Tag Archives: Indianapolis Motor Speedway

NASCAR Sprint Cup info for Indianapolis Motor Speedway

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Crown Royal Presents the Curtiss Shaver 400
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Race #20 of 36

NASCAR Pre-race: ESPN – 12:00pm/et
TV Coverage: ESPN, 1:00pm/et
Scheduled Green Flag (approx): 1:19pm/et

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
Max Attendence: ~350,000
Grandstand seating capacity: 257,325
First NASCAR race (Brickyard 400): 1994
Track Opened: 1909

2011 Race Winner: #27-Paul Menard, 140.752mph, started 15th

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

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

2011 Pole Sitter: #6-David Ragan, 182.994mph, finished 23rd

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

Oldest Pole Sitter: Mark Martin, 50 years, 197 days, 7/25/2009

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

Denny Hamlin, driver of the JGR FedEx No. 11 Toyota Camry, won the Coors Light Pole Award for the 19th Annual Crown Royal Presents the Curtiss Shaver 400 at The Brickyard Powered by Big Machine Records with a lap of 49.244 seconds, 182.763 mph.

STARTING LINE UP

POINT STANDINGS

No. 98 Michael McDowell’s (Phil Parson’s Racing) car failed post-qualifying inspection; qualifying time disallowed; nitrogen pressure in rear shock exceeded max limit, so the #19 will make the race and the #98 will not.

The go-or-go homers who made the race (8): #21-Bayne, #30-Stremme, #95-Speed, #26-Wise, #33-Leicht, #79-Skinner, #23-Riggs & #19-Bliss .

The go-or-go homers who failed to qualify for the race (3): #91-Sorenson, #87-Nemechek and #98-McDowell (time disallowed).

 

Regan Smith’s No. 78 Chevrolet pays tribute to victims of Aurora tragedy

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Credit: Furniture Row Racing
Rendering of Regan Smith’s No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet that will pay tribute to the victims of the Aurora, Colo. tragedy during this weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Regan Smith’s No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet will pay tribute to the victims of the Aurora, Colo. tragedy during this weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The movie theater where the shooting took place is approximately seven miles from the Furniture Row Racing shop in Denver.

The paint scheme on Smith’s car for Sunday’s Brickyard 400 will include the following:

The hood of the car will showcase a ribbon, and inside the ribbon will be a memorial cross and the red and gold logo that appears on the Colorado state flag.

The rear quarter panels will read Aurora, CO and the names of the 12 people who were killed in the tragedy.

The rear bumper (TV panel) will include the following inscription:
For Those Lost, Those Injured
And Countless Acts of Bravery
7/20/12

The tragedy struck close to the Furniture Row family. Kimber Avra, an employee of the Furniture Row Companies, was at the Aurora movie theater with her friend Micayla Medek. Avra suffered scrapes and bruises, but sadly, Micayla was one of the 12 who was killed in the shooting.

“Our hearts go out to the victims and to their families,” said Furniture Row Racing general manager Joe Garone. “It really hits close to home for us here in Colorado. The movie theater where the shooting took place is only a few miles from where our team is based in Denver. We mourn the loss of life from this senseless tragedy, and feel we also need to stand up and acknowledge the heroism of those people who put their lives on the line to save others. Our thoughts this weekend will be with all the people who suffered from this horrific act of violence.”

 Furniture Row Press Release

 

SMOKE DETECTOR: Tony Stewart autograph session in Indy

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Three-time champion and driver of the No.14 Office Depot/Mobil1 Chevrolet, Tony Stewart, will be holding an autograph session on Wednesday, July 25, 2012 at 5 p.m.- 6 p.m. local time.

Stewart will sign autographs for 300 fans at the event. Wristbands are required for the autograph session (limit one per person) and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis at:

Office Depot
4200 South East Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46227

beginning at 8 a.m. local time on the day of the event only (Wednesday, July 25). Fans with a wristband must be in line no later than 5:30 p.m. local time to receive an autograph. One autograph per wristband.

Stewart, who grew up in Columbus, Indiana, will be assisting in donating 6,000 sackpacks that contain essential school supplies to Indianapolis-area children in need, as part of the Office Depot Foundation’s National Backpack Program.

Crown Royal® brand to become entitlement sponsor of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

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Crown Royal® brand recently will become the entitlement sponsor of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Photo credit: Taylor PR

Crown Royal® brand recently announced it will become the entitlement sponsor of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Officially titled, the Crown Royal “Your Hero’s Name Here” 400 at the Brickyard, the race will serve as an expansion of the annual “Your Name Here” program and not only honor  U.S. service men and women, but all of our nation’s heroes.

The past two years, Crown Royal focused the annual promotion solely on military service members to honor their heroic acts and service to their country.  The expanded Crown Royal “Your Hero’s Name Here” 400 program will recognize all of the unsung heroes who make a difference in our communities, from firefighters and police officers to local volunteers and military members.

The grand prize will go to one special individual who will be provided with the reigns to their very own race and receive the naming rights to the Crown Royal “Your Hero’s Name Here” 400. In addition to the grand prize, Crown Royal will honor various heroes throughout the Crown Royal “Your Hero’s Name Here” 400 at the Brickyard and integrate special characteristics of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to enhance the overall race experience. From showcasing photographs and stories of heroes from across the country, to on-site stations where fans can send messages to service men and women stationed overseas, Crown Royal plans to give heroes the recognition they deserve.

The Crown Royal “Your Hero’s Name Here” 400 at the Brickyard will also serve as yet another platform to advance the “Please Drink Responsibly” message and to share the stories of heroes around the country with Indianapolis locals, NASCAR fans and people everywhere.

That special connection between Mobil1 and Tony Stewart

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Gaylord Marshall, Tony Stewart’s grandfather who was a deliveryman for Mobil for nearly 40 years. Photo credit: True Speed Communication

Before Tony Stewart drove a stock car at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he drove an Indy car. Before he drove an Indy car around the historic 2.5-mile oval, he drove a tow truck up and down Georgetown Road parallel to the track’s 3,330-foot-long frontstretch. Before he drove a tow truck, he bombed around Indy as an up-and-coming USAC driver in various hand-me-downs that consumed as much oil as they did gas. But before Stewart could drive, he joined his grandfather, Gaylord Marshall, on his route as a deliveryman for Mobil.

Thirty-six years after spending summer and winter vacations hanging with his grandfather – a member of the Greatest Generation who interrupted his tenure with Mobil by serving as an artilleryman in the U.S. Army where he fought in the Battle of the Bulge – Stewart has followed in his tire tracks. He too is now a driver for Mobil, except Stewart’s ride is a little quicker than the 1960s-era truck his grandfather piloted. And instead of delivering heating oil to homes in and around Lafayette, Ind., Stewart delivers performance at NASCAR Sprint Cup Series venues across the country.

Unfortunately, Stewart’s grandfather, Gaylord Marshall, passed away last September at age 95. “It was tough, because I knew it was probably going to be the last time I was going to be able to spend time with him. You cherish those kinds of moments. We were pretty close on signing Mobil 1 around that time, and I told him that it looked like we were going to be sponsored by them. I could tell he liked that, because as tired as he was, it made him smile. I was like four or five years old when I rode with him in his delivery truck, and to be 40 now carrying the same colors he carried for all those years, that’s pretty cool,” said Stewart.

Stewart's paint scheme for this weekend’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway – the No. 14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing (photo credit: CIA Stock Photography).

This Sunday’s Brickyard 400 will mark Stewart’s 13th career Sprint Cup start at Indy and his 21st overall start at the speedway, as five starts came in the Indianapolis 500 with three more in the defunct IROC series.

He is a two-time winner of the Brickyard 400 (2005 and 2007) and the only driver to start from the pole in the Brickyard 400 (2002) and the Indianapolis 500 (1996). He’s also led a total of 347 laps (217 laps in Sprint Cup, 122 laps in IndyCar and eight laps in IROC) at Indy.

Now as a driver/owner with Stewart-Haas Racing, Stewart aims to join 1997 Brickyard 400 winner Ricky Rudd as the only driver/owners to win the Brickyard 400. And by carrying the colors of Mobil 1, the world’s leading synthetic motor oil blend, Stewart can add a personal memento to what would be another professional triumph – delivering for Mobil 1 the same way his grandfather did for nearly 40 years.

First race for Summer Showdown presented by HTC EVO 3D starts at Indy – get your driver stats here

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Don’t forget that starting with the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the first race of the Sprint Summer Showdown presented by HTC EVO 3D. The drivers listed below rank among the best in key Loop Data categories, making them possible favorites in the event. Any driver who wins between Indianapolis and Bristol (the next five races) will become a finalist for the Atlanta race. If one of those eligible drivers wins at Atlanta, then the driver, the driver’s charity and one lucky race fan each collect $1,000,000. Fans can enter for their shot at $1,000,000 each week at sprint.com/speed.

Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford)

·         Two top fives, four top 10s

·         Average finish of 13.9

Clint Bowyer (No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet)

·         Two top fives, two top 10s

·         Average finish of 11.6

Jeff Burton (No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet)

·         One top five, five top 10s; one pole

·         Average finish of 17.5

Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota)

·         One top five, four top 10s

·         Average finish of 13.7

Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)

·         Four wins, nine top fives, 13 top 10s; three poles

·         Average finish of 9.5

Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet)

·         One win, four top fives, seven top 10s; one pole

·         Average finish of 9.9

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)

·         Three wins, three top fives, four top 10s; one pole

·         Average finish of 18.3

Kasey Kahne (No. 4 Red Bull Toyota)

·         Two top fives, four top 10s

·         Average finish of 15.6

Matt Kenseth (No. 17 Crown Royal Ford)

·         Four top fives, six top 10s

·         Average finish of 15.1

Mark Martin (No. 5 Quaker State/GoDaddy.com Chevrolet)

·         Six top fives, 10 top 10s; one pole

·         Average finish of 13.2

Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 42 Target Chevrolet)

·         One top five, one top 10; one pole

·         Average finish of 21.0

Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot/Mobile 1 Chevrolet)

·         Two wins, six top fives, eight top 10s; one pole

·         Average finish of 8.3

Rank Season
Last Driver
Driver Points Wins Poles Week Rating
1. Carl Edwards 652 1 2 2 100.8
2. Jimmie Johnson 645 1 0 5 96.3
3. Kurt Busch 641 1 3 4 99.2
4. Kevin Harvick 637 3 0 3 91.3
5. Kyle Busch 632 3 0 1 108.6
6. Matt Kenseth 626 2 1 6 93.5
7. Jeff Gordon 587 2 1 7 91.3
8. Ryan Newman 586 1 1 9 89.2
9. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 577 0 1 8 84.9
10. Denny Hamlin 570 1 0 10 93.0

At Indianapolis Motor Speedway:

History

·         Indianapolis Motor Speedway has existed since 1909, and is the original “Speedway,” the first racing facility to incorporate the word in 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.

Notebook

·         There have been 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway since the first race, in 1994.

·         Four drivers have competed in all 17 races: 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 14 different pole winners.

·         Jeff Gordon leads all pole winners, with three.

·         10 drivers have won, led by Jeff Gordon, with four victories.

·         Jimmie Johnson (three), Dale Jarrett and Tony Stewart (two each) are the other multiple winners.

·         Hendrick Motorsports has won seven races, more than any other organization.

·         Nine 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.

·         Dale Jarrett (1996), Jimmie Johnson (2006) and Jamie McMurray (2010) are the only drivers to win both the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400 in the same season.

·         Tony Stewart (8.2), Jeff Gordon (9.4) and Kevin Harvick (9.9) are the only active drivers to average a top-10 finish.

·         Three of the last five Indianapolis races ending under green had a margin of victory under one second.

·         14 of the 17 races have been won by a past, reigning or future NASCAR Sprint Cup champion. The only three that were not: Ricky Rudd in 1997, Kevin Harvick in 2003 and Jamie McMurray in 2010.

·         The winner of the Indianapolis race has won the championship in the same year eight times in the 17 years the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has raced there:
2009: Jimmie Johnson

2008: Jimmie Johnson

2006: Jimmie Johnson

2005: Tony Stewart

2001: Jeff Gordon

2000: Bobby Labonte

1999: Dale Jarrett

1998: Jeff Gordon

Source: NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications

NASCAR driver autograph sessions for the Indy area

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NOTE:  Not all driver appearances are announced via the social network. All race fans should stroll by the souvenir trailers as some driver sessions are posted at the individual haulers.

DRIVER AUTOGRAPH SESSIONS

Wednesday, July 27

Ryan Newman

Scheduled to greet fans and sign autographs

4:00pm local time

Office Depot

16650 Mercantile Blvd

Noblesville, Indiana

Wristbands are required, with distribution limited to the first 600 customers (one per person). Wristbands may be obtained on a first-come, first-served basis at the store beginning at 8:00am local time on the day of the event only. Fans with a wristband must be in line no later than 5 p.m. local time to receive an autograph.

All – Thursday, July 28th

Brad Keselowski

4:00 – 5:30pm/et.

Discount Tire Store Store

8570 Northwest Blvd.

Indianapolis, IN.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Haulers, Ned Jarrett & Miss Sprint Cup

6:00pm

Hauler Parade and Festival

Speedway’s Main Street in Indianapolis, Indiana. A parade of more than 40 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series haulers is expected to arrive, led by the 2011 Brickyard 400 Pace Car and a special Grand Marshall leading the parade. The haulers will park in two lines on Main Street, between 10th and 15th Streets. Admission is free. Meeting and greeting fans will be NASCAR personalities, including legendary NASCAR champion Ned Jarrett and Miss Sprint Cup. Also on hand will be Beach Bash models and special guests, and an array of NASCAR race cars on display. Children will be entertained at a Kid Zone from 5:00 – 7:00pm/et.

Elliott Sadler

3:30 – 4:30pm/et.

OneMain Financial

6060 East 82nd Street

Indianapolis, IN

Tony Stewart

4:45pm local time

Office Depot

12417 N. Meridian Street

Carmel, Indiana

Wristbands are required, with distribution limited to the first 300 customers (one per person). Wristbands may be obtained on a first-come, first-served basis at the store beginning at 8 a.m. local time on the day of the event only. Fans with a wristband must be in line no later than 5:00pm local time to receive an autograph.

SATURDAY, JULY 30TH – THE “BIG ONE”

Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Jamie McMurray & more

Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Drivers will be split into two groups, signing in pairs from noon-12:45pm and 1:00 – 1:45pm at Pavilion 1A and 1B, adjacent to the Pagoda Plaza. Brickyard 400 ticket holders can obtain an autograph session wristband at 9:00am Saturday at Pavilion 1A and 1B. Fans can choose from the pairing of drivers they wish to receive autographs, with a maximum of 150 wristbands allotted per driver pairing. Only one wristband will be distributed to each ticket holder, first come, first served. Driver autograph pairings and groupings will be posted soon at IndianapolisMotorSpeedway.com. Pairings and groupings are subject to change.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway offers Kentucky Speedway ticket redemption

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Hope you kept your ticket/ticket stubs from Kentucky. Fans can redeem their Kentucky Sprint Cup race tickets for the following promotion July 29-30 at Gates 3, 6, 9 and 10A. Kentucky race tickets also can be redeemed at the ticket office in the IMS Administration Building on the corner of Georgetown Road and 16th Street, just outside Turn 1 of the famous oval.

PROMOTION:

Fans who present a ticket from the July 9th Kentucky Sprint Cup race at the IMS Ticket Office or remote ticket locations, will receive one free admission to Brickyard 400 practice Friday, July 29 or will be admitted to Brickyard 400 qualifying on Saturday, July 30 for just $5.

Inaugural Brickfest will roar to life from 10 a.m.- 11:30 a.m. Saturday, July 30, including a practice session featuring the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and the Brickyard 400 qualifying which will take place from 2:10-4:30 p.m.. Immediately following the conclusion of qualifying, will be Hinder  in concert on the main stage in the IMS infield.

Those ticket holders can also park for FREE, Friday and Saturday at IMS Lots 1, 2 and 3, conveniently located on the south, west and north sides of the facility. The regular price is $10 per day to park in those lots.

Source: IMS PR

Lack of NASCAR driver participation with fans one cause for ticket sale decline?

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I’ve said it all along: Speedways and sponsors are killing themselves by taking away the free autograph sessions fans look forward to and then charging up to $100 per fan, in addition to a race day ticket, to attend a special hospitality tent where their driver is attending.

Someone in the industry saw an opportunity that would be a major money maker, and took it away from the fans. But in a way, it has back fired. Yes, some fans do pay the additional cost, but yet, there are some fans that just got plain tired and fed up with everything and just don’t attend any events. Remember when races use to be sold out or close to it? Then they raised ticket prices. You see where that got speedways. Any type of increase is not well received by anyone.

Speedways and sponsors thought if the fan wants the opportunity to see their driver, they would pay the extra money, no matter what. In the earlier days, driver’s would be all over the local towns having autograph sessions… for free. That was race weekend!! Almost everywhere you would go, signs were posted saying “….driver autograph session, today…”  That’s how I received most of my autographs…I accidentally fell upon them. But now, as I search for NASCAR driver autograph sessions, there will be MAYBE, 2 or 3 happening outside of the track that weekend. It use to be a cycle where the driver would draw race fans out into the community, participating in local events, spending money at local establishments…. while putting money back into the economy – it was a win-win situation.

The top named drivers, as many of you would agree, are Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Mark Martin…. (all Hendrick Motorsports).  For these driver’s, you must pay those extra costs just to be allowed to attend an appearance and/or autograph session whether it’s in a hospitality tent or a speedway club. Why don’t we see Jimmie Johnson at a Lowe’s signing autographs race weekend, or Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in a grocery store next to an AMP display?  It’s not gonna happen…. but why? Too important? Too high and mighty? Tony Stewart is a top rated driver, yet he has personal appearances and autograph sessions at Office Depot almost every race weekend.

Well, apparently someone either at NASCAR or the speedway is noticing and knocking these driver’s down a few notches….

This coming weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (July 31) will be yielding the largest ever NASCAR driver autograph session for the race fans…. (find out who will be signing) and I’m sure you can guess why. Indianapolis Speedway has noticed, yet another decrease in ticket sales for this upcoming Brickyard 400…. “worse than previous years.”

In a memo obtained by the Charlotte Observer, which was distributed by email on Friday, team public relations representatives were thanked ahead of time for their drivers’ participation in a Sprint Cup Series autograph session at the track. The memo said, “ticket sales are significantly behind from previous years” at IMS. The memo goes on to say, the track believed there would be a large walk-up crowd for the July 31 race and hoped the autograph session would be well received by race fans.

Have they found the cure? Will this autograph session increase walk-up ticket sales on Sunday? Indianapolis Motor Speedway is hoping it will.

And thank you Indianapolis Motor Speedway for making it an”official” complaint.

Brickyard Hauler Parade to roll into Indianapolis

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Mark your calendars!!!

Besides the largest NASCAR driver autograph session happening on The third annual Brickyard Hauler Parade and Festival will be taking place on Thursday, July 28 on Speedway’s Main Street. The event will take place from 5-10 p.m. Admission is free. Great live music is included, with R&B dance band The Toy Factory and country rock band KJ and the Jester Kings.

NASCAR personalities, including legendary NASCAR champion Ned Jarrett and Miss Sprint Cup, will be meeting and greeting fans. Fans can watch the haulers parade north on Main Street and east on 16th Street at 8 p.m., as they depart the Hauler Parade and Festival single-file and enter the Indianapolis Motor Speedway grounds for the Brickyard 400.

And don’t forget the largest driver autograph session of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season is scheduled for Saturday, July 30 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for race day ticket holders.  Read about it here.