By David Morgan, Associate Editor
SPEEDWAY, Ind. – NASCAR is back on the oval at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and all seems right with the world again.
After a three-year experiment of running the Indianapolis road course that combines part of the oval and part of the infield road course that winds through the 2.5-mile circuit, the decision was made that when NASCAR returned in 2024, it would be back on the oval.
And just in time for the 30th anniversary of the inaugural Brickyard 400 in 1994.
Drivers got their first laps in a Next Gen car on the Indianapolis oval during a 50-minute practice session on Friday afternoon, with the majority opinion being that the oval is where NASCAR needs to be to restore the prestigiousness of this event.
“It’s a return of a crown jewel race, which is great,” said Brad Keselowski, one of only two drivers in the field to have won previously on the oval.
“I don’t think anyone really considered the road course a crown jewel race, so it kind of returns back to that status. I think that’s huge for our sport and it means a lot to me as a driver and I’m assuming it does for the other drivers as well. So, a welcome return.
“It’s not going to be an easy race. I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of drama on pit road and with respect to how the cars will draft and how they’ll run nose to tail around the track and all those pieces, and we’re still going to go back to some of those headaches, but I think we kind of learned that that’s not necessarily a bad thing. That’s part of what made Indy, Indy, right?
“And so it’ll be interesting to see how that plays out with tires and all those things along the line, but I think it’s very meaningful to me to see it back on the, I guess you call this oval a quad-oval — is it a quad-oval? I don’t know what it’s called. Rectangle? Rectangle. So it’s good to see it back.
“For me, winning this race and having your name on that crown jewel list, it’s a really special feeling. It’s kind of a dream come true. It really sank in the best, I think, two years ago when we took the picture with all the drivers that have won here and you just think about how there’s no slouches on that list, right? It’s a lot of champions and the track just has a history for that of the people that win here with very few exceptions are our champions and it feels good to be on that list.”
Chasing A Major
Denny Hamlin has gone through…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Motorsports Tribune…