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Suburban
Journals of Chicago Inc.
Oak Park Journal
Forest Park Journal
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Jimmie Johnson
Grabs the Win at Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
Jimmie Johnson
did not have had the fastest car at the Brickyard Sunday, but his Lowes
Chevrolet was fastest when it counted the most-- the last 25 laps of
the Allstate 400 at The Brickyard.
Johnson and the Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet team
cemented their place in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway history book
July 26 by becoming the first team to win the Allstate 400 at the
Brickyard twice in a row.
Not only did Johnson’s win make him the race’s first repeat winner, but
he also has a three Allstate 400 at the Brickyard victories, one shy of
event record holder and teammate Jeff Gordon, who finished ninth.
Johnson’s first win on the daunting 2.5-mile IMS oval was in 2006.
Johnson ran behind race leader Juan Pablo Montoya and Mark Martin until
Montoya received a pass-through speeding penalty during a late race pit
stop.
That put Montoya back in the pack and another caution a few laps after
a restart compounded things for the man who led 118 of the 160-lap
distance. Starting from 12th, Montoya improved his position by one spot
to finish 11th.
“To finish first, first you must finish,” shrugged the three-time
defending champion. “I hate him for it. I know it is a story, Juan led
so many laps. We come back and look at it two months from now, it’s
going to be a `W’ next to my name on the stat sheet. That’s all that
matters.”
The race was left for Martin, who took the lead shortly after the final
restart with 25 laps to go. Johnson, however, had other ideas and
zipped past his Hendrick Motorsports teammate a lap later and held
Martin off to the end. It made it back to back wins for Johnson and his
No. 48 Lowe's team, a first for this race.
Martin did not make it easy for Johnson at the end. He pulled from more
than .7 of a second behind Johnson on Lap 154 to almost Johnson’s
bumper as they took the white flag on Lap 160.
“I hope the fans enjoyed that race,” said Johnson. “I can’t say enough
about this race team and all of Hendrick Motorsports and that battle
with my teammate Mark Martin. Damn, he was fast. For an old guy. Those
last 15 to 20 laps, man, we had to drive it so hard to stay ahead of
the 5. I was better in (Turns) 3 and 4, and he was better in 1 and 2.
It was kind of a give-and-take thing going on.”
The 43-car field didn't complete a lap before Robby Gordon spun in turn
four. Elliott Sadler drove onto pit road while his crew searched for a
possible oil leak. On the restart at Lap 3, Montoya put some daylight
between himself and the field, signaling he might have the Chevrolet to
beat on a beautiful summer day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. After
all, Montoya certainly knew the way to victory lane at this shrine,
having won the Indianapolis 500 in a Chip Ganassi machine the only time
he ran it back in 2000.
After a routine round of green flag pit stops between laps 40 and 45,
Montoya still led with Martin second. Stewart was third.
NASCAR Sprint Cup points leader and two-time champion Tony Stewart
finished third with Greg Biffle fourth. Brian Vickers was fifth in the
No. 83 Red Bull Toyota and Kevin Harvick was sixth. Kasey Kahne was
seventh, David Reutimann was eighth, four-time champion Jeff Gordon
finished ninth and Matt Kenseth rounded out the top 10. Montoya was
11th and rookie Joey Logano was 12th.
Kyle Busch brought out a caution on Lap 58 and slammed into the outside
wall. He drove his car into the garage area and parked it even though
he had been running in the top 10. The day was looking pretty gloomy
for Gibbs Racing with both Busch and Denny Hamlin's Toyotas in the
garage with problems before the halfway mark of 80 laps.
“I thought it was loose on all that run (before the tire blew). It was
sliding the right rear a little, but I got behind the 71 car (David
Gilliland), a lapped car, and in trying to get around him, it built up
a tight condition real bad. It vibrated for two laps and blew out. It's
either our cars or the tires, I don't know which. I thought we had a
decent run going. We were running seventh, but the guys in the pits got
us up there.” Busch said. Busch’s crash was the most serious incident
of the day.
On the restart on Lap 63, Montoya took the lead again with Martin in
tow. Vickers was next in front of Biffle. Johnson and Stewart followed
with Earnhardt behind them. Reutimann was eighth, Kahne nine and Gordon
10th.
On Lap 70, former Indy 500 winner Sam Hornish, Jr. got sideways and
banged the Turn 4 wall, ruining his chances for the day.
“It was disappointing, for sure. We had a much better car here than we
had here last year. We know we can run fast. We just need to get a
little better track position, and the driver needs to be a little bit
more patient. So we'll just do what we can to get ready to come back
next year. Now we'll go on to Pocono. Obviously, Pocono handles a lot
like this track does as far as what you need to have on the car, so I'm
really looking forward to that.”Hornish said
Two-time Allstate 400 at the Brickyard winner and current NASCAR Sprint
Cup Series points leader Tony Stewart finished third in the No. 14 Old
Spice/Office Depot Chevrolet, while Greg Biffle was fourth in the No.
16 3M/Pistonz Earplugs Ford. Brian Vickers was fifth in the No. 83 Red
Bull Toyota.
“It was awesome. We had Hendrick motors and chassis one, two, and
three. We are really proud of our guys on the Office Depot Old Spice
team. We never could get the tightness out of the center of the car.
Any time we made a change, it freed the entry up or the exit up. I’ll
take a third any day. The guy I feel sorry for is Juan Pablo Montoya.
He had an awesome car and was giving us a clinic today. Jimmie and Mark
put up a great show, and it was awesome battle to watch from where I
was sitting.” Said Stewart.
Biffle had a great day and best career finish at the Brickyard. “We had
a really good car. The 3M/Pistonz Earplugs Ford Fusion was really good.
We had to save fuel there at the end. We only lost one spot, but I had
to let Tony Stewart go there at the end. I hated to do that. It’s hard
for a race car driver to have a fast race car and lift on the gas. But
that’s what we needed to do to finish.” Said Biffle
Montoya had a heartbreaking day, setting the pace for much of the race
in the No. 42 Target Chevrolet. He took the lead from Martin on Lap 5
and lost the lead only twice during pit cycles until Lap 124, when he
was penalized by NASCAR with a drive-through penalty for speeding in
the pits. He dropped to 12th for the ensuing restart, fell to 15th a
lap later and finished 11th.
Montoya’s dominance was similar to his 2000 Indianapolis 500 win, when
he led 167 of that race’s 200 laps. At the Allstate 400 at the
Brickyard, Montoya led three times for a race-high 116 laps, including
a race record-setting 59 consecutive laps from Lap 34-92.
Dude……There’s no crying in racing…
“I swear on my children and my wife that I was not speeding!” he
shouted over his radio. “There is no way! Thank you NASCAR for screwing
my day.”
Crew chief Brian Pattie, aware NASCAR officials were monitoring
Montoya’s rant, begged his driver to calm down.
“Don’t tell me to relax, dude!” Montoya yelled. “We had this in the
bag.”
At $223,953, it was the most expensive speeding ticket in NASCAR
history: Johnson earned $448,001 for the victory, while Montoya’s
11th-place finish netted him 224,048.
“Actually, it reminded me of the last time I led here,” Montoya said.
“It was kind of easy, to be honest. I was cruising. I was super fast.”
Only the result was vastly different.
“It kind of sucks, but it is what it is,” Montoya said of the speeding
penalty. “I thought I wasn’t speeding. I was on the lights every time.
We haven’t had to deal with that before. Once it happens, you can’t
change it. It’s pretty frustrating.” Montoya could be heard on his
radio swearing up and down and nearly crying that he did not
speed...But NASCAR timing is all that mattered.
Four-Time Winner Jeff Gordon posted a top 10 finish… but it was not
easy.. “We got a top-10 finish, but it just wasn't the kind of day we
were searching for. We were real, real tight in traffic. I know a lot
of guys were. I mean, we needed to go green the whole way. We actually
had great fuel mileage there at the end and great position. The car was
really good in clean air. We could really go fast and even pass cars
when we'd get going. But on those restarts if you got to the outside,
and even if you didn't, it was real hard to pass.”
Fan Favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr saw another Brickyard go up in smoke.
“We haven’t had engine problems, so I assume it was driver error. I
broke the valve train on the last pit stop and a couple of the pieces
dropped to the bottom of the motor. They rattled around and must have
blown the engine. I thought we had a good car, one of the best there
for a while. We could have finished anywhere from fifth to 10th if
things had gone right. I felt great today. I’m back to 100 percent.”
Good news today…. No tire issues. Goodyear did their homework with all
the testing they had here prior to the race. Kudos to both NASCAR and
Goodyear for their efforts to bring this race back to the Elite status
it so deserved.
2009 Allstate 400 Notebook..
•Jimmie Johnson earned his third Allstate 400 at the Brickyard victory
in his eighth career start in the race, tying the record set by Jeff
Gordon in 2001.
•Second-place finisher Mark Martin also placed second in 1998. It was
Martin’s 10th top-10 finish in this event.
•Juan Pablo Montoya led 116 laps, the most by a non-winner of the
Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. The previous record was 110 by Rusty
Wallace in 2000. Bobby Labonte won that race.
•Jeff Burton and Bill Elliott increased their shared record running at
the finish of 15 Allstate 400s at the Brickyard.
•Tony Stewart earned his seventh top-10 finish at the Allstate 400 at
the Brickyard.
•Greg Biffle set an Allstate 400 at the Brickyard personal best finish
of fourth. His previous best was six in 2004.
•Brian Vickers finished fifth, his second top five in six starts here.
•Kevin Harvick finished sixth, his sixth top-eight finish in nine
starts here.
•Kasey Kahne finished seventh, his fourth top-seven finish in six
starts here.
•Jeff Gordon posted his 13th top-nine finish in 16 races here.
•Matt Kenseth posted his sixth top-10 finish in 10 starts here.
•Juan Pablo Montoya's 116 laps led vaults him to sixth on the all-time
lap leader list for this event.
It’s not unusual to see several uniformed members of the armed services
attending the Indianapolis 500 on Memorial Day weekend. Today’s
Allstate 400 at the Brickyard also brought out a large group of
uniformed soldiers. Members of the 38th Infantry Division for the U.S.
Army attended today’s race as guests of the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway. The division will depart for Afghanistan in August, when it
will assist the Afghanistan government in economic development,
infrastructure development, agriculture development and security.
MARTIN MAKES HISTORY WITH ALLSTATE 400 AT THE BRICKYARD POLE
The ageless Mark Martin continues his momentum topping the speed charts
to take the poll for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard Saturday, July
25 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Martin turned qualification laps
of 182.054 mph. 2000 Indianapolis 500 Mile Race winner Juan Pablo
Montoya was 2nd qualifying at average speed of 180.581. The 20th race
of the 2009 Sprint Cup season the Allstate 400 starts at 1:00PM
CST on Sunday, July 26th on ESPN.
INDIANAPOLIS, Saturday, July 25, 2009 – Mark Martin stayed atop the
speed charts for a second consecutive day at Indianapolis Motor
Speedway on July 25, this time winning the pole for the 16th Allstate
400 at the Brickyard.
Martin’s lap of 49.436 seconds, 182.054 mph in Hendrick Motorsports’
No. 5 CARQUEST/Kellogg’s Chevrolet was more than 1 mph faster than
second-place qualifier Juan Pablo Montoya, and Martin became the oldest
pole winner of a major event in Indianapolis Motor Speedway history.
Martin’s age of 50 years, 197 days old eclipses the previous record set
by Cliff Bergere, who was 49 years, 175 days old when he won the pole
for the 1946 Indianapolis 500. The previous Allstate 400 at the
Brickyard record was set by Jimmy Spencer, when he won the pole at age
44 years, 171 days in 2001.
“I like making history; that’s cool,” Martin said. “Yesterday was a lot
of fun for me. We struggled through race trim practice and then we went
into Q (qualifying) trim and we made improvements. We made three
qualifying runs, the last one was about 10 minutes left of practice,
(and) we went to the top of the board. You should have seen the light
in all my guys’ faces.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself to get a good lap today so that I
wouldn’t let them down.”
Martin previously started second at the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
three times – in 1996, 1999 and 2008.
The 160-lap, 400-mile race starts at 2 p.m. (ET) Sunday. ESPN and the
IMS Radio Network will provide live coverage.
Montoya equaled his best Allstate 400 at the Brickyard start with his
second-place effort of 180.803 in the No. 42 Target Chevrolet. He
started and finished second in 2007, his rookie year in NASCAR Sprint
Cup Series racing.
In what could be a good omen for Montoya, he is driving a Target
Chevrolet painted in the same scheme as the IndyCar in which he won the
2000 Indianapolis 500 – after qualifying second. He also remains the
only driver in history to start the Indianapolis 500, Allstate 400 at
the Brickyard and United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis Formula One
race, and Montoya is eager to leave his mark as winner of another form
of racing at IMS.
“Started twice second, so we’ll see,” he said, “From practice, we have
probably the fastest car. But not always the fastest car wins.
“I think today if I looked at it, I’d rather win this than the Formula
One race here, to be honest. I think it’s a bigger deal.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. also equaled his career-best qualifying effort of
third at the 2.5-mile IMS oval with a lap of 180.567 in the No. 88 AMP
Energy/National Guard Chevrolet despite suffering from a stomach virus,
while Bill Elliott set a record with his fourth-place qualifying speed
of 180.357 in the No. 21 Motorcraft Ford. It is Elliott’s ninth top-10
start at the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, the most of any driver.
David Reutimann completed the top five starters with a lap of 180.216
in the No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota. It’s his best career start
at IMS.
Qualifying was delayed almost three hours due to heavy rains in the
morning, but the full field qualified under mostly sunny, warm
conditions. Ryan Newman led final practice at 176.706 in the No. 39
Haas Automation Chevrolet.
Among the drivers with Indiana ties, Sprint Cup Series points leader
and two-time Allstate 400 at the Brickyard winner Tony Stewart will
start seventh in the No. 14 Old Spice/Office Depot Chevrolet, Newman
qualified 17th in the No. 39 Haas Automation Chevrolet, David Stremme
will start 21st in the No. 12 Penske Dodge, four-time “400” winner Jeff
Gordon qualified 22nd in the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet and John Andretti,
who also competed in the2009 Indianapolis 500, will start 35th in the
No. 34 Taco Bell Chevrolet.
Three drivers failed to qualify for the race: Sterling Marlin, Max
Papis and Derrike Cope.
STEWART COULD ADD MORE FIRSTS TO MAGICAL SEASON AT BRICKYARD
INDIANAPOLIS, Monday, June 8, 2009 – Tony Stewart’s sensational season
of firsts could continue July 24-26 at the Allstate 400 at the
Brickyard, and a victory at IMS could help him achieve the most
significant first – a season championship as an owner-driver – in
NASCAR Sprint Cup racing in nearly 20 years.
Indiana native and resident Stewart earned his first victory in a
points race as the owner-driver of Stewart-Haas Racing by winning the
Pocono 500 on Sunday, June 7 at Pocono Raceway. It was the first
victory for an owner-driver in NASCAR’s top series since Ricky Rudd in
September 1998 at Martinsville, Va.
The special win increased Stewart’s lead atop the Sprint Cup Series
standings, as he is 71 points ahead of four-time Allstate 400 at the
Brickyard winner Jeff Gordon.
“It’s just about enjoying the moment,” Stewart said. “Obviously,
special races like the Brickyard and Daytona 500 and Indy 500s,
obviously are marquee events that mean more, but a win is a win, man.”
And a win Sunday, July 26 in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard could
help two-time Brickyard champion Stewart march closer toward becoming
the first owner-driver to capture a Sprint Cup championship since the
late Alan Kulwicki in 1992.
Taking the checkered flag at Indy in the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice
Chevrolet also could help Stewart become only the second driver, behind
Rudd in 1997, to win the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard as an
owner-driver. It also would be the first time a stock car carrying No.
14 has won a major event at Indianapolis, as Stewart on June 7 became
the first driver since Bobby Allison in December 1968 to win with No.
14 in NASCAR’s top flight.
Stewart’s racing hero, four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A.J. Foyt,
drove car No. 14 into Victory Lane twice, in 1967 and 1977. Foyt’s
driver Kenny Brack was the last driver to win in a major event at IMS
with No. 14, in the 1999 Indianapolis 500.
“You know, my attachment to the number is obviously through A.J. Foyt
and my relationship with him,” Stewart said. “But I can’t say that I’ve
researched the history of the number in this series that far.
“But, you know, this is something that hopefully I'll retire with this
number. It means a lot to me, and to look up in the stands every week
and to drive in the facilities and see the 14 flags flying and see
people wearing 14 hats and 14 shirts, that’s something that means a lot
to us. That’s our identity. So you know, it’s something we are proud
of, and you know, good thing is we are adding to the history books
every week now.”
Allstate 400 Goodyear Tire Test Press Conference
GOODYEAR TEST PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch Jeff Gordon, Greg Stucker (Director of Race
Tire Sales, Goodyear)
Tuesday, June 16, 2009, Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Q. Can you tell us how the car feels compared to last July?
KASEY KAHNE: Yeah, to me it's, it's the same. We had a part
of the tires the last year and a half, and compared to two weeks ago,
it was similar. And there was a lot of rain here over the last
few weeks. So I feel like it's a really good tire. I feel
like it's going to be to me a great race because the tire is better
than it's been.
We didn't have any wear almost or any overheating problems. So I
think it should be pretty good. We'll come back ask know that
we've got something that we can really enjoy here for the 400.
KURT BUSCH: Yeah, it's night-and-day different. That's the
positive note. The ability to make more than 10 laps will be
refreshing. The fact that last year was sliding around, not
knowing which tire was going to let go first, was definitely very
frustrating. And we've had a short race. We didn't get to
race very long.
So to start off practice for Goodyear with this test, we were just
amazed at how different the tire feels. And you can just tell the tire
itself is not turning into as much powder. It's actually got a
little bit of like a chemical in it that's actually laying rubber down,
it feels sticky when you're cleaning it off the race car. That's
compared to normal tires.
So it's a great refreshing feeling. I don't know how many laps we
did for our longest run, but we were leaving it up to others to go out
and make longer runs. I feel confident that Goodyear has made a
dramatic improvement.
Q. Were either one of you here for the initial test last
November?
KASEY KAHNE: I was.
KURT BUSCH: I think he's been to all of them.
KASEY KAHNE: I've been to every one. I mean, even from that
point, I felt like Goodyear worked really hard through all these
tests. But until two weeks ago, we didn't have anybody that was
ready to race this race and put on a great show for the Brickyard
400. Two weeks ago they hit on it. They brought it back
Monday or Tuesday.
We unloaded and ran right off the bat, and ran 30 laps total and the
tires were fine. So that's pretty much the total run ask that was
on Monday.
Q. Do you know who it was that ran out of gas? Actually ran
out of gas?
KURT BUSCH: I do not. I ran out on Sunday (laughing). I ran
outcoming to the checkered. No, I've been hearing the rumors
about the tires, and it backs up what Kasey had said, the fact that
there hasn't been a solid answer until the last couple of weeks.
I kept hearing from this group and hearing from that group.
David Stremme, our teammate, was here a couple of weeks ago, and there
was no answer then. So I feel much more confident now that I've
been here my own self to see what's transpired.
Q. You guys come to this point to race.
KASEY KAHNE: I'm actually confident even before we had tired,
we'd come here the first day we'd go on track, you'd come by and have
the tires rubbered on the racetrack. And by Saturday there would
be enough rubber on the track, and everything was good to go.
Sunday's race was perfectly fine.
Last year they never rubbered it, and it was the same at the
start. I feel like this tire and with the way that the rubber's
sticking on the racetrack compared to what it's done over the last
year, we can come here on Thursday and probably make a 20-lap run right
off the start and have no issues, which to me is better since I've been
in the Cup series.
Q. Would you like to see extra testing here so that the track is
rubbered in on race day?
KASEY KAHNE: No, I think a normal schedule is fine. I think
the track's good, the tire's are good, and we're ready. As far as
I'm concerned, I think it's ready for us.
Q. How would you evaluate the course of the tire over the
run? Is there any falloff?
KASEY KAHNE: There's some falloff. It depends. We
haven't run a great fuel run. But in the 15 lap run yesterday, we
were in a 15 lap run and we fell off . 8. We started at 51.40, or
we started at 51.20, and ended up at a 52 flat, or 51.90, somewhere in
there 15 laps. That wasn't the best car here, but it was probably
top six or seven out of everybody here. I think we've made some
gains from there. But the tires were very good.
Q. Both of you, you want some falloff, don't you, over the course
of a fuel run to make the racing a little?
KASEY KAHNE: I think you definitely do. I think you slow on
down, you can move around on the racetrack. Every time I slow
down more because it's tight, and you hurry up as the race goes
on. I think the only way you can race these cars on tracks like
this is you can't falloff. To me, that creates a much better
race.
KURT BUSCH: I think the way that the pace is back up, it's a
challenge to get your setup right at the beginning of the run versus
the end of the run.
Is so to drop off the second over 0 laps, it feels appropriate.
It's about what we normally would see even at Indy or Pocono and tracks
that are similar.
Q. Why are some races like Michigan where the fuel is an issue,
and the others you can race right to the end. What brings that
about?
KURT BUSCH: It's basically the timing of the yellows and how far
we can go on a fuel run. At Michigan, it always seems to end up
that way no matter how many different types of wrecks or yellows there
are in the beginning. It just seems like there's a long run at
the end.
It just depends when the yellows fall. If you get a yellow
halfway through the fuel run, you're going to see everybody hit pit
road, whether it's for two tires or four. But you definitely need
the tires over the track position at some of the tracks toward the
end. So just the timing of the yellows. I don't think it's
a bad thing when race fans get to watch a race, whether it's on TV or
live at Michigan like last week.
The anxiety of not knowing if your driver's going to make it, and who
is pacing themselves to make it or who is still running you all out to
try to get to it. It's basically signing, you never know who is
going to come out on top. Instead of just a flat-out 20-lap
shootout where everybody's getting strung out or running full throttle,
it creates a different element that should be appreciated.
Q. What is the prestige surrounding the win when you win at a
place like this? You talk to guys, what is it about this place
that for a lot of Midwestern guys makes it a big win?
KURT BUSCH: It's really just the prestige and the history.
When there are banners that say 1909 is when this place was
established, it makes you feel special that you're having an
opportunity to race here at this racetrack, and put your name along
with the legends that have raced here and won here, and the challenges
of Indy.
I always try not to look at the lap times that I'm running at practice
just to get a feel for the car and how it's reacting. But you're
always captivated and caught up in your lap times how you have to be
the fastest guy here to win, but you don't. The fastest car
sometimes doesn't win, and it comes down to strategy.
There are just all types of things that happen here that don't happen
at other tracks, and you're always caught up in the moment because this
is Indy.
I notice it the first lap that I pull out for practice every time is,
‘Hey, this is pretty special.’
KASEY KAHNE: Yeah, I remember my first time coming here in 2004
and just driving out on to pit road, basically to test. Then when
we came back for the race, and the driver intros and the fans, and
coming down the front straightaway for the start of the race, and
there's people everywhere, and growing up as a kid watching the Indy
500's and all the legends and the history of that race here. Once
the Brickyard started, I was racing mini-sprints and watched Jeff
Gordon win his first one.
I remember we were racing two nights in Bellingham, Washington, and a
three-and-a half-hour drive from my house. So we had a hotel room
that night, and we stayed there and watched the race on
Saturdays. I watched the whole race just to see who ended up
winning because it was Indy, you know. It was exciting.
And then we went and raced the mini-sprint. But I think Jeff won
that one. Pretty sure he won that one. Yeah. So that
was pretty cool. You know, just watching this place. I
about won it, and the Smoke caught me a couple of years ago, so I would
love to win here, it's a pretty cool place.
(Begin Gordon and Stucker)
THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, and welcome to Indianapolis Motor
Speedway. We appreciate everyone's attendance. We certainly
appreciate Goodyear's attendance, Goodyear's support, Goodyear's
efforts. We appreciate Jeff Gordon spending time with us, staying
around after the test has already been released to speak with us
today.
Earlier today we had Kasey Kahne and Kurt Busch in here, and as I
mentioned now, we have Jeff Gordon who drives the No. 24 DuPont
Chevrolet. He's a four time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion,
and I believe he's also a four-time winner here at the Brickyard.
Also we have from Goodyear Greg Stucker with us. Greg is the
director of race tire sales for Goodyear, and right now before we get
started we'll let you know that we certainly have a large media crowd
in here. We're going to take care of you in here initially.
We also have a national teleconference that's listening in.
GREG STUCKER: I'd just like to start with a couple comments on
kind of how we got to where we are today. We're very positive
about our recommendation for this year, and I'll kind of go through
exactly how we arrived there.
When we left Indianapolis last year, after last year's race, there was
one thing we were very clear about, and that was that we were going to
get it right. I guess I want everybody to be just as clear today
that we're very confident that we have done exactly that. It's
been a very deliberate process over the last 11 months. A lot has
taken place. It's involved not only the Goodyear racing division
but really the whole corporation. A lot of people have been
involved doing a lot of different things in order to make sure we have
a good recommendation for this year's race.
We've come here and tested seven times, and I want to clear up the
misunderstanding, a lot of people said why have they gone back seven
times. It's a process. We built upon every test, we learned
at every test. Everything that we've done at every test has been
built upon what we learned at the previous. Certainly we fought a
little weather, as we did here today. But we wanted to make sure
that we got it right, make sure that we basically left no stone
unturned.
In addition to all the track testing, which we accumulated over 13,000
miles, Jeff is here today, but 30 other guys have been involved in that
testing, so certainly it's taken a lot of commitment on NASCAR's part,
on the team's part, on the drivers' part, and we certainly appreciate
that in Goodyear's perspective.
But there's been a lot going on back in Akron, a lot of our research
people working on a lot of difference processes. We've developed
ways to measure tread wear and wear debris that's generated from the
tires very differently from the way we did it before. We've
developed ways to actually measure the track surface, and we've done
that at every test that we've had here. We actually have
equipment that measures the racetrack at the very microscopic level, so
we understand exactly what happens and maybe what doesn't happen when
we rubber in and don't rubber in the racetrack, so try to understand
exactly what takes place.
We've even gone so far as to grind our test track in Akron with exactly
the same surface that Indianapolis has. We hired the same company
with the same equipment to come and grind a couple of sections of that
test track so that we have the resources, we have the ability to do
some testing in Akron when we don't come to the racetrack.
I guess I just want everybody to understand it's been a lot of effort,
a lot of time, and a lot of commitment on a lot of people's part to
make sure we do it right, and like I say, to make sure we've covered
all of our bases, and we're very, very confident that we've done
that.
I think we've come away with a very good recommendation. I think
if you get out and look at the racetrack, you'll see we've put a lot of
rubber down. Jeff made the comment when he came yesterday he was
very surprised to see the rubber we put down in the morning. Even
with all the rain last week, a lot of that rubber was laid down two
weeks ago, and we were very confident that we won't have the same
issues that we had last year.
In addition, I think we've given the guys a very race-able setup.
I think there's a lot of grip there. One of the options was just
to go so hard that you couldn't wear the tire out. But I think we
owe it to these guys to make sure we've got something that's very
race-able to put on a good show. I just want everybody to know
that we're very confident that we've done that, and we're looking very
forward to the race in about a month and a half.
With that, I’ll open it up.
JEFF GORDON: I'm very pleased with the results. I was very
surprised to see how much rubber was on the track yesterday when I
arrived, and just to see how the tires are reacting from a grip level
with the car as well as how it's wearing the tire, heat in the
tire. I mean, everything looks great at the Brickyard 400 and go
out there and run hard, and tire wear is not even going to be in the
back of our minds.
It might be whether or not we can stay out and how far we can push it,
if anything. They've done an excellent job. I think a lot
of obviously credit goes to Goodyear, all the hard work, effort, time,
money that's been spent to make it right, but obviously there's been a
lot of teams, and I have not been one of them so I don't get the
credit, but there's been a lot of teams that have contributed to put in
a lot of laps in here to get it to where it is today.
So thankful for those guys. I got to kind of come in at the end
and have the proven great product and just be able to go out there and
put laps in, which is what Goodyear asked us to come here to do.
Q. The guys earlier were talking about falloff rates. What
did you see, and are you going to be happy with the amount of falloff
to make it a racing race?
JEFF GORDON: Yeah, I like to see falloff, and even with as great
as this tire is, this track is so abrasive that you're going to have
falloff. I saw falloff, and I like the grip level from the
beginning, I liked how it does gradually fall off. It's not a
huge drop. And I felt like it was enough to where it's going to
make the racing really, really good.
I think it's always important to have a certain amount of falloff so
that you can tune on the car, you can change your line as a
driver. You still want enough grip to where if you slide off line
a little bit, you can recover. All those things I saw while we
were here.
GREG STUCKER: If I can just add one thing, we've heard from a
number of guys, yeah, lap times fall off, but the balance of the car
has stayed very consistent, and that's one thing we always strive
for. Like Jeff said, it's kind of that gradual falloff, but the
balance of the car is still good.
Q. Greg, Kasey Kahne was in here earlier, he's tested at most of
the sessions, and he said that as short as a month ago he was still
concerned that there was still problems with dust, and that the last
two sessions, the one in early June and this one, have totally allayed
his fears as far as the way the tires were forming dust. What did
you guys hit on, and what was the main thing that marked the difference
between the test before early June and the ones that have happened in
the last two weeks?
GREG STUCKER: It's just kind of amassing everything we learned
over those first tests. We were here seven times before the end
of 2008. We ran a lot of different compounds just to try to
understand how different formulations reacted with the racetrack.
I also mentioned some of the testing that has been developed, and we're
utilizing that to kind of measure that debris and formulate what our
approach was going to be to coming up with a recommendation.
So we kind of went down that road in early spring before the 500, and
these last two tests really were to finalize recommendations two weeks
ago and come here and confirm it with multiple cars this time.
Really the last two tests we've really just been doing pretty nothing
but running the race tire. That's all we did yesterday and
today.
Q. How much was it the tire and how much was it the new car?
GREG STUCKER: When we left here last year, we said it's kind of a
little bit of everything. We needed to understand exactly how the
car acts on this racetrack. That's kind of really what it was,
the new car runs at a little bit different attitude, it wore the tires
a little bit differently, created that fine, dusty particle that we've
talked about. So once we had an understanding of that, then we
just went to work on how we make the tire package right for the car and
the racetrack.
Q. How important is it to have a good tire here, a good race here
based on what happened last year?
JEFF GORDON: I think that's why they spent as much time here
testing and all the effort has been put in there. I think that
this is an incredibly important race to motorsports in general and to
all the companies that are involved, especially Goodyear.
Last year was something that none of us wanted to see what happened
last year, and I think that it was determined I think probably before
that race was over that it's not going to happen again. You know,
I just really hate that Goodyear took so much of the blame because this
track is extremely abrasive. This car we've seen wears tires
more. There's a lot of things that have contributed to what
happened.
Unfortunately, Goodyear took the brunt of it, and because none of the
other things changing, they had to really work hard to come up with the
compound and this tire. I give them a lot of credit for taking
that on head on and resolving it.
You know, it is important to have a good race here. There's a lot
of fans that travel from all over to come to this race, and we know how
many people are watching at home, and this is an important event, and
we want to go out there and put the race on that we possibly can
Again, I'm confident this year we're going to be able to do that.
Q. When Michelin had their issues here a few years ago with the
F1 race, they made an effort to reach out to the fans. Has
Goodyear made any attempt to reach out to the fans?
GREG STUCKER: No decision has been made on that. We've been
focusing on making sure we got the tire right and we'll decide on that
at some later date.
Q. There's a lot of fans out there that are holding onto their
money probably to see whether or not this thing is going to happen and
the way we've become accustomed to seeing the 400. Can you
guarantee that we're not going to see a repeat of what happened last
year?
JEFF GORDON: I can. I will guarantee it. I'm 100
percent confident. I ran this tire as hard as I possibly could,
put numerous laps on them. It's a dead issue. This is going
to be a race here. It might come down to fuel mileage, it might come
down to a lot of different factors, fastest car, not the fastest car,
track position, a double-file restart with 10 to go, but it's not going
to come down to a 10-lap shootout on whose tires can last.
I told Stu Grant earlier, they've actually made it too good, it's that
good. And I'm 100 percent confident, and I can promise all the
fans out there that if they want to come to the Brickyard and see a
great race and be confident that the tires are not going to be an
issue, you can trust me. I hope that's enough for them. But
they've got it resolved, for sure.
GREG STUCKER: What he said. (Laughter.)
Q. You and Tony are one-two in the battle, and you both kind of
cut your eye teeth around here. What is your first memory of
Tony, and how often did you actually race against him before he came to
NASCAR?
JEFF GORDON: I don't ever remember racing against him. I
think somebody said that maybe we raced once at the Hoosier Dome race,
the midget race that they used to do there that was sort of an
invitational race.
But I knew of Tony Stewart because I remember when I was leaving USAC
and going to run stock cars, I know Bobby was one of them, but I think
there were a couple others that had mentioned Tony Stewart's name and
said that he had a bright future, really talented race car driver.
So when I started seeing him on “Saturday Night Thunder” and hearing
his name and seeing his name in the papers, then it was no surprise to
me because I remember hearing that name.
He certainly has lived up to all those expectations. He's a
terrific race car driver, great talent, and I think this year even
shows his talents to a whole 'nother level, to be able to change teams,
be involved with the ownership side of it and restructure and go to a
team that really was not that successful and then be able to have the
year that they're having.
It's not just Tony's talent on the racetrack; it's what he can
attract. To me that's how you really measure what somebody's
value is, what their talent level is, and it's pretty impressive what
they've been able to pull off over there.
Q. You said seven tests since the last race. Was there a
time or a test in the last couple months where you figured out where
you were confident and you kind of got to the point you are
today? Was there one test in the last couple months where you
figured it out, that you thought that was the test?
GREG STUCKER: I think if you go back two weeks ago, that was the
first test after the 500, we knew that would be kind of a measure of
where the racetrack was for the Brickyard race coming up. It was
our intent to finalize the recommendation in that test, and that's
exactly what we did.
We left here two weeks ago knowing that we were able to put a lot of
rubber down on the racetrack, knowing that we could make in excess of
full-fuel runs, and we were very confident with the way the tires
looked, the way the tires performed, the grip level. So I think
probably the last test two weeks ago, that was the one where we kind of
walked away and said we've think we've got it and we'll just confirm it
this week, which is what we've done.
Q. Can you give us a sense of how many different tire compounds
you used to try to get to the right one?
GREG STUCKER: A lot. I mean, it's probably a rough
guess. As far as tires that have hit the racetrack, probably
20. But you know, that doesn't reflect the number of lab studies
and simulations that we've done back in Akron with all of our engineers.
It's a big number, but that's what we needed to do, and try to learn
how different ones reacted.
Q. In the time leading up to the race, the rubber on the track
likely will be washed off, so what will things be like on race
weekend? Second question, do you anticipate teams being provided
an extra set of tires? Third question, is there a need to extend
practice time to get the rubber on the track like you have it now?
GREG STUCKER: We really think we've had a pretty good measure of
that from the time we ran two weeks ago to now. I know one day we
had 3 inches of rain here in Indianapolis. I think we've gotten a
lot of weather over the last two weeks, and we were able to put rubber
onto the racetrack very quickly yesterday morning. That's one of
the reasons why we wanted to have 12 cars here, to try to simulate that
first Friday practice session. I think with this tire combination
we have, the rubber will be put down very quickly, and we'll be in very
good shape.
To address the other questions, we've talked about NASCAR a little
bit. They will have additional sets of tires because of the
abrasive nature of this racetrack, they'll have additional sets of
tires for practice and qualifying, more so than the normal six that
they would have. We haven't yet finalized that number.
We're kind of waiting to see how things play out this week, but we'll
figure that out.
I think right now the schedule is out, and I'm pretty comfortable with
the amount of practice time that's been announced. I don't think
we'll have any issues whatsoever with regard to the amount of practice
people have.
JEFF GORDON: I'd just add to that, yesterday to me was a real
mark of how this tire is going to react and how much progress they've
made.
You always expect when you come to Indianapolis the first couple of
runs you're going to see excessive wear until that rubber gets laid
down. We never saw that. I mean, maybe the first run we saw
a little bit more than what we saw like today, but never even came
close to getting through to the wear holes. It was
fantastic. I was very impressed that on our first run yesterday,
and we ran some pretty quick laps, that the excessive wear was not
there, which we were expecting, even hearing that they've made such an
improvement on the tire. We still expected to see something, and
we didn't.
They've had a lot of rain here in the last couple weeks or 10 days or
however long it's been since they were here last, so you certainly
expected it to be at its worst yesterday. I think I'm certainly
very confident when we come back here that we're going to lay rubber
down right away, and again, not see any issues with wear.
Q. Greg, can you approximate how much time, money was spent on
getting this tire right, how that might compare to Atlanta and getting
the tire there like it should be? And does any of this
improvement translate to other racetracks?
GREG STUCKER: You always try to pick up bits of information that
you can translate to everything you do. But this place is very
unique. Our focus here was to focus on Indianapolis and
Indianapolis alone. If there's things that spin off, then we'll
certainly utilize that. But really the focus was to get it right
here.
Like I said earlier, there's been a lot of time and effort. It's
tough to put a number on it, but just a lot of resources from a people
perspective, a time perspective, equipment. Again, we just felt
like there was nothing we shouldn't do in order to try to get it
right. It's just what we do.
Q. I think you've just said, I assume this is a tire that is
going to be just for the Brickyard?
GREG STUCKER: Right now, it was a tire developed for the
Brickyard. This left-side combination was actually used at Pocono
and probably will be again at the second Pocono race. It doesn't
mean that this tire may not be used at other racetracks, but it was
developed solely for this racetrack in mind, and if it's able to be
used somewhere else, we may do that.
JEFF GORDON: And just know that this track is unique to any other
track we go to, not only shape and size of this track but the
abrasiveness in the surface is unique to any other track that we go
to. And it is the most challenging racetrack that I believe
Goodyear has, and even as a team, to manufacture a tire for. So
it's a very, very tall order, and I'm really impressed with what
they've been able to do.
Q. Earlier this week they suggested that maybe cutting some
horsepower, 50 or 100 horsepower might help with the tire situation in
general. Can you maybe give your thoughts on that?
JEFF GORDON: That's somebody that doesn't drive a race car
because that's just absolutely backwards. The more power that we
take away from the engines, the faster we go through the corners.
We've seen it in the Nationwide Series, we saw it years ago at New
Hampshire when they had some of the tragedies there, tried to slow the
cars down, take power away, and we went through the corners faster.
You know, just because you cut horsepower down doesn't mean that it's
going to slow your speed in the middle of the corner down, and that's
where most of the tire wear and abuse comes from is how you lean on
that tire through the middle of the corner and the corner speed.
I always say, give us more power, because the more power that we're
going to have, the more difficult it's going to be to control it, and
the car is not going to handle as good, we're probably going to carry
actually less speed. But I definitely am very much against taking
power away from the cars. Now, if you take downforce away, you take
grip away, you do a lot of other things on top of the power, then
maybe, but just the power is definitely not the answer.
GREG STUCKER: Just to reinforce that, for example, we actually
ran a little bit harder setup this week in Michigan in the Truck Series
than we did in the Cup Series just because of what Jeff said.
Those vehicles with less horsepower actually can run the corners faster
than the Cup cars do.
Q. In light of what happened last year, how important is this
year's Allstate at the Brickyard 400 event in terms of public
perception and confidence in Goodyear?
GREG STUCKER: We've got our name on the sidewall of every tire,
so I think it's extremely important to our whole corporation.
Like Jeff said earlier, there was nobody that walked out of here as
part of this whole group, the teams, NASCAR and Goodyear that weren't
disappointed with last year's outcome, and we went to work the very
next day. And I can guarantee you within the racing division
there hasn't been a day go by that we haven't talked about the
Brickyard, the race, our feelings about it and what we're doing.
So it's been number-one priority for the last 11 months. And
again, I think we got it right.
__________________________________________________
Race Morning at the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
Richard Childress looks to get the Brickyard Magic Back
Joey Logano will be the youngest driver to start the Allstate 400 when
he takes the green flag
Greg Biffle is still looking for that elusive 1st victory here as is
any driver from Roush-Fenway Racing
Mark Martin is the oldest driver to capture a pole at the Brickyard
400... and looks for his fourth win of 2009 and 1st Allstate 400 win
Fan Favorite and now Car owner Tony Stewart looks to bring the #14 back
to victory lane at Indy
Four-Time Winner Jeff Gordon looks to become a 5-time Indy winner.
2002 Race winner Bill Elliott still has the touch and starts 4th.
Above Photos By Dan Peters
______________________________________________
Casey Jamerson Rocks the crowd at the Brickyard
_____________________________________
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series News & Notes - Indianapolis
Indiana-Connected Stewart, Gordon Out Front Heading To Indianapolis
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — 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).
Back To Business: Race To the Chase Update
Sunday’s Allstate 400 at The Brickyard is the fourth event in the Race
to the Chase, the 10-race stretch that ends with the cutoff for the
Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup – race No.26 of the season, Sept. 12 at
Richmond International Raceway.
Following that event, the top 12 drivers will compete for the NASCAR
Sprint Cup title during the season’s final 10 races.
This Sunday at Indianapolis represents a call to action for some
drivers.
Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon, one-two, respectively, in the standings,
need wins to improve their Chase seeding.
If the Chase began now, Mark Martin, currently 11th, would be the top
seed thanks to his series-high four wins. (Quick recap: Chase drivers’
point totals are reset to 5,000 with 10 points added for each win
during the season’s first 26 events).
Martin would be followed by three-time 2009 winner Kyle Busch (No. 18
Snickers Toyota), currently 10th in the standings.
Stewart, a two-time winner in ‘09, would be third, followed by Jimmie
Johnson in fourth and Matt Kenseth (No. 17 DEWALT Ford) in fifth, both
also two-time winners in ‘09. Johnson is third in the current
standings; Kenseth is 12th.
Gordon, with one ‘09 win, would be sixth.
Sliding down, 13th-place Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M/Pistonz Ear Plugs
Ford), trails Kenseth, his Roush Fenway Racing teammate, by 10 points.
Fourteenth-place David Reutimann (No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota)
trails Biffle by 66 points and 12th place by 76.
Further back, 15th-place Clint Bowyer (No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper
Chevrolet) trails 12th place by 126 points.
Indiana Natives In The NSCS Garage
Drivers: Ryan Newman (South Bend) – No. 39; Tony Stewart (Columbus) –
No. 14 and David Stremme (South Bend) – No. 12 Penske Dodge.
Mechanics: Brad Tunny (Holton) – No. 82 Red Bull Toyota; Will Smith
(Seymour) – No. 16; Shane Church (Columbus) – No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil
Chevrolet and Joshua Tucker (Fort Wayne) – No. 26 Crown Royal Ford.
Pit-Crew Members: Shawn Soules (Terre Haute) – No. 55 NAPA Toyota catch
can man; Andy Rueger (Seymour) – No. 39 catch can man; Todd Zeigler
(Indianapolis) – No. 16 front tire changer and Eric Wakeland (Plymouth)
– No. 00 rear tire carrier.
Spotters: Jeff Dickerson (Indianapolis) – No. 18 spotter and Greg
Newman (South Bend) – No. 39 spotter.
Other Team Members: Chris Heroy (Angola) – No. 5 engineer; Joe Smith
(Seymour) – No. 16 tires specialist; Aaron Powell (Merriville) – No. 16
pit support and Ashley Miller (Indianapolis) – No. 82 media relations.
NSCS Etc.
Milestones At Indianapolis: Kasey Kahne, the 2004 Raybestos Rookie of
the Year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, will make his 200th career
start in Sunday’s Allstate 400 at The Brickyard.
“It doesn’t seem like that long ago that I was racing sprint cars in
Washington (state),” Kahne said. “I feel pretty fortunate to be able to
do what I do for a living. I’ve celebrated a lot of great moments in
racing and I hope to celebrate more.”
Three-time and reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson will
make his 275th start Sunday.
“Double-Duty” Drivers: This race weekend is action-packed for four
NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers – Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, David Reutiman
and Kyle Busch.
All four will participate in Saturday night’s NASCAR Nationwide Series
event at O’Reilly Raceway Park, a .686-mile track just a short drive
from Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Significant Sweep: In addition to his weekend double-header, Matt
Kenseth will attempt something only two NASCAR Sprint Cup peers have
accomplished – winning two of the sport’s crown jewels, the Daytona 500
and the Allstate 400 at The Brickyard – in the same season.
Kenseth, the reigning Daytona 500 champion, has four top fives and five
top 10s in nine career starts at Indianapolis. He’s finished second
twice (2003 and ‘06).
Dale Jarrett (1996) and Jimmie Johnson (2006) are the other drivers to
win both the Daytona 500 and the Allstate 400 at The Brickyard in the
same season.
Indianapolis 500 Connection: Two NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers seek a sweep
of another type this weekend at Indianapolis.
The pair of Indianapolis 500 champions, Juan Pablo Montoya and Sam
Hornish Jr. (No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge), doubtless would like to add an
Allstate 400 at The Brickyard title to their resumes.
Montoya, who won the 2000 Indianapolis 500, started and finished second
in the 2007 Allstate 400 at The Brickyard. He finished 39th last year.
Hornish, the 2006 Indianapolis 500 champion, finished 21st last year in
his only Allstate 400 at The Brickyard appearance.
Montoya also seeks to improve his Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup
status. He’s currently ninth in the standings (the top 12 drivers
qualify after race No. 26 ) and hopes to participate in his first Chase
this fall.
Off Track News This Week:
Special Events Abound: Indianapolis race weekend teems with activities
and opportunities.
Among them is Thursday’s 7th Annual Women In The Winner’s Circle Awards
Ceremony at the IMS Plaza Pavilion. The program runs from 1:30-3 p.m.,
with interviews scheduled from 3-3:30 p.m. ESPN’s Jamie Little and
racing great Lyn St. James will co-host.
Also Thursday, the Transporter Parade is scheduled from 6-8:30 p.m. It
begins in Greenwood, Ind., at I-65 exit No. 99, traveling north on I-65
to I-70 west, exiting Holt Road to 10th Street, then staging on Main
Street in Speedway, Ind.
On Friday at 10:30 a.m., defending Allstate 400 at The Brickyard
champion Jimmie Johnson will receive his commemorative ring from
outgoing track president Joe Chitwood at the Brickyard Crossing
Pavilion. He’ll also participate in a Jimmie Johnson Foundation
announcement.
On Friday at 11:30 a.m., ESPN/ABC will host a press conference at the
track’s Economaki Press Conference room. Sunday’s Allstate 400 at The
Brickyard marks the start of ESPN’s 17 weeks of NASCAR Sprint Cup
coverage. ESPN will televise the next six events, followed by ABC.
Also Friday, at noon, Juan Pablo Montoya will participate in a press
conference at the Yard of Bricks on Pit Lane.
On Saturday, the Blood Drive at The Brickyard is scheduled from 10 a.m.
until 3 p.m., in the east parking lot of the IMS Hall of Fame Museum.
It’s a joint effort of the NASCAR Foundation and the Jimmie Johnson
Foundation, and part of the NASCAR Foundation’s national, annual blood
drive.
Hear This: The rock group Saving Abel (Virgin Records) will be in
concert from 11 a.m. until noon Sunday at the Coke Zero Stage, near the
Pagoda tower. Indiana-based country music artist Casey Jamerson will
sing the national anthem.
See This: Former University of North Carolina standout and new Indiana
Pacers draft pick Tyler Hansbrough will serve as grand marshal. Kristen
Santos will use American Sign Language to sign the national anthem.
Up Next: Pocono Raceway
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns next week to Pocono Raceway for
the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500, the second of two 2009 events
there.
The Sunday, Aug. 2 event will be televised by ESPN. The pre-race show
starts at 1 p.m. ET with the race starting at approximately 2 p.m.
Carl Edwards is the defending race champion. Jimmie Johnson is the
defending pole winner. Bill Elliott leads all drivers with five wins at
Pocono. He and Ken Schrader each lead all drivers with five poles each
there.
Fast Facts
Next Race: Allstate 400 at The Brickyard
The Date: Sunday, July 26
The Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway; 2.5-mile oval
The Time: 2 p.m. ET
The Distance: 160 laps/400 miles
TV: ESPN, 1 p.m. ET
Radio: IMS Radio and Sirius Satellite
2008 Polesitter: Jimmie Johnson
2008 Winner: Jimmie Johnson
Schedule: Friday—Practice, 2-3 p.m.; 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Saturday—Qualifying, 10:10 a.m.; Practice, 2-3 p.m. and 3:30-4:40 p.m.
Track Contact: Ron Green (317) 492-6780; rgreen@brickyard.com
2009 Top 12 Drivers
Driver
Points
1 Tony
Stewart
2,884
2 Jeff
Gordon
2,709
3 Jimmie Johnson
2,672
4 Kurt
Busch
2,526
5 Denny
Hamlin
2,457
6 Carl
Edwards
2,438
7 Ryan
Newman 2,385
8 Kasey
Kahne
2,336
9 Juan Pablo Montoya 2,321
10 Kyle
Busch
2,298
11 Mark
Martin
2,296
12 Matt
Kenseth
2,295
2009 ALLSTATE 400 AT THE BRICKYARD NOTEBOOK
GORDON, GOODYEAR: WE’RE READY FOR EXCITING RACE AT BRICKYARD
INDIANAPOLIS, Monday, June 16, 2009 – Four-time Allstate 400 at the
Brickyard winner Jeff Gordon could not have been more emphatic in his
opinion that Goodyear has found a great tire combination for the 2009
Allstate 400 at the Brickyard on Sunday, July 26.
“I can promise all the fans out there that if they want to come to the
Brickyard and see a great race, and be confident that the tires are not
going to be an issue, you can trust me,” Gordon said.
Gordon, who won the inaugural “400” at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in
1994 and is today one of the seasoned leaders in the NASCAR garage, was
among 12 veteran NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers who participated in a
Goodyear tire test June 15-16. The drivers tested all day June 15 and
took to the track for a busy one-hour, 20-minute test session June 16
before rain ended the day’s activities.
It was the seventh time Goodyear has tested at IMS since tire wear
issues forced NASCAR to throw numerous “competition cautions” during
the 15th Allstate 400 at the Brickyard in July 2008.
Gordon said his first run early Monday proved to him just how much
progress Goodyear had made.
“You always expect, when you come to Indianapolis, the first couple of
runs you’re going to see excessive wear until rubber gets laid down,”
he said. “We never saw that. The first run maybe we saw a little bit,
but we never came close to getting through to the wear holes. It was
fantastic. On our first run yesterday – and we ran some pretty quick
laps – the excessive wear was not there. We expected to see something,
and we didn’t.”
According to Greg Stucker, Goodyear director of racing tire sales, the
company tested more than 20 different tire formulas over the last 11
months, and picked what he believes is the right tire combination for
the challenging 2.5-mile IMS oval at the June 1-2 test. This test
further validated that choice.
In addition to on-track testing at IMS and in-house testing conducted
by Goodyear engineers, Stucker said Goodyear also had the same company
that performed the diamond grinding on the IMS oval – designed to
smooth and level the track – also diamond-grind parts of Goodyear’s
test track in Akron, Ohio, to replicate the IMS surface.
“We’ve got our name on the sidewall of every tire, so I think it’s
extremely important to our whole corporation,” Stucker said. “There was
nobody that walked out of here – the teams, NASCAR and Goodyear – that
weren’t disappointed with last year’s outcome, and we went to work the
very next day. I can guarantee you that within the racing division
there hasn’t been a day gone by that we haven’t talked about the
Brickyard, our feelings about it and what we’re doing.
“It has been number-one priority for the last 11 months, and I think we
got it right.”
_________________________________________
Goodyear happy with tire test results
Double-file restarts to spice up racing
INDIANAPOLIS, Friday, June 5, 2009 – Goodyear officials were pleased
with the results of NASCAR Sprint Cup tire testing June 1-2 at
Indianapolis Motor Speedway in preparation for the 16th Allstate 400 at
the Brickyard on July 24-26, as drivers completed several full-fuel
runs on the 2.5-mile oval.
Nine drivers representing all four manufacturers in Sprint Cup combined
to turn more 1,200 laps during two days of testing: Greg Biffle, Jeff
Burton, Patrick Carpentier, Bill Elliott, Robby Gordon, Kasey Kahne,
Juan Pablo Montoya, two-time Brickyard winner and Indiana native Tony
Stewart and Indiana native David Stremme.
Goodyear has scheduled another test June 15-16 at IMS for final
confirmation of the tire combination for the race. Twelve drivers are
scheduled to test, again representing all four manufacturers in Sprint
Cup: Clint Bowyer, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, four-time Brickyard winner
Jeff Gordon, Kahne, Matt Kenseth, 2000 Brickyard winner Bobby Labonte,
Indiana native Ryan Newman, David Reutimann, Reed Sorenson, Brian
Vickers and Michael Waltrip.
“IMS, Goodyear and NASCAR are all committed to presenting a 2009
Allstate 400 at the Brickyard that all fans will enjoy, and it looks
like the tire testing, which began last fall, is proving successful,”
said Joie Chitwood, IMS president and chief operating officer. “This
upcoming test scheduled June 15-16 will continue the process of
producing an effective tire for the race.”
Throughout the test June 1-2, several cars made runs of more than 30
laps, with some even running out of fuel on track. A full-fuel run at
IMS is estimated at 32 laps.
“We are very pleased with the results of this week’s test at Indy,”
said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of race tire sales. “The weather
cooperated and gave us two days of hot, sunny conditions, just like we
expect to see in late July. We were able to put rubber down on the
track very quickly, and completed several full fuel runs, with tire
wear, temperatures, and appearance all looking good. We believe we’re
in good shape for our final confirmation test on June 15-16.”
Double-file restarts at Indy
NASCAR will use double-file restarts at the Allstate 400 at the
Brickyard on July 26 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, adding more
shootout-style duels between the race leaders after caution periods.
The first- and second-place drivers will line up side-by-side as the
green flag flies for each restart. Under the previous format, cars on
the lead lap would restart in a single-file line while cars that had
been lapped would start in an adjacent line.
NASCAR instituted the new system effective at the race June 7 at Pocono
Raceway.
“I’m excited about it,” said two-time Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
winner Tony Stewart. “The good thing is that when they drop the green,
you’re going to be racing with the guys you’re racing for position
instead of trying to clear lapped cars.
“Since NASCAR has adapted the ‘free pass,’ I think that’s something
that now justifies being able to put those lapped cars to the back and
let them race with each other, and let the guys who are racing on the
lead lap do the same. I’m behind NASCAR 100 percent on this.”
Said 2003 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard winner Kevin Harvick: “I think
it’s great that NASCAR is listening to the fans. These new restart
procedures are going to make our sport even more exciting than it
already is. This will not only benefit the lead lap cars, but also the
cars that go a lap down, so you get the best of both worlds.”
Under the new format, the race leader will have the option to restart
on the inside or outside lane. The second-place driver would then
restart next to the leader. Regardless of where the leader starts,
drivers in odd number positions (third, fifth, seventh places, etc.)
will restart on the inside lane, while drivers in even number positions
(fourth, sixth, eighth places, etc.) will restart on the outside. All
restarts will use the same format regardless of the number of laps
remaining in the race.
‘Sweet spot’ tickets available
Turn 3 of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is historically the “sweet
spot” of action during the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, as some of
the race’s most decisive passes and incidents have taken place there.
Selected backstretch reserved seats will be available at a special
value price for the 16th Allstate 400 at the Brickyard on Sunday, July
26, offering NASCAR fans great action at a great price. These seats are
at the end of the back straightaway entering Turn 3 of the historic
2.5-mile IMS oval.
Seats in Sections 41 through 50 of the Northeast Vista Backstretch,
including the Northeast Vista Backstretch Platform
(wheelchair-accessible seating), will sell for $45 each, a $30 savings.
Fans can order tickets online at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com, by
calling the IMS ticket office at (317) 492-6700 or (800) 822-INDY
outside the Indianapolis area, or at the ticket office at the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Parking and camping information also can
be obtained through the ticket office.
2009 IMS tickets: Established in 1909, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
has long prevailed as an icon of motorsports excellence. Beginning in
2009, the Speedway celebrates its Centennial Era, commemorating the
100th anniversary of the facility in 2009 and the 100th anniversary of
the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race in 2011.
Tickets for the two remaining events in 2009 at the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway – the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard and Red Bull Indianapolis
GP – can be purchased online at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com at
any time.
Tickets for groups of 20 or more also are on sale. Contact the IMS
Group Sales Department at (866) 221-8775 for more information.
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