Friday, July 25, 2008
Welcome to the 15th annual Allstate 400 at the Brickyard at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Allstate 400 at the Brickyard is the 20th race of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Notes, quotes, trivia, historical information and other items will appear on these pages through Sunday, July 27. Our Media Center staff, headed by Indianapolis Motor Speedway Director of Public Relations Ron Green and Media Center Manager Bill York, is here to assist you and answer your questions during this event.
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TODAY'S SCHEDULE (all times local):
| 8 a.m. | Indianapolis Motor Speedway public gates open |
| 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m. | Chevy Day at the Brickyard activities, Pagoda Plaza, Museum Lot |
| 2-3 p.m. | NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice |
| 3:30-4:30 p.m. | NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice |
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Timing and scoring monitors are located throughout the Media Center with up-to-the-minute times and speeds.
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Allstate 400 at the Brickyard information is available on the World Wide Web this week on the official Indianapolis Motor Speedway site, http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com, the official event site, http://www.allstate400atthebrickyard.com, and the official NASCAR site, http://www.nascar.com. Included in the information will be practice summaries and performance histories, qualifying results, Daily Trackside Reports, driver quotes, race lineups and results.
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Bobby East led all 100 laps of the J.D. Byrider 100 K&N USAC Silver Crown Championship Series race Thursday night at O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis. It was the second consecutive year that East has led every lap en route to victory.
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Chuck Gurney Jr. won the Toyota Challenge USAC Mopar National Midget Championship race Thursday night at O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis. Gurney led all 30 laps. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standout Kasey Kahne finished second.
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"Scrubs" actor John C. McGinley is the grand marshal for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.
McGinley will be on hand be on hand to participate in pre-race activities, including the ceremonial waving of the green flag, signaling the start of the race. McGinley also will participate in a press conference from 10-10:30 a.m. Sunday in the Economaki Press Conference Room.
JOHN C. McGINLEY: "I am looking forward to attending my first NASCAR race at the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. I've been a racing fan for a while but have never had the chance to see a live race. I've had plenty of challenging roles in my acting career, but trying to act like I'm not nervous when I wave the green flag before the start of the 15th Allstate 400 at the Brickyard will be my toughest one yet."
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Daniel Rodriguez, "America's Beloved Tenor," will sing the national anthem before the 15th Allstate 400 at the Brickyard on Sunday.
Rodriguez is a retired New York City Police officer who captivated the United States with his stirring a cappella versions of "The Star Spangled Banner" and "God Bless America" in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on America on Sept. 11, 2001.
A Brooklyn, N.Y., native, Rodriguez will sing "The Star Spangled Banner" for the second time at an IMS event. He performed before the 87th Indianapolis 500 in May 2003.
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For the fourth straight year, fans of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard are encouraged to roll up their sleeves and help save lives by participating in the Blood and Bone Marrow Drive at the Brickyard on Saturday, July 26 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The Drive is scheduled to take place from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. in the Hall of Fame Museum East parking lot.
The Blood and Bone Marrow Drive at the Brickyard is a part of the national NASCAR Foundation Annual Blood and Marrow Drive, which is a partnership between The NASCAR Foundation, Hendrick Marrow Program and the Jimmie Johnson Foundation. Fans can donate blood for the American Red Cross and join the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) Registry. Everyone who attends the Drive will receive a free T-shirt or other giveaways.
Donor recipients and their families will be on hand to share their stories and to speak with participants. American Red Cross coloring books, crayons and stick-on tattoos will be provided to children while their parents give blood. Buddy the Blood Drop, official mascot of the American Red Cross, will be on hand to take pictures with kids.
Joining the National Marrow Donor Registry is easy. A small cotton swab is used to gather cheek cells from donors. The tissue type is tested, with information added to the Registry.
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Jeff Gordon could become just the second five-time winner of a major race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a victory Sunday in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.
Michael Schumacher became the first five-time winner when he captured the 2006 United States Grand Prix. Schumacher has won the USGP in 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006.
Gordon is tied with four-time Indianapolis 500 winners A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears on the IMS win list. Gordon won the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard in 1994, 1998, 2001 and 2004. Foyt won the Indy 500 in 1961, 1964, 1967 and 1977; Unser won the "500" in 1970, 1971, 1978 and 1987. Mears won the "500" in 1979, 1984, 1988 and 1991.
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Selected Allstate 400 at the Brickyard statistical notes:
•Seven drivers will bid for their first start in NASCAR's annual stop at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway: Michael McDowell, Regan Smith, Patrick Carpentier, Marcos Ambrose, Stanton Barrett, Sam Hornish Jr., and A.J. Allmendinger.
•Five drivers have competed in all 14 editions of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard to date: Jeff Burton, Bill Elliott, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Mark Martin. All five are entered.
•Bill Elliott is the leader in Brickyard race laps completed with 2,239 of a possible 2,241. Elliott and Jeff Burton have been running at the finish of every edition of the Brickyard.
•Juan Pablo Montoya is the only driver to have competed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the Indianapolis 500, Allstate 400 at the Brickyard and United States Grand Prix Formula One events.
In the "500," he started second in 2000 and won the race in his only start.
In the "400," he started second in 2007 and finished second to Tony Stewart in his only start.
In the United States Grand Prix, Montoya competed six times:
| Year | Start | Finish | Status |
| 2001 | 3 | 18 | Hydraulics |
| 2002 | 4 | 4 | Running |
| 2003 | 4 | 6 | Running |
| 2004 | 5 | 20 | Excluded |
| 2005 | 11 | DNS | Withdrew |
| 2006 | 11 | 18 | Accident |
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Selected Allstate 400 at the Brickyard statistical notes (cont.):
•Jeff Gordon has led 433 laps at this event and will keep the lead in that category regardless of this weekend's result. Tony Stewart is next with 215, and it's a 160-lap race. Gordon has led nine of 14 races, has finished in the top five on eight occasions and the top 10 in 11 of the 14 races to date. He leads categories with three poles and four victories. Gordon is also the earnings leader at $5.434,245.
•Although Jeff Gordon holds most Allstate 400 at the Brickyard race records at the Speedway, he has an average finish of ninth over the last three years.
•Kurt Busch has made 166 green-flag passes for position during the last three races here. However, he has been passed 100 times under the green for a net of 66. Tony Stewart has made 145 green-flag passes and has been passed under the green only 33 times for a net of 112.
•Under the category of "quality passes," meaning passing a car in the top 15 for position, Mark Martin has the most with 92, followed by Tony Stewart with 86 and Matt Kenseth with 84.
•Kevin Harvick has had 432 laps in the top 15 in the last three years at this event, followed by Mark Martin with 419, Tony Stewart with 406 and Matt Kenseth with 404. Both Stewart and Juan Pablo Montoya were in the top 15 for all 160 laps last year here.
•In the past three races, Bill Elliott has moved up 19 positions total in the final 16 laps of each race, tops among all drivers. Jeff Gordon is next with 18.
•Most passes by track segment, last three races: Turn 1 -- Greg Biffle, 31; Turn 2 -- Kurt Busch, 29; Turn 3 -- Scott Wimmer, 18; Turn 4 -- Jeff Gordon 21; Backstretch -- Tony Stewart, 38; Frontstretch -- Kurt Busch, 65.
•Six drivers entered in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard have also competed in the Indianapolis 500. Their records in each:
*Tony Stewart -- Indianapolis 500 -- Five starts, best finish fifth in 1997, started on pole in '96, has led 122 laps overall. Allstate 400 at the Brickyard -- Nine starts, won in 2005 and 2007, won pole in 2002, led 215 laps overall.
*Robby Gordon -- Indianapolis 500 -- 10 starts, best finish fourth in 1999, led 53 laps overall. Allstate 400 at the Brickyard -- Eight starts, best finish sixth in 2003, led seven laps.
*Juan Pablo Montoya -- Indianapolis 500 -- One start, won in 2000, led 167 laps. Allstate 400 at the Brickyard -- One start, best finish second in 2007, did not lead.
*Jason Leffler -- Indianapolis 500 -- One start, finished 17th in 2000.
*J.J. Yeley -- Indianapolis 500 -- One start, finished ninth in 1998.
*Sam Hornish Jr. -- Indianapolis 500 -- Eight starts, won in 2006 from pole, led 107 laps overall. Allstate 400 at the Brickyard -- First time entered.
•Six winners of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard have gone on to win the series championship in the same season -- Jimmie Johnson, 2006; Tony Stewart, 2005; Jeff Gordon, 2001; Bobby Labonte, 2000; Dale Jarrett, 1999; and Jeff Gordon, 1998.
•Series point leader Kyle Busch has an average finish of seventh in his three starts here, best of any driver with more than one start.
•There have been 10 race winners from Indiana in NASCAR's three national series: Tony Stewart (32 Sprint Cup, 7 Nationwide, 2 Craftsman Truck), Ryan Newman (13 NSCS, 7 NNS), Darel Dieringer (7 NSCS), Charlie Glotzbach (4 NSCS), John Andretti (2 NSCS), Earl Balmer (1 NSCS), Larry Frank (1 NSCS), Dick Passwater (1 NSCS), Tony Raines (4 Craftsman Truck), Kenny Irwin Jr. (2 Craftsman Truck).
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Ray Evernham, owner of Evernham Motorsports, talked today about the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard debut of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series' new race car. Evernham was the crew chief for Jeff Gordon's first two Allstate 400 at the Brickyard victories, in 1994 and 1998.
RAY EVERNHAM: "It's a new car, a new tire. I guess we really don't know what to expect. A lot of people are saying the car is going to do this or it's going to do that, but Indy is a unique racetrack. It's a textbook racetrack with a super-smooth surface and wide. I believe if the guys get enough practice, they'll get it figured out. These cars will probably slide around a little bit more than the previous car. But they also have a little bit different aerodynamic feature, so it might provide a little bit better racing than we've seen here in the past. Now, that doesn't mean we're going to have 43 cars, three-wide like we do at Talladega. But you might see some surprises in the field. Hopefully, a little bit more passing." (What info can you bring here from the old car?): "Aerodynamics are always very important at Indy. Again, that's what's good about the COT. Most of the cars in the field will have comparable aerodynamics. I think you're still going to have to turn the center of the corner, and you still need a lot of horsepower to get down the straightaway here. Indy is still the same racetrack. It's a finicky racetrack, but some of the characteristics between the old car and the new car will be the same. I just think this new car will give us a little bit more of a car to race with."
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Indianapolis businessman Charles "Jug" Eckert died Wednesday night in Indianapolis. Eckert's company, Jug's Catering, has become an Indianapolis Motor Speedway institution since its founding more than 40 years ago, providing cuisine for numerous functions around Central Indiana and the racetrack. Jug's trademark offering is fried biscuits with apple butter.
Eckert, a native of Jasper, Ind., was 73.
The colorful Eckert was presented the Allstate 400 Bricklayer Award in 2006 for his contributions to IMS, enhancing the experience of IMS fans with his catering services.
TONY GEORGE (Chief executive officer, Indianapolis Motor Speedway): "Jug's love for the City of Indianapolis and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is well known. He gave freely of himself, his time and his resources to make the community better. For 20 years, he supported the 'Save Arnold' barbeque at the Speedway for the benefit of Indiana Special Olympics with my mother. That is what made him a great human being and why we will all miss him greatly."
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John Andretti, a 10-time veteran of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard and a nine-time Indianapolis 500 veteran, is one of 11 drivers to participate in both the Indianapolis 500 and Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. Andretti finished 16th in the Indianapolis 500 in May.
He talked about the new-generation Sprint Cup Series car that will race at IMS for the first time.
JOHN ANDRETTI: "I guess they are all thinking the same thing, 'I'm not sure what I'll encounter here.' Indianapolis has always been unique to any kind of racetrack we run. It's really a short-track corner with super-long straightaways. You're barreling into the corner. At least the weather is beautiful. As long as they get track time, there will be a few that sort it out. There's going to be one guy that stands out above the crowd, and when he gets to the front, he is going to dominate it. This track is like that, and it happens every year, regardless of the COT."
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John Andretti was asked if he wanted to make history as the first competitor to participate in the Indianapolis 500, the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, and the Red Bull Indianapolis GP. The inaugural MotoGP race at IMS is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 14.
JOHN ANDRETTI: "No chance at all. I love Indianapolis, but I love my family. I know I'd lose my family and probably a lot of skin. I think I will keep my skin and my family and just enjoy the guys who have way, way more talent on two wheels than anybody else on the planet, including me. We'll hopefully just get up here and watch it."
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John Andretti talked about the difference between driving an IndyCar Series car and a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
JOHN ANDRETTI: "I was talking to Sam Hornish Jr. yesterday, and I told him that Indianapolis isn't even going to feel like Indianapolis when you go out there. The warm-up lane is in the same place, and everything is in the same place; it just looks so different. Even inside the car, in the way you look at it, your perception of it (is different). In an IndyCar, I've bumped the rumble strips, and it is a big handful. You bump them in a stock car, it will upset the car, but it isn't catastrophic. I was telling him, 'Be sure you that you don't enter too late in a stock car.' That is the hard part for me, because when I went from the stock car to the IndyCar, the first thing I did was turn in too early. The IndyCar actually goes when you want it to go. The stock car has sort-of what I call a "dead spot." When you do it, it just kind of (lags), and then it finally goes. It's a special challenge here at Indianapolis. And of course, you want to draw a really, really, really early number for qualifying, as everybody knows."
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Office Depot and Old Spice will serve as co-primary sponsors of Tony Stewart's No. 14 Chevrolet Impala SS NASCAR Sprint Cup Series entry beginning in 2009. Officials from the two companies, as well as from Stewart-Haas Racing, made the announcement today at IMS Productions.
Office Depot, a leading global provider of office products and services, along with Old Spice, the No. 1 antiperspirant/deodorant stick and body wash choice for guys in the United States, have entered into multi-year agreements with Stewart-Haas Racing to sponsor the new entry driven by two-time Allstate 400 at the Brickyard winner Stewart.
Also supporting Stewart's Office Depot/Old Spice effort in 2009 will be Chevrolet. The winner of 31 manufacturer's championships since coming to Sprint Cup in 1955, Chevrolet adds another powerful team to its lineup with the addition of Stewart-Haas Racing.
Stewart's new ride for 2009, a red-and-black Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet, will carry the No. 14, made famous by legendary four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A.J. Foyt.
Stewart announced July 10 that he had acquired a 50-percent stake in what is now known as Stewart-Haas Racing.
TONY STEWART: "Obviously, this is something we've been excited about since the merger with Stewart-Haas Racing. It has come together quickly. To be able to go from Chicago to a couple weeks later and do what we are doing today announcing Office Depot, Old Spice and Chevrolet are going to be with us next year, it is something we're all excited about. It is something I never would have dreamed it would move this fast from a couple weeks ago in Chicago. We are very excited and very happy. Obviously, Old Spice has been with us for 10 years. Office Depot is new to us, but we already feel like they are family within the short amount of time we have worked with them. We are really excited. We already have been joking around that we have a can that we have to put $10 in every time someone says Home Depot instead of Office Depot. We are trying to figure out who will fill it up first. We are going to have a lot of fun with this. We are really excited to have this phase of the program done so early. It lets us get ready. They are three major components of being successful next year, so having the opportunity to be here today and let all of you guys know about this is a plus and a great start for next year." (About the division of sponsorship): "It is actually a split (between one car). Sixty percent of the races will be an Office Depot car, and the other 40 percent will be Old Spice." (About the relief of securing sponsorship): "I'm sure tonight will be the best sleep I've had all year. Two weeks ago was the second-best sleep I've had all year." (About his expectations for next season): "Trust me, I have every expectation to go out and win races next year. If I didn't feel like we could do that, then I wouldn't make this decision two weeks ago." (What does the No. 14 mean to you?): "It means everything to me. We knew we were going to have the #4 and #14. #4 was my first ever go-kart number that I started with. Unless you don't follow auto racing at least once a year, I think everybody knows A.J. Foyt has always been my all-time hero. It was about a five minute tug-of-war between whether I wanted my first number back or A.J.'s number. It was pretty easy to decide that I wanted my all-time hero's. We obviously wanted him here today, but he has an IRL race up in Canada. If I had to guess, I'd imagine he's pretty happy and proud." (What was A.J.'s reaction?): "As bad as this is going to sound, I haven't talked to A.J. yet. Part of that reason is when I was leaving my vacation, I left my cell phone at the resort we were staying at. It has been FedEx'd to North Carolina right now, and I'll have it first thing in the morning. I'll call him tomorrow. I spoke to somebody last night who talked to him and he seemed pretty excited." (About being back at Indy): "I'm a kid in a candy store. Literally, that's the way I feel. Obviously, once we got the first win in 2005 and then being able to win a second one last year, it takes so much pressure off. Today is probably the most excitement and pressure I've had, but that's because (True Speed PR Director) Mike (Arning) made me wear pants instead of blue jeans, and that's something I haven't done in two-and-a-half or three years. It is slightly uncomfortable." (How will you divide your time between being an owner and driver?): "Basically, the free days I once had scheduled are not free days anymore." (If Joe Gibbs Racing had remained a Chevrolet team, would we still be here today?): "I would say yes. It was a big factor in it, but it wasn't the only factor. The opportunity to start the Stewart-Haas team gave me the chance to be an owner in the Sprint Cup Series. It was really the biggest variable in making me want to switch. Tomorrow, if something happened to my driving career, I could still be a part of the series." (Have any owners or drivers tried to talk you out of being an owner and driver?): "Actually, Robby Gordon said I would have fun with this. When you look at guys like Robby and Michael Waltrip, they were kind of the last guys to make jumps like this. With being a single-car team, Robby probably has it the hardest. He only has one set of information." (About his relationship with A.J. Foyt): "I saw him get out of a race car during the Indy 500 one year to beat on his car with a hammer. He then climbed back in and went back on the racetrack. I thought, 'That guy is nuts.' I've beat on my race car before, but normally it is after they are already broke. I've had a great relationship with him and George Snider with USAC Silver Crown cars. My first time I ever got to drive an IRL car was in 1995 when we were talking about starting the (Indy Racing League) series. That was one of the most memorable days of my life. I was there for five days testing. I got to spend a lot of one-on-one time with A.J. If you have a childhood hero and get to spend five days like that with your childhood hero and cut up and laugh and make jokes with each other. Once that meeting was over, we've been great friends ever since."
TERRY DOLAN (Marketing manager, Chevrolet Racing): "As you look over time, we've enjoyed a very robust relationship with Tony (Stewart) and now Stewart-Haas Racing. It is truly an honor and a privilege to be here today and be a part of the celebration of welcoming Tony back behind the wheel of a Chevy race car in 2009. We've enjoyed many victories with Tony's efforts. In fact, he has won several championships. He won in 1997 in the IRL. He won a 2002 (Sprint Cup) championship in a Pontiac Grand Prix and he won a 2005 (Sprint Cup) championship in a Chevrolet Monte Carlo. It is a pleasure to have Tony back on board. He represents the iconic power of our American brand. Along with that, we've been able to develop some great marketing programs that prove that this relationship with Chevrolet and General Motors helps us accomplish our core objectives of selling cars and trucks to consumers. Tony, we wish you the best as you venture with Stewart-Haas Racing. We are proud to be a part of it and we're anxious to get that new Impala SS on the track at Daytona." (About Chevy's role in returning Stewart to the brand): "There is no question that there was a lot of internal work put together to make this day. If you look at history with our marketing programs, we've had some of our greatest performance when we've used Tony as a spokesperson and an ambassador for our brand. To be able to demonstrate that to GM leadership and the value he brings as an ambassador, it helped us close the deal and being a part of the program for 2009."
CHUCK RUBIN: (President of North American Retail, Office Depot): "Tony is a successful entrepreneur who has an impressive record as a small business owner. This is one of the reasons why he is such a perfect fit for Office Depot. We believe that Tony's passion to win and relentless pursuit of excellence truly embody the essence of the Office Depot brand and represent the commitments we make every single day to help our customers be successful."
ALEX KEITH (Proctor & Gamble Beauty, General Manager, North American Deodorants): "We've really valued our relationship with Tony and have been growing our partnership for over nine years now. It's been a great program for Old Spice, and when he came to us with the opportunity to make it even bigger, we knew it was the right move. We're absolutely thrilled to be on board."
A.J. FOYT: "Tony and I have been friends for a long time. I think I first met him when he was running Midgets. It was quite a while ago, so I don't actually remember where and when. A few times he drove the Silver Crown car I had with George Snider back in the mid-90s, and I gave him his first test in an Indy car in Phoenix (in 1995), and he ran pretty quick, as I recall. In addition to being quick, he's always told it how it is. I don't think there's anyone better to carry the No. 14."
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John Middlebrook, who retired July 1 as GM vice president of global sales, service and marketing operations, will lead the field to green in the 2008 Corvette Z06 Pace Car for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.
Middlebrook, whose career with General Motors spanned nearly five decades, has made tremendous contributions to GM in a variety of roles over his career and is well known and highly respected and admired throughout the industry as a true sales and marketing professional.
2008 marks the 15th time that Chevrolet has paced the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard and the fourth consecutive time Corvette has led the pack.
JOHN MIDDLEBROOK: "It is great honor for me to have the opportunity to drive the Corvette Z06 Pace Car at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. There is a tremendous Chevrolet heritage at the Speedway dating back to the involvement of Louis Chevrolet in the Indianapolis 500 in the early-1900s. To play a small role in continuing that tradition behind the wheel of the 505-horsepower Corvette Pace Car for NASCAR's 15th Allstate 400 at the Brickyard is a memory I will embrace."
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Fans planning to attend the 15th Allstate 400 at the Brickyard are encouraged to plan ahead to avoid possible traffic delays en route to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Race Day shuttle services from downtown Indianapolis locations will be provided by Miller Trailways. The boarding locations will be at Illinois and Market streets and at IUPUI Lot #73 off Michigan Street at Blackford Street. Plenty of parking will be available at the IUPUI lot. The service is scheduled from 9 a.m. until two hours after the completion of the race. A round-trip ticket is $20, with children age 5 and under riding free.
IndyGo will provide Race Day shuttles from two locations at the Indianapolis International Airport. The boarding locations will be at the lower level of the Main Terminal at Terminal Drive and also at International Arrival Parking, located on Banner Avenue and Pierson Drive. Shuttle service will begin at 10 a.m. and continue for three hours after the race has concluded. Tickets are $15 for a round-trip ticket, with children age 5 and under riding free.
Detailed information pertaining to Allstate 400 at the Brickyard Race Day shuttle services is available online at www.millertransportation.com/Allstate400shuttleservice.htm and www.IndyGo.net.
The Indiana State Police suggests fans arrive early in order to accommodate the traffic flow expected into the Indianapolis area on Race Day. The race starts at 2 p.m. (ET), and fans should arrive at the Marion County line by 10 a.m. to assure seating at the track in time for pre-race activities and start of the race.
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ESPN NASCAR broadcast team members Rusty Wallace, Tim Brewer, Ray Evernham, Andy Petree and Dale Jarrett met with the media during a press conference this afternoon in the Economaki Press Conference Room. Selected quotes:
TIM BREWER: (About the new Sprint Cup Series car racing at IMS for the first time): "I think it's a guessing game right now. Like Ray and I were talking earlier, the car they are bringing here for this event, it's never been here, so you throw your notes out the window from last year. Nothing applies. You've got to go back to Pocono because Kasey had a very dominant car there. If I were Ray, I would have gone back to the shop, dusted the thing off, done my maintenance, rebuilt the same engine because Kasey has the advantage here. Kyle Busch had a terrible day in Pocono. Me, I'm betting on the Dodge and Ray and Kasey to win this race."
RUSTY WALLACE: (About ESPN studio work): "I've been fortunate with ESPN to do many things, calling two Indianapolis 500s here, and I've spent a lot of time here in Indy. I finally figured every crack in this room out. I know where the café is upstairs, how to get to the media room, the shortcut to the booth, the whole deal. It's been a lot of fun doing the two Indys. Now I've got an opportunity to go and work in the studio. We're going to amp that up a lot. I compare it to much what they've been doing with the NFL, when you see Terry Bradshaw, how it's such a big presence. We expect that to be the same in our show. We're really excited. We're pumped up. I miss the booth. I love the booth, but I'm looking for this as a new challenge in a good way. I'm a good storyteller. I enjoy doing that. I can tell stories with Dale for an hour. I can talk to Brewer for an hour and tell stories, tell about all the stuff he used to cheat on. I'm proud to sit up here with all these champions. We have a lot of talent and a lot of knowledge. We've all been waiting for this weekend to unload all our goodies and shine." (About memories of the first NASCAR tire test at Indy in 1992): "I really wanted to be the first guy on the racetrack. I talked to Coach Les Richter, and said I want to be the first guy on this racetrack. This is a historical moment that NASCAR is here on this hallowed ground. He said: 'Let's me think, how are we going to do this? Your last name starts with W so that's not going to work. We could do it by car number.' There was no number 1, I was number 2 and then number 3. So they said, 'Wallace is going to be out, then Earnhardt goes out behind him.' So I pull out on the track, and I'm looking around and I'm going, 'Wow, this is great.' I come down the back straight and all of a sudden I hear this big noise and I go, 'What in the world?' Here comes Earnhardt, woah, right past me, 200 mile an hour. And man, I say, 'That sucker is going to try to lead the first lap!' And so we come off of Turn 4, we're side by side, we're banging doors and he beats me to the freakin' line by about two car lengths. He said, 'You were the first one on the track, but I was the first one to lead a lap.' It was very historical. I'll never forget that. Dale and I talked about coming off of (Turn) 4, how the track looks so narrow. Very, very narrow. You can only imagine what it would be like with people up and down each side. And the thing that went to my mind immediately was how in the hell could you possibly go into Turn 1 and never lift, never touch the brakes, run wide open around here like IndyCars do. It's a special place, there's no doubt about that. It's a major destination, and it's a target that I think about every year to go to." (Can you imagine someone leaving Penske Racing like Ryan Newman has, citing lack of performance as a reason?): "I'll clear the leaving thing up first. That didn't happen. He didn't leave. I've read many, many stories about that said that. Roger Penske called Ryan Newman up to his office and said, 'I don't need your services next year.' Ryan Newman didn't come to him and say 'I'm leaving.' OK? You all need to write about that. That's exactly how it went down. Obviously there was some bad blood there when that happened. I love Roger Penske, so I'm going to help clear the story up for him."
DALE JARRETT: (About Kyle Busch): "It's just a phenomenal season. I don't think we've seen anything like what Kyle Busch has done. I know that he has an opportunity, this weekend, running three reaces, to set a record for the most victories in a season in the three series combined. It's just incredible. He's such a talent, and you get the question, and I've been asked a number of times this week, 'Is it the race driver; is it the car?' And I think we can all sit here and think, Rusty (Wallace) and I in particular, Andy (Petree) thinks he's a driver sometimes, but we can let you know that if you don't have a race car, it doesn't matter how good a race driver you are. So you obviously have to have that, but this is a guy who's taken every type of vehicle and win with it. I think he's just an amazing talent. He can do things, and I've said this a number of times, you know he gets out of his car and he won the first COT race and he talked about how the car was terrible. I won't use his words, but he said it this year about how the car doesn't drive good, but you know that he's just blowing smoke. He has to be because, you know, this has played right into his hands. One of the reasons behind NASCAR doing this is that they wanted to put the car back in the driver's hands. Well, you know, you might want to be careful what you're asking for because they put it in the driver's hands, and he's showing that he's the best driver with this car. And he does it with the Nationwide car and the trucks, so, to me, he's the best talent that we have going, and it makes for a great show and with all the series going on, I hope he keeps making headlines." (About Mark Martin): "I think Mark Martin has always been perceived, or what he put out to you, the media, I guess us now that I'm in it, but what he portrayed there and the confidence that was inside of Mark Martin, you didn't see that a lot. He knows as well as the rest of us that, talent-wise, he's second to none, ever. I think he's always had that inside him, but he's had that confidence to put that out in front of everybody, because in this sport, unfortunately you're disappointed more than you're happy about the results. I mean, the guy that won the most races, Richard Petty won 200, and he lost 1,200, and so Mark didn't want to have that disappointment out there. He's always had that confidence inside, and he's gotten a little older now. He's ready to speak his mind and let everybody know what he's thinking, which is good for us." (About drivers coming out of retirement like Mark Martin): "Everybody's made up different. All across different sports and businesses, people are made up different. My thought process was, I knew that I was at the end of my deal, and I knew I was: Everything kind of fell into place with me. You get to special places, I drove in here yesterday, and it's probably the first time since I hadn't been in the car, since May 17, that I thought, 'Yeah, wow, I'd like to be driving a car here,' because this is such a special place. But as far as thinking about coming back, no, I'm not going to do that. But the other guys, I can't answer for. You do something for such a long time, you love to do it, it's hard to give that up, and as long as there's opportunities there for them, they're going to continue to do that. But as far as me, I can say that this the only time since I have been retired that I have had any feeling like that."
RAY EVERNHAM: (About racing new car at Indianapolis): "We actually brought a new version of a car that's a little bit better. It's a little bit different aerodynamic balance than Pocono. Pocono has a few bumps, but here at Indy, it's a little more textbook. You can control the ride height of the car a little better and aero. Out of all the tracks, we probably rate Indy as more of an aero track than anywhere, so we're focusing on that. With that said, there are only a few teams who have tested here with the COT. With this car being taller and having less left-side weight, it's going to transfer a lot more weight to the right side. It's going to make the car want to roll a little bit more, so keeping that thing flat is going to be key, but I think it's still going to come down to, not being too loose end. You're going to have to stand the loose free end, to get through the corner, because here, you're on the throttle so long that the guy that can be on throttle the earliest, the hardest, the longest, is going to be the guy to win the race." (About achieving aero balance at Indy with new car): "Well, I think aero is very important. I think right now, people are using the full-scale tunnel really to verify what you've built. Because, even through you've built the car with the same templates, it's still hand-built and there can be 20 or 30 counts difference in aero downforce between cars, so we use the aero windtunnel to really verify what we've built. CFD is really the way of the future, you know, Computational Fluid Dynamics. It's basically a cartoon that costs you millions of dollars to play with. It's a video game that blows air over the car and different shapes and things like that, and with everybody being so close, you know, these guys, the drivers can tell you, but I have found that a driver can feel, you start talking about 10 counts, a driver can feel and a lot of development is done with the CFD and a lot of these rolling-road wind tunnels. It's a lot more accurate when you can control, and the bump stops allow us to control the ride height of these cars and it makes the aero a lot more efficient. We're doing pans and underbody work and stuff like that, that we really couldn't do so well with a car that we couldn't control the ride height, but I think the aero is going to be the big gains. I don't think it's going to be like when we cut the bodies and mount them on all crooked, but they're still there." (About women in racing): "It's good that there are people who are trying to (bring women in the sport), and I think that certainly, girls need a shot, deserve a shot. I am all for diversity in any way in this sport, but the bottom line is that when you get here you still have to produce. I think that has been some of the issue, quite honestly. This is the most competitive form of motorsport in the world, and whether that's physical, whether that's mental, whatever it is, when you get the opportunity to come here, if you don't produce, you're not going to stay here. It has been tough. I thought Shawna Robinson did a fantastic job, but she had trouble putting up the numbers. I think Erin Crocker did a great job getting to where she got, but she didn't put up the numbers. The bottom line is that at this level, you've got to put up the numbers. There are lots of grassroots things going on right now to help bring women into the sport. You see a lot of women in the garage area in other ways. We've got lady engineers, tire changers, mechanics. I think that's great, but you're going to have somebody come in who is competitive. Danica (Patrick) does a good job. She is competitive. Ashley Force is competitive, so we have to find a way, or to find the right person who can be in this sport and be competitive. I think, at this level, sometimes it's hard for a girl to get the people to make her competitive that will take her seriously. This sport is still about getting the right people and what not, so even if you get the sponsorship and you get the opportunity, you still have to get the right people, and it's hard to get the right people if they don't take you seriously." (About his first time at IMS, in 1994): "I was really just excited about having the opportunity to race at Indianapolis. I grew up watching the open-wheel stuff. My heroes were (Mario) Andretti and (A.J.) Foyt and (Al) Unser, and this place was always just a magical place, so when I learned that I might have the opportunity to race here, I was really excited about it and thought, you know, what a great opportunity. I didn't really know at that time what an impact that it would have on motor racing in America as a whole, but when you think about it, when they brought stock car racing here, it brought some new fans from the IndyCar people, but it also gave a legitimacy to NASCAR with a lot of other fans, and our sport really started to grow. I think it's just been great for motorsports, in general. Even more than I could have possibly imagined. I can remember, and I will tell you that this place has always given me chills, and we were working so hard here in '94, and I never really though about it until we pushed the car out for the first race. And Andy (Petree) can tell you, because I know he felt the same way. You know, you're out there and you're almost choked up. It's like Rusty (Wallace) said. You look to the people on the left and the people on the right and you think, 'Wow, I'm about to race at Indianapolis,' and then it hits you and you realize how fortunate you are. This is a very, very humbling place when you come in. I don't care if you've won 10 championships. I guarantee you that when Richard Petty comes in here, he still tips his hat to Indy when he comes through the gate. It's just a humbling place. When I found out that we were going to have the opportunity to race here, it was just a really, really great day."
ANDY PETREE: (About being in the booth): "Unlike Rusty, I don't really know my way around this place that good. I know the garage area. I do know victory lane; I know where that's at. I don't know where all these other places are. I know how to get to the Pagoda now; that's where we call the race. It is great to be here, this is one of the, actually it might be the most historical place we go. I mean, it is just unbelievable. I took my motor home driver over to the Museum yesterday just to kind of show him. He's new to racing, hasn't really been around it much. The history of this place, you can't hardly put it in words. It's been here for over 100 years. You know, to come here and be lucky enough to go to victory lane with Dale Sr. in '95. Now, to be up in the Pagoda calling the race with these guys, it is really just a dream come true for me." (About aerodynamics of new NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car): "I just think aerodynamics are always important. The only thing you see now is that in the garage area they are all the same. They've got you in such a tight box. You can't develop new aerodynamic tricks like we used to. I mean, we used to have a lot of fun with the cars. NASCAR had rules and templates, but they were not all applied at the same time. They would put one template on then put another template on. We found a lot of creative ways to make those cars do what we wanted to within those rules. Finally, NASCAR got smart enough to really clamp down on them. So, it's just all so close, just like Ray said, probably the best of the worst are probably 30 or 45 counts apart, and it used to be hundreds of counts of drag and downforce and sideforce apart. It's always going to be important. The only thing is that they've made them all so much the same that you have to look elsewhere. You have to look in the chassis to enhance the aero. You have to find other ways … the engines, the drivers. The drivers really are more important with this car than they were even a year ago here. I've always said that NASCAR sucked all the fun out of being a crew chief. That's what I came up here to the TV booth."
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Drivers met with the media today during the Sprint Driver Availability at the Plaza Pavilion. Selected quotes:
JEFF GORDON: We'd love to have a win. We'd love to get our fifth win here. I've never compared anything that has happened at the Indy 500 or the Formula One race to what we do. I think there is no comparison. Number one is the history of the Indianapolis 500, being here for so many years, a totally different type of race car and race. The same thing goes for Formula One, not the history of it but a totally different type of car and type of racing. You see a lot more dominance in Formula One than you do in IndyCar or NASCAR racing. The four wins that I have are very special. I would love to get five, but not to match stats of other legends that have raced at this track. I think it's a challenging racetrack. It's a track I love competing at and a track that not too many guys have won at more than once or more than twice. This is a tough track. You have long straightaways. You really have to get down the straightaway. So, how you get off Turn 2 or Turn 4 is extremely important. You have to have a car that gets off the corner pretty neutral and you have to be able to get into Turns 1 and 3 pretty good. But you need that power to get you down the straightaways, as well, so it's a total team effort. I isolate my wins to NASCAR and what's happened in the history of our race at this track. Just knowing that we're the only three-time and four-time winner, and to stretch it to five would be unbelievable. I'm not looking at setting a record right now as much as I'm looking at just wanting to win. There's just something special about this place, especially for me going to high school here. I can remember coming here in 1980 or 1981. My quarter-midgets were built here in Indiana. We would come and visit them and see what was going on in quarter-midget racing, and we always tried to plan it around the Indy 500 so I could come here to one of the practice days or we would come after the race. We did come to the race one time, the year Sneva won. I can't remember if that was '81, '82 or something around there. So I have a lot of memories as a kid. There is no doubt that you get chills coming into this place."
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KYLE BUSCH: (About the secret of success at IMS): "Out front. In the lead. That's it. If you are in the lead, you can win. Last year or the year before, I was mired back in 38th and was stuck there all day. Then we stayed out, got the lead, and we stayed out in front of the field for eight laps, and then we ended up finishing seventh. The way this place (works) is clean air." (About the effect of winning at Indy would have on his dream season to date): "It would make it better then what it is. It's still been a great year. If we could win here, it would be pretty special. We just look to try and have a solid run. If there is a chance to win, maybe we can capitalize on a pit strategy, and get up there and do it." (Is there anything you can carry from the old car to the new car this year at IMS?): "No, with this car it is completely different. Way different. We'll just have to try and find the correct front springs and bump stops to help the car turn, and then try and figure out what rear springs to make the car turn and get up off the corner straights. We'll see what it takes, and how much of the "crab" down the straightaway you can take out to make it go faster down the straights without having it all "yawed" out."
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: "This was obviously a good track for us last year. It was definitely not from experience, though. I've only run on the oval twice here in my career, and there was a seven-year span between those two times. I'm not sure what are expectations should be. With the COT, it's hard to say that we can run up front for sure. I think our expectations should be to keep improving during the race and limit our mistakes. That's what our team and Ganassi, in general, is striving to do right now."
KEVIN HARVICK: "Any time you can win somewhere, you're happy, but to win here is obviously a little bit different than a lot of the places we go to. This is kind of our mid-year target. I guess you could say as far as which race you're shooting for in the middle of the year, this is it. This is a big race for everybody with a lot of attention, time and effort put toward everything thing that goes toward it." (Is there anything you can carry from the old car to the new car this year at IMS?): "I know how to get on pit lane, that's about it. Most everything we did in the past is, for sure, useless information. We know the tires are going to wear out when practice starts. Other than that, it's just the characteristics of the racetrack that we can use. I guess we'll find out when we race. I don't think anyone has that answer. All those questions will be answered Sunday."
RYAN NEWMAN: (About Rusty Wallace's claim that Newman was released from Penske Racing): "I don't know what Rusty's (Wallace) grounds are by saying that, it wasn't the case - point-blank. Roger (Penske) and I decided mutually to not continue. It was more my decision than it was his. I said our goals didn't align, and for that reason - and that reason alone - we decided to not continue after 2008." (About racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway): "This place means a lot. Not necessarily from a NASCAR perspective but from just a pure history of auto racing. To me, that means the most. Just because, I've said it before, I'm walking in the same footsteps as A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti. Whether it's Jim Clark or Jim Hurtubise or people like that, to know that I'm stepping in their footprints as I walk to the race car, to me, that is what's special. They're my heroes. To me, Indianapolis ranks second to the Daytona 500, but not by much. This race hasn't been going as long as the Daytona 500 has, but obviously there's more history here than there is in Daytona, as far as the last 100 years. This racetrack is really fun to drive. It's not really easy. It may be one of the hardest tracks to race, which is way some people enjoy it and some people hate it, very similar to Darlington. If you have a fast race car, it's going to be fun. If you don't, it's a miserable day."
JIMMIE JOHNSON: (What did your win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway mean to you?): "I feel very fortunate to have won at all the major tracks and events in our series. At the time, to overcome such a difficult track for the 48 team meant a lot to us and gave us a lot of hope and belief in overcoming the championship that had been right there in front of us, but we kept missing it. It really set the pace for us to go on and have good things take place. It was really rewarding for us to be really terrible at a track and come back and finally beat it. It had beaten us so many times. I think we did the Daytona 500, the Brickyard and the Sprint Cup championship in the same year. The year, in general, was really special."
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DALE EARNHARDT JR.: "This place has survived two world wars, and it has been around for a long time. The history that this track has and what it means to America goes far beyond the sport itself and any single driver or personality. It was really clever for NASCAR to come here in the first place. It was a great addition to the series. When you look at the Daytona 500 being the biggest race of the season and talking about what follows that and what really is the next act, there were a lot of different opinions. Indy can certainly be put in that argument now that it's part of the circuit. I think the history that this track has and what has happened here puts it in that position for it to be the following act for the Daytona 500." (About race strategy): "If you have a good pit crew and a clever crew chief, you can have strategy that will get you toward the front, but passing is difficult. It's not a multi-groove racetrack in the corners, so passing is really difficult. I don't know how the COT will react. If you can get four tires and be in the top three after the last stop, you should be in good shape."
***
NASCAR SPRINT CUP PRACTICE #1:
At 2 p.m., the beginning of NASCAR Sprint Cup practice, the ambient temperature was 84 degrees with a relative humidity of 46 percent and southwest winds at 4 mph. The track temperature was 126 degrees, according to Goodyear. Skies were sunny.
•Event speed record: 186.293 mph, Casey Mears, Aug. 7, 2004, qualifying
•2007 pole speed: 184.207 mph, Reed Sorenson
2 p.m. - GREEN. #84 Allmendinger first on track.
2:03 p.m. - RED. #77 Hornish does half-spin to left in Turn 1, no contact. Hornish stops on pit lane exit road adjacent to Turn 1, continues.
2:07 p.m. - GREEN.
2:15 p.m. -- #88 Earnhardt fastest at 176.699.
2:50 p.m. -- #24 J. Gordon fastest at 177.799. #48 Johnson fastest at 176.932.
3 p.m. - RED and BLACK. End of session. #19 Elliott Sadler fastest at 179.190.
Top Five Drivers, First Practice:
| 1. | #19 Elliott Sadler | 179.190 mph |
| 2. | #48 Jimmie Johnson | 178.642 |
| 3. | #24 Jeff Gordon | 177.799 |
| 4. | #8 Mark Martin | 177.050 |
| 5. | #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 176.734 |
***
NASCAR SPRINT CUP PRACTICE #2:
At 2 p.m., the beginning of NASCAR Sprint Cup practice, the ambient temperature was 86 degrees with a relative humidity of 47 percent and southwest winds at 3 mph. Skies were mostly cloudy.
•Event speed record: 186.293 mph, Casey Mears, Aug. 7, 2004, qualifying
•2007 pole speed: 184.207 mph, Reed Sorenson
•Fastest lap, first practice today: 179.190 mph, Elliott Sadler
3:30 p.m. - GREEN. #17 Kenseth first on track, followed by #48 Johnson.
3:50 p.m. - #12 Newman fastest at 178.419.
3:59 p.m. - RED. Debris in Turn 3.
4:03 p.m. - GREEN.
4:07 p.m. -- #24 J. Gordon fastest at 179.140.
4:21 p.m. -- #48 Johnson fastest at 180.047, first lap faster than 180 mph of weekend.
4:27 p.m. -- #24 J. Gordon second at 180.007.
4:30 p.m. - RED and BLACK. End of session. #48 Jimmie Johnson fastest at 180.047.
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Top Five Drivers, Second Practice:
| 1. | #48 Jimmie Johnson | 180.047 mph |
| 2. | #24 Jeff Gordon | 180.007 |
| 3. | #12 Ryan Newman | 179.723 |
| 4. | #9 Kasey Kahne | 179.076 |
| 5. | #29 Kevin Harvick | 178.934 |
Top Five Drivers, Friday (Overall):
| 1. | #48 Jimmie Johnson | 180.047 mph (second practice) |
| 2. | #24 Jeff Gordon | 180.007 (second practice) |
| 3. | #12 Ryan Newman | 179.723 (second practice) |
| 4. | #19 Elliott Sadler | 179.190 (first practice) |
| 5. | #9 Kasey Kahne | 179.076 (second practice) |
***
Post-practice quotes from NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers will be available on separate sheets.
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SATURDAY'S SCHEDULE:
| 7 a.m. | Public gates open |
| 10:10 a.m. | NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series qualifying (two laps, all positions) |
| 2-3 p.m. | NASCAR Sprint Cup Practice |
| 3:30-4:30 p.m. | NASCAR Sprint Cup Practice |
| 4:45-6 p.m. | Free Miller Lite Rock 'N Racing live music with The Goo Goo Dolls, Miller Lite Stage behind Hall of Fame Museum |
END DAY 1 (FRIDAY) NOTES
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