There was a time when the Brickyard 400 was, arguably, the most anticipated event in NASCAR’s history.
The reason was simple: It was going to be the first major league stock car race ever held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the venerated, 2.5-mile track that had been staging races since 1911 and was considered the shrine of American motorsports.
But for decades only open-wheel racecars competed there. These aerodynamically sound, custom-built, slim vehicles certainly did not look like anything that traversed the highways. But they were the pinnacle of speed – and excitement.
Their showcase event was the Indianapolis 500, which has long become the single largest, well-attended race in the United States and one of the world’s most significant sporting events.
That it had reached such a lofty status is perhaps one reason it disdained nearly all other forms of motorsports – including NASCAR.
For decades, Indianapolis and its president, Tony Hulman, made it clear that NASCAR, with its “taxi cab” racecars, would never be allowed to compete on their holy ground. It was that way for decades.
However, by 1992, word leaked out that NASCAR President Bill France Jr. and Tony Hulman George, Indy’s ambitious new boss, were discussing the possibility of staging a NASCAR Cup Series event at Indy.
George was considerably more open-minded than earlier management. He recognized NASCAR’s surging popularity and reasoned that its presence at Indianapolis would serve the track well.
An agreement was reached to stage a Cup race at Indy, following tire tests which were, in reality, practice sessions open to all competitors.
The inaugural race was scheduled for Aug. 6, 1994. Naturally, all NASCAR competitors and fans were thrilled that, at long last, there was going to be a stock car race at the world’s most famous speedway.
No one was more thrilled, nor more anxious to compete than Dale Earnhardt.
As the reports and rumors of the first Brickyard 400 heated up, Earnhardt grew more impatient and restless. He had to know the latest news. Heck, he had to know everything. He called me more than once to say: “What have you heard?”
I once asked him why he was so anxious about Indy.
“You don’t always get to be part of NASCAR history,” he replied. “And at Indianapolis, I intend to be a big part of it.”
I didn’t have to ask him how he was going to do that. It was easy to see he was determined to win…
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