NASCAR heat: Stars run strong at Brickyard

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NASCAR heat: Stars run strong at Brickyard

After a rare week off, the NASCAR Sprint Cup season resumes this week with the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, the circuit's annual trip to Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Here are six drivers to watch:

Jimmie Johnson (+500)

The three-time defending series champion has won this race twice in the last three years, using the victory as a springboard to his late-season push for the championship. In those wins, he started fifth and first, so qualifying could be a key. He's currently third in the points and very much in the hunt for a fourth straight title.

Jeff Gordon (+700)

Gordon is the all-time leader with four Brickyard wins but none since 2004. He has won just once this season but has been no lower than second in the standings since the second race of the season and is looking for his fifth career series title.

Mark Martin (+700)

The veteran Martin is getting better with age. His four wins this season, including last week at Chicago, lead all Sprint Cup drivers. However, he also has five finishes of 35th or worse, which has him 11th in the Chase for the Championship. He has never won at the Brickyard.

Tony Stewart (+600)

Stewart is the points leader and won this event in 2005 and 2007. He also has plenty of Brickyard experience from his days as an IRL driver. He climbed to the top of the standings without winning a race but has won twice in the last six races.

Kyle Busch (+800)

Busch used to be hated for his lack of race decorum, but now rivals hate him because he is winning, too. He has three victories this year but none since May 2. In his last nine races, he only has two Top-10 finishes. Busch is looking for his first win at the Brickyard.

Joey Logano (+9000)

Just a teenager, Logano is in his first full season in Sprint Cup. But he already has chalked up a win at New Hampshire last month. This is his first trip to the Brickyard, which can be a bit overwhelming.

 

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Allstate 400 Preview

Allstate 400 Preview

Allstate 400 Preview


It seems like forever since the NASCAR Sprint Cup series ran a race even though it's only been one week off. At this time of the year, finding sports entertainment is scarce and NASCAR on the weekend is something for everyone to look forward to. However, the wait is well worth it in this instance considering the gem on the horizon is The Brickyard 400 at the storied racing grounds of The Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

This Sunday's Brickyard 400 will be the sixteenth NASCAR event held at the facility that has been the center of the racing world since 1909. Due to the historic nature of the track and most of the drivers childhood dreams centering around racing on the track, this race's prestige ranks right up there on par with the Daytona 500.

For some drivers, winning at The Brickyard is a dream fulfilled that may even surpass winning the Daytona 500. Six drivers on this weekend's entry list hail from Indiana, with two of them, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart, having won on the bricks.

Gordon won the inaugural Brickyard 400 in 1994 in his second year on the series. It was his second career win, but perhaps still remains the biggest win of his career because of how it launched him into mainstream America. At the same time, NASCAR also was in the beginning stages of evolving where they are today.

Over his career, Gordon has four career wins at Indy, twice as many as anyone else. He also has three career Daytona 500 wins, which is the highest rated and largest purse race of the season. Without actually committing to which race is most dear to him to not diminish either race, we'll do it for him just based on his roots. His family moved to Indiana when he was a kid to get him involved in more competitive racing with the eventual goal to race in the Indy 500 driving Indy cars.

Opportunities knocked from NASCAR and he ran with it; the rest is history. He never got that chance to run in the Indy 500, but the Brickyard 400 has suited him fine. In all stages of Gordon's career, he has won at Indy. He currently is in the longest drought from winning at Indy going on four years straight.

Tony Stewart was on the same path as Gordon in Indiana but went through with the plan of driving Indy cars where he won a season title in the IRL. His best performance in the Indy 500 was 5th in 1997. After a move to NASCAR, Stewart still raced in the Indy 500 but couldn't get the elusive win.

In 2005 Stewart finally lived out his dream of winning on the Bricks and proclaimed it his greatest win ever and that not even the Daytona 500 could beat it. Even before the win, Stewart stated his biggest prize was Indy. Two years later, Stewart won it again. He hasn't win the Daytona 500 yet, but it's likely the jubilation from that first win will never be matched, just as Gordon's won't.

A win this week by Stewart, who currently leads the standings in points, with his own team might rival his greatest win ever. His win last month at Pocono is a great measure to use in determining why he is the favorite to win this week.

We like to use Pocono as a barometer because the tracks are similar in distance and banking which means that whoever did well in June's Pocono's race should be just as good this week at Indy. Each track has long drag strips that require lots of horsepower. The sweeping tight turns also require similar setups in balance and weight distribution.

As an example of how correlated these tracks are, of the three different winners at both Pocono races and Indy last season, they were the only three drivers to finish in the top-10 in all three races. Kasey Kahne, Carl Edwards, and Jimmie Johnson stood alone as the most consistent set-ups and performances for all combined races and they were rewarded each with a win.

If we transfer last years finishes to this years June Pocono race, two drivers, Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards, stood out with top-10's in that race. One driver that barely missed making top-10's in all four races was Jeff Gordon who finished fourteenth in the June Pocono race last season.

After this years practice sessions at Pocono, the best cars looked to be Ryan Newman, who finished fifth, Jimmie Johnson, who finished seventh, and Tony Stewart, who ran with a backup car and started last but eventually won.

Ryan Newman is currently sitting seventh in points and could be a nice look this week at 30/1 odds. Unlike his teammate Stewart, Newman has a win in the Daytona 500, but doesn't have a Brickyard win. He too, like Gordon and Stewart, is from Indiana and had his career all set on track to become an Indy car driver but NASCAR came calling for him as well. Needless to say, Newman will be looking to make the most of his opportunity this week and build off the success they had in Pocono.

Carl Edwards led the most laps at Pocono this year and was waiting for Stewart to run out of fuel in the last few laps of the race so he could swoop in for the win. A poor pit sequence late in that race allowed Stewart to get ahead and stay for the remainder of the race. Even though none of Edwards success from last year has carried over on other tracks, Pocono remains the only one that is comparable. Jack Roush has never won at the Brickyard before and it would be very fitting to see the Cat in the Hat be able to mark off the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400 on his checklist of things to do in 2009.

Jimmie Johnson has won two of the last three Brickyard 400's and has everything pointing in his direction to possibly do it it again which is why he's a co-favorite to win the race with Stewart. He won last years race that was marred with tire issues throughout the race. He currently sits third in points and with races running out until the Chase starts, Johnson needs a couple more bonus points for winning races to set himself up nice. There will be no points racing here because he's firmly entrenched. It's all about the wins now!

A nice long shot look this week could be David Reutimann who is offered at odds of 60 to 1 or higher. He had a nice series of Pocono practices and finished third in the race. Based on the way this season has gone with long shots cashing in, including Reutimann's win at Charlotte, we can't look the other way as usual with some of the longer odds out there.

The one thing going against a long shot winning this week at Indy is that it just doesn't happen there. Of the fifteen races run there, only two have been by drivers that haven't won a season Championship. Ricky Rudd won in 1997 and Kevin Harvick won in 2003, and the rest are the best of the best. Despite all that, we'll go with Edwards this week, who we think will eventually win a title someday.

Top 5 Finish Prediction:
1) #99 Carl Edwards (10/1)
2) #24 Jeff Gordon (8/1)
3) #39 Ryan Newman (30/1)
4) #14 Tony Stewart (6/1)
5) #48 Jimmie Johnson (6/1)

 

[Lumi]

Practices:
Friday, July 24, 2:00 - 3:00 pm/et, TV-ESPN2
Friday, July 24, 3:30 - 4:30 pm/et, TV-SPEED
Saturday, July 25, 2:00 - 3:00 pm/et, TV-SPEED


Happy Hour 'Final' practice: Saturday, July 25, 3:30 - 4:30pm/et, TV-ESPN2

Qualifying Draw: Friday, July 24, 1:00pm/et


Qualifying: 2 laps for positions 1-42, Saturday, July 25 at 10:10am/et, TV-ESPN2, no re-air scheduled;
AND live via radio at IMS Radio and Sirius XM Satellite NASCAR Radio.


Race Coverage of the Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is scheduled for Sunday, July 26, 2009.
TV: ESPN at 2:00 pm/et; pre-race show at 1:00 pm/et; green flag approx 2:16pm/et
Radio: MRN Radio and Sirius XM Satellite NASCAR Radio
Scheduled Race Re-Airs:
ESPN2, Monday, July 27 at 3:30am/et;
ESPN Classic, Monday, July 27 at 12:00pm/et;
SPEED, Wednesday, July 29 at 12:00pm/et

 

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NASCAR?s Robin Pemberton explains new restart rules

NASCAR?s Robin Pemberton explains new restart rules

NASCAR?s Robin Pemberton explains new restart rules

NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton gave an explanation Friday of the new double-file restart rules. Here are excerpts of the conversation with the media and his answers to some questions ask.
SD: What is the procedure for double-file restarts?
Pemberton: ?When the caution comes out, the field will be frozen as it is today. The free-pass car will be identified as it is today and it will be the same format. As the cars are gathered behind the pace car, the pit road is opened for leaders, the second time by it will be open for the lap-down cars, and that is how it is today. And when we come to the one [lap]-to-go [until the green drops], the cars that have elected not to pit that are lap-down cars that will be in front of the lead-lap cars that have pitted, will be waved around to join the field at the tail end. The lineup will be on the double-file restart, lead-lap cars to the front, lap-down cars, ? then it will be the free-pass car, then it will be the cars that have been waved around and then it will be the penalty cars.
SD: If a guy on the lead lap opts not to pit, he?s the leader?
Pemberton: Correct. Still P1 [the leader].
SD: Is there an option for the lead car to select which lane?
Pemberton: When we give the 1-to-go, the leader throughout the entire race will get lane choice, high or low. He has to make that choice when we come to the 1-to-go at the stripe. One other thing we have added is the free pass will take place from start to finish throughout the entire race.
SD: If a car on the lead lap pits a second time with the lap-down cars, does he restart with the lap-down cars?
Pemberton: He will start in his respective track position how he came off of pit road. If you have a lead-lap car who makes multiple pit stops to work on his car, he is not in that lead-lap group that pitted that first-time by. He?ll be scored where he comes off pit road [with lapped cars]
SD: The lap-down cars that don?t pit and the get the wave around the leader, do they get to come all the way around to rear of the field?
Pemberton: That?s correct but they will not be able to hit pit road for tires and fuel. Pit road won?t be closed but they will forfeit their wave-around status if they hit pit road for tires and fuel.
SD: At tracks like Martinsville and Bristol and you?re waiting for the 1-to-go, are you anticipating that the wave around could be hard to be completed?
Pemberton: There could be issues. Every track has its different set of challenges. We?ll have to address those when we get to them. The whole field will be double file so they won?t be as strung out.
SD: If multiple lead-lap cars stay out, do the lap-down cars that don?t pit still get waved around?
Pemberton: The only way you can be waved around is if you are between the leader and the pace car. As pit stops take place, you need to be in front of the lead-lap cars. You get waved around regardless if you?re one or two or three laps down [or more].
SD: Are you going to use double-file restarts throughout the race for every race?
Pemberton: Yes.
SD: It was said that Trucks and Nationwide will use it later this year? Any timetable?
Pemberton: It?s just later. We need to work through some of these details here. We?ve got three races in three different states [this weekend]. We want to make sure we concentrate on this [in Cup] and get everything as right as we can.(SceneDaily)(6-7-2009)


NASCAR Announces ?Double-File Restarts ? Shootout Style?: NASCAR announced a change to its race format with the addition of ?Double-File Restarts ? Shootout Style? throughout each race. Beginning with this weekend at Pocono Raceway, the first- and second-place drivers will line up side-by-side as the green flag flies for each restart. ?We?ve heard the fans loud and clear: ?double-file restarts ? shootout style? are coming to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series,? said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France. ?This addition to the race format is good for competition and good for the fans.?
NASCAR recently used the ?double-file? format for its non-points NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, which produced an unpredictable finish. The format will be adapted for the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in the near future. 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 a line next to them. 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 (3rd, 5th, 7th places, etc.) will restart on the inside lane, while drivers in even number positions (4th, 6th, 8th places, etc.) will restart on the outside. All restarts will use the same format regardless of the number of laps remaining in the race.
The first-place driver will continue to control the timing of restarts in a designated zone on the track. Likewise, cars are to stay in line until they reach the start/finish line. The first eligible car a lap or more down will continue to earn one lap back following a caution, which is known as the ?free pass.? However, a new element beginning this week will be that the ?free pass? will remain in effect the entire race [before it was all race until 10 or less laps to go, then none was awarded]. Lapped cars choosing to remain on the track will be ?waved around? the caution car and will restart the race in respective track position, thus picking up a lap to the leader provided the leader also pits. This will also remove lapped cars from behind the pace car, allowing the leaders to take the green without interference [so the leader will not restart in the middle of the pack].(NASCAR)(6-4-2009) Comment here

 

[Lumi]

The Entry List for the Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is posted, 47 teams/drivers [for 43 spots] are listed, including:
Not in top 35 of 2009 owners points:
#08-Terry Labonte (Past Champ 1996)(52/2)
#09-Sterling Marlin (2009 Race Winner as owner)(38 in owners pts/19 attempts)
#13-Max Papis (43/9)
#21-Bill Elliott (Past Champ 1988)(44/6)
#36-Mike Skinner (42/19)
#64-Mike Wallace (50/13)
#66-Dave Blaney (41/19)
#71-David Gilliland (37/19)
#75-Derrike Cope (54/4)
#78-Regan Smith (39/10)
#82-Scott Speed (36/19)
#87-Joe Nemechek (40/19)


Top-35 in Owner Points and guaranteed a starting spot at Indy:
No changes, but the spread between 35th and 36th is up to 190 points
34) #7-Gordon/Robby Gordon: 1529, +311
35) #34-Andretti/Earnhardt Ganassi: 1408, 190 points ahead of 36th
these teams/ drivers must qualify by speed but are close to the top-35:
36) #82-Speed/Red Bull: 1218, 190 points out of 35th
37) #71-Gilliland/TRG: 1089, -319
The teams are NOT locked in past the next race as the owners points change after each race. For the owners points standings,

 

[Lumi]

the 4 or 5-time winners at Indy:
Driver' Wins, Races, Laps Led, Years Won
A.J. Foyt, 4, 35, 555, 1961-1964-1967-1977 Indy Car
Al Unser, 4, 27, 644, 1970-1971-1978-1987 Indy Car
Rick Mears, 4, 15, 429, 1979-1984-1988-1991 Indy Car
Jeff Gordon, 4, 15, 440, 1994-1999-2001-2004 NASCAR Sprint
Michael Schumacher, 5, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 F-1
also: Wolf Henzler has recorded four victories in Porsche Michelin Supercup series support races to the United States Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway since 2000. Henzler won once in 2002, 2003 and both races in 2004


Five CURRENT Race Tracks Martin has never won race at: There are FIVE current race tracks the Sprint Cup Series runs on that #5-Mark Martin has not won at [a Sprint Cup race], plus Martin ran five races at Nashville and four races at Riverside and didn't win:
Pocono: 0 for 44 with six finishes of 2nd, last in 8/2004
New Hampshire: 0 for 24 with three finishes of 2nd, last in 8/1998
Daytona: 0 for 48 with a best finish of 2nd in 2/2007
Indianapolis: 0 for 15 with a best finish of 2nd in 8/1998
Homestead: 0 for 9 with a best finish of 2nd in 11/2005
Won at Chicago on 7-11-2009 after failing to win 8 times
(7-11-2009)


Run all the Brickyard races: four drivers have run all 15 Brickyard 400's since it first ran in 1994:
#24-Jeff Gordon [4 wins]
#96-Bobby Labonte [1 win]
#5-Mark Martin [best 2nd once]
#31-Jeff Burton [best 5th once]


2008 Race Winner: #48-Jimmie Johnson, 115.117mph, started 1st


Race Record: Bobby Labonte, August 2000, 155.912mph


Slowest Race Record: Jimmie Johnson, July 2008, 115.117mph


Worst Starting Spot to Win: Jeff Gordon, August 2001, started 27th


2008 Pole Sitter: #48-Jimmie Johnson, 181.763mph, finished 1st


Track Qualifying Record: Casey Mears, August 2004, 186.293mph


Most Wins: 4 - Jeff Gordon


Most Poles: 3 - Jeff Gordon


Most Top 5s: 9 - Jeff Gordon


Most Top 10s: 12 - Jeff Gordon


Oldest Race Winner: Bill Elliott, 46 years, 9 months, 27 days, 8/4/2002


Youngest Race Winner: Jeff Gordon, 23 years, 2 days, 8/6/1994


Oldest Pole Sitter: Reed Sorenson, 21 years, 5 months, 24 days, 7/29/2007


Youngest Pole Sitter: Jimmy Spencer, 44 years, 5 months, 21 days, 8/05/2001


Most Lead Changes: 26 - 7/27/2008


Fewest Lead Changes: 9 - 8/5/2000 and 8/8/2004


Most Leaders: 16 - 7/27/2008


Fewest Leaders: 5 - 8/5/2000


Most Cautions: 13 - 8/8/2004


Fewest Cautions: 1 - 8/5/1995


Most Caution Laps: 52, 7/27/2008


Few Caution Laps: 4, 5/8/1995


Most Finishers on a lead lap: 36, 7/27/2008


Fewest Finishers on a lead lap: 14, 8/5/2000


Most Running at the Finish: 40 - 7/27/2008


Fewest Running at the Finish: 27, 8/8/2004


Most Laps Led by a Race Winner: 124 [of 160], Jeff Gordon, 8/8/2004


Fewest Laps Led by a Race Winner: 11, Dale Jarrett, 8/3/1996


DNFs (Most): Terry Labonte (13 race) 4 Terry Labonte (13) 4 Ricky Rudd (13) 4

DNFs (Least): Jeff Burton (15 races) 0 Jeff Burton (15) 0
(Most races without a DNF)


Best Average Start: Ryan Newman (8) 4.875 Ryan Newman (8) 4.875

Best Average Finish: Jeff Gordon (15) 8.600 Jeff Gordon (15) 8.600
(Minimum five races)


Most Wins by Manufacturer: 10 - Chevy


Races won from starting pos 1: 2 [of 15 races] 13.3%

Races won from starting pos 2: 1

Races won from starting pos 3: 3

Races won from starting pos 4: 1

Races won from starting pos 5: 1

Races won from starting pos 7: 1

Races won from starting pos 11: 1

Races won from starting pos 13: 1

Races won from starting pos 14: 1

Races won from starting pos 22: 1

Races won from starting pos 24: 1

Races won from starting pos 27: 1

Races won from the pole: 2 of 15 events (13.3%)

Races won from in top 10: 9 of 15 events (60.0%)

Races won from outside top 10: 6 of 15 events (40.0%)

PREVIOUS BRICKYARD 400 WINNERS:
YEAR-CAR#-DRIVER, MANU, AVE SPEED, STARTED
1994: #24-Jeff Gordon, Chevy, 131.977, 3rd
1995: #3-Dale Earnhardt, Chevy, 155.206, 13th
1996: #88-Dale Jarrett, Ford, 139.508, 24th
1997: #10-Ricky Rudd, Ford, 130.814, 7th
1998: #24-Jeff Gordon, Chevy, 126.772, 3rd (2)
1999: #88-Dale Jarrett, Ford, 148.194, 4th (2)
2000: #18-Bobby Labonte, Pontiac, 155.912, 3rd
2001: #24-Jeff Gordon, Chevy, 130.790, 27th (3)
2002: #9-Bill Elliott, Dodge, 125.033, 2nd
2003: #29-Kevin Harvick, Chevy, 134.554, 1st
2004: #24-Jeff Gordon, Chevy, 115.037, 11th (4)
2005: #20-Tony Stewart, Chevy, 118.782, 22nd
2006: #48-Jimmie Johnson, Chevy, 137.182, 5th
2007: #20-Tony Stewart, Chevy, 117.379, 14th (2)
2008: #48-Jimmie Johnson, Chevy, 115.117, 1st (2)


At Indianapolis Motor Speedway:

* Indianapolis Motor Speedway has existed since 1909, and is the original "Speedway," the first racing facility to incorporate the word into its name.

* With a permanent seating capacity for more than 250,000-plus people and infield seating that raises capacity to an approximate 400,000, it is the largest and highest-capacity sporting facility in history.

* There have been 15 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway since the first race was held there in 1994.

* Five drivers have competed in all 14 races at IMS: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Mark Martin.

* Rick Mast won the first pole in 1994.

* Jeff Gordon won the 1994 inaugural race.

* There have been nine different pole winners.

* Jeff Gordon leads all pole winners with three.

* Nine drivers have won, led by Jeff Gordon with four.

* Jimmie Johnson, Dale Jarrett and Tony Stewart (two apiece) are the other multiple winners.

* Hendrick Motorsports has won six races, more than any other organization.

* Eight races have been won from a top-five starting position.

* The furthest back a race winner has started at Indianapolis was 27th, by Jeff Gordon in 2001.

* Two drivers have won from the pole: Kevin Harvick in 2003 and Jimmie Johnson in 2008.

* The only time in the modern era that three brothers led at least one lap in the same race occurred in the inaugural race at Indianapolis (1994): Geoffrey, Brett and Todd Bodine.

* Dale Jarrett (1996) and Jimmie Johnson (2006) are the only drivers to win both the Daytona 500 and the Allstate 400 at The Brickyard in the same season.

* Jeff Gordon has an average finish of 8.6 in 15 Indianapolis races, the best of any driver with more than one race.

* The winner of the Indianapolis race has won the championship in the same year seven times in the 15 years the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has raced there:
2008: Jimmie Johnson
2006: Jimmie Johnson
2005: Tony Stewart
2001: Jeff Gordon
2000: Bobby Labonte
1999: Dale Jarrett
1998: Jeff Gordon

* There have been 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in Indiana.

* 76 NASCAR national series drivers (all-time) have their home state recorded as Indiana.(NASCAR PR)(7-20-2009)

 

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TRACK/RACE NEWS

TRACK/RACE NEWS

TRACK/RACE NEWS
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Track Specs:
Superspeedway: 2.5 mile quad-oval
Track/Race Length: 160 laps, 400 miles
Banking: turns: 9 degrees, 12 minutes; straights: 0 degrees
Frontstretch: 3,330 feet
Backstretch: 3300 feet
Short Shute(between turns 1 and 2/3 and 4) - 660 feet
Attendence: ~350,000
Grandstand seating capacity: 257,325
First NASCAR race (Brickyard 400): 1994
Track Opened: 1909


Race Festivities/Officials:
Grand Marshal: Indiana Pacers 2009 1st-round draft pick Tyler Hansbrough
Command to start engines: Mary Hulman George
Honorary Starter/Wave Green Flag: ?
Invocation: ?
National Anthem: ?
Military Flyover: ?

 

[Lumi]

Grand Marshal named for Indy: Indiana Pacers 2009 first-round draft pick Tyler Hansbrough will serve as grand marshal for the 16th Allstate 400 at the Brickyard on Sunday, July 26. Hansbrough, a 6-foot 9-inch forward selected with the 13th overall pick in the NBA draft, also will wave the green flag to start the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series' mid-summer classic at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Info about tickets for the Allstate 400 at indianapolismotorspeedway.com.(IMS)(7-17-2009)


Humpy in talks to Indy to help promote: Humpy Wheeler, who helped make Lowe's Motor Speedway a power in NASCAR, said he could be in line to help Indy-car racing improve its business. Wheeler confirmed talks with Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corp. officials about having his company, The Wheeler Company, offer promotional and marketing support to the IndyCar Series. Advertisement "Right now it's all in its infancy," he said. "We haven't made any deals yet; we're just in the talking stage." IMS Corp. officials have not confirmed talks with Wheeler or his son, Trip, who runs the family business. Wheeler, who in the 1960s worked with Firestone's Indy-car program, said there is a need to "objectively look" at the series.(Indy Star)(6-26-2009)


Wheeler to take over Indy? Will legendary NASCAR promoter Humpy Wheeler be asked to take over the reins of legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway? That's part of the speculation swirling around the 100-year-old track the past few days, following Sunday's Indy 500, which showed yet another significant TV ratings drop. Wheeler, at Indy over the weekend instead of at Charlotte's Lowe's Motor Speedway, which he ran for more than 30 years for Bruton Smith, has been noncommittal about the Indy affair. Tony George, the 49-year-old who has been running the privately owned Indianapolis track for his family, has been equally noncommittal about what lies ahead, except to deny that he has been ousted as Indy boss. George says he's still the CEO. But there is pressure on George, from family members, to pump up the Indy Racing League, which has struggled to make a go of it. So NASCAR's France family isn't the only American racing giant operation under the gun in these turbulent economic times. George and his family, which owns Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy Racing League, is suddenly in the news for an internal squabble over how that family's racing operations are going. George himself denies reports that his family has asked him to step down as boss of the deal, but the mass confusion over what really has been happening this week behind closed door in Indianapolis has everyone wondering just what's up.(mikemulhern.net)(5-31-2009)

 

[Another Steve]

ODDS TO WIN THE BRICKYARD 400 JEFF GORDON +750 X 2.5

 

[Lumi]

ODDS TO WIN THE BRICKYARD 400 JEFF GORDON +750 X 2.5

that's the smart play :SIB

 

[Lumi]

Brickyard 400 odds

Brickyard 400 odds

Brickyard 400 odds

Johnson, Stewart co-favorites at Brickyard
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series comes out of its final ?bye week? of the season with one of its biggest races, the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

betED.com has two drivers as dual favorites for the prestigious race: Jimmie Johnson and current Sprint Cup Series standings leader Tony Stewart.

Both are at +450 in Auto Racing Betting Odds.


Jeff Gordon, who sits in second place in the standings, is at +700, followed by Carl Edwards at +750 and Kyle Busch and Mark Martin both at +800.

This will be the 16th time the series has run at IMS, which is celebrating its centennial anniversary this year.

Jimmie Johnson went on to win for the second time at the Brickyard in 2008 after picking up his first win there in 2006.

Stewart also is a two-time winner at Indianapolis, alternating wins in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard with Johnson in 2005 and '07.

Stewart holds a 175-point lead over Gordon, who has four wins at Indianapolis, including the inaugural race in 1994. Gordon is tied with A. J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears for second on the track's all-time win list.

Edwards, who is sixth in points, will be looking to break out of a season-long slump. He has yet to win a race this year after a series-high nine victories last season.

Fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr., who is far back in Allstate 400 at the Brickyard Odds at +2800, is also seeking his first victory of the season.

There are seven races before the "Chase for the Sprint Cup" championship begins in September.