest Laps Run and ran all 160 Laps in the Top 15.
Who knows if there’s an “odd year jinx” in the works, but Johnson’s Loop Data statistics at Indianapolis rank among the best in the series.
In his last four roller-coaster years there, Johnson has a Driver Rating of 99.1 (fourth-best), an Average Running Position of 15.8 (15th), 56 Fastest Laps Run (second) 164 Green Flag Passes (ninth), an average Green Flag Speed of 169.710 mph (third) and 85 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), which is ninth-most.
Though not nearly as pronounced, a similar trend has developed for Carl Edwards (No. 99 AFLAC Ford). Edwards, who ran runner-up to Johnson in last season’s race, has a race-by-race Driver Rating log that looks like this: 69.6 in 2005, 107.9 in 2006, 67.1 in 2007 and 121.9 in 2008.
Edwards’ Indy stats aren’t among the best in the series, but many still rank in the top 10.
Over the last four seasons, Edwards has a Driver Rating of 91.6 (11th), an Average Running Position of 14.3 (10th) and 39 Fastest Laps Run (third).
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