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Indy or Daytona?
By: Dennis Terry
I'm home from vacation which means back to the real world for me. No more 2:00 p.m. naps, Pina Coladas for breakfast or Corona's in the pool for lunch. And no more worrying about getting my farmer's tan sun burned!
Back to the real world means a long hot week of working and pit practicing for NASCAR's biggest race of the year this weekend in Indy. At least it's the biggest race of the year for me and a lot of other racers too.
The Daytona 500 has long been considered NASCAR's "Super Bowl" and the Indianapolis 500 has always signified the pinnacle of motorsports in the US, but each year NASCAR races at the Brickyard, it becomes an even bigger and more coveted race to win.
Maybe it's because of all of the rich racing history in Indy, or maybe because we race Daytona twice a year and race only once at Indy.
The Daytona races should come with an asterisk anyway because of the restrictor plate limitations.
Whatever the case, Indy has grown in prestige over Daytona just because racing in Indianapolis has given NASCAR a legitimacy across the country that they didn't have when we were racing primarily in the Southeast.
Indy is our "Super Bowl" and it's a very big weekend for all teams. The Daytona 500 has gone the way of the Southern 500 and the World 600.
DT
July 26, 2007 | Permalink
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Comments
I'm sorry DT I think you're way off here. There is more history for stock cars at Daytona. They have been racing cars at the beach about as long as they have at the Brickyard, granted it might not have the history of The Brickyard itself considering open wheel racing was the more popular form of motor sports in this country for a long time.
I do think it's number two behind Daytona now. The influx of drivers with open wheel backgrounds has help enhance the prestige of the race because it's a very special place for them.
All I know is as a fan I'm not planning a trip to the Brickyard any time soon. I do however have my tickets for next years 500 already booked along with the timeshare I'll be staying in.
I guess it's just in the eye of the beholder.
Posted by: Mike J | Jul 26, 2007 1:09:42 PM
I'll take Darlington above either Daytona or Indy.
Posted by: M. B. Voelker | Jul 26, 2007 2:24:28 PM
Yeah, there is a lot of excitment because it's Indi, but I don't think it's that exciting of a race to watch and it's not the best layout for stock car racing. They should make them run the road course there instead!
Posted by: Michael | Jul 26, 2007 2:38:30 PM
Daytona beats Indy Brickyard 400 hands down.
Indy has the "Awww, Ooh" rich in history factor, but the racing is plain BORING. I would love to see them on the road course.
Daytona is exciting and to hear those cars in the draft in person, AWESOME! Unless Tony and Denny's "mistakes" take out your favorite driver.
Posted by: mary4jrs8 | Jul 26, 2007 3:56:29 PM
Indianapolis didn't give NASCAR a legitimacy it didn't have before - NASCAR had BUILT that legitimacy enough for Indy to WANT to have the Winston Cup cars there. It would have been a different story had NASCAR and Indy gone through with the Brickyard 500 that was rumored to have come onto the tour in the early 1980s - an IMS official appeared on CBS on their 1980 Talladega broadcast and stated that NASCAR was a possibility for the Brickyard at that time.
As for what is the better race, Indy has not gained stature in stock car circles in its now-fourteen runnings - Dennis, where the hell do you get that stupid idea? It's nowhere close to bigger now than it was in 1994 because the novelty has long worn off and it's just not as good a race as Daytona. "The Daytona 500 should have an asterisk because it's a restrictor plate race." Dennis, get this through your head - it's a SUPERIOR race now BECAUSE of the restrictor plate. Indy would be a better race with the plate, no COT, and the roof spoiler package the BGN cars run and which was supposed to have been phased onto the non-plate tracks during 2001-2.
Posted by: Mike Daly | Jul 26, 2007 5:46:08 PM
Who wants to pay an exhorbitant price for tickets at a track where you can't possibly see more than half the track, no matter where you sit? And to watch stock cars trying to 'race' on a track that is totally inappropriate for them? Indy doesn't even come close. Did you ever think that, just maybe, with the split in Open Wheel racing, Tony George needed Nascar at Indy as much or more than Nascar 'needed' Indy?
Posted by: Sal | Jul 26, 2007 7:26:47 PM
indy.... eat during 1st 30 laps....nap time....wake up at half way...to the bathroom...back to couch...watch 10 more laps...fall asleep again but b4 i snore i say...hey hunnibaby...wake me up with 10 laps to go....would yaa please....dang she didnt wake me up i missed the finish...o well. yawnnnnnnnnnnnn
Posted by: RR | Jul 26, 2007 8:06:14 PM
RR-
HEHEHEHE - that's beautiful! Be sure to wake up with ten laps to go so you can see me drinking Champagne in Victory at the end !
DT
Posted by: DT | Jul 26, 2007 9:13:27 PM
it s a shame nobody mentions the great racing there was at rockingham and north wilkesboro,and how nascar has screwed up a great sunday of real racing
Posted by: mac | Jul 27, 2007 12:12:45 AM
Can't see more than half the track at Daytona, either, if you're on the backstretch.
Posted by: JWSmoke | Jul 27, 2007 12:20:13 AM
Dennis,
For drivers that grew up watching and competing in open-wheel racing - Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, J.J. Yeley, Tony Stewart, etc. - I can understand why winning the Brickyard would be bigger than winning the Daytona 500. They grew up Indycar fans and dreamed about racing, let alone winning, at Indianapolis. When their careers took a turn and they ended up driving in NASCAR they probably grew an "acquired taste" and appreciation for Daytona but in their minds Indy is still a much bigger deal because that's what they were raised with.
From a die-hard stock car racing fan's perspective though I can't imagine anything but the Daytona 500 being the "Super Bowl" of my sport. I appreciate the history of Indianapolis and respect the importance of the event but I never really get excited in anticipation for this race anymore. It was a HUGE deal for the first few years but these days the Brickyard 400 just blends in with the other mid-season races in my mind. The racing isn't that good there and the history of the track just isn't enough to make me circle this race on my calendar anymore. I know I'm probably in the minority here but there are a lot of races I look more forward to than Indy now. It didn't use to be that way so I guess the mystique of Indianapolis has started to fade away in my eyes as I'm getting ready to see the 14th running of the event.
Posted by: stricklinfan82 | Jul 27, 2007 1:35:48 AM
I agree stricklinfan82 ,theres just not much to get excited abought anymore. seems the track is for indy cars & should stay that way. It just seems to me JJ, Tony, Jeff,& many others would rather put the Indy 500 in they,re book than the brickyard 400. I do love Daytona however will be going again next year, but I go to many races & nobody can talk me out of my Texas, or Atlanta, or Bristol tickets, I am getting readdy to leave now for Belleville, does anybody know where that is LOL
Posted by: Mark | Jul 27, 2007 4:01:58 AM
Both tracks are shrines in their own right and of great importance to America's racing heritage. How about a second race at Indy on the road course? Schedule it during the chase. There should be one road race during the chase to make it a "true" championship. Dump the second Loudon race to make room.
Posted by: Rich | Jul 27, 2007 6:22:52 AM
common dt, your starting to sound like that idiot, "the freak" that posts on here. how can you compare the brickyard to the daytona 500 for nascar. the brickyard is a big deal but it doesnt hold a comparison to the history and tradition in this sport as the track by the beach. this sport started down there and has so much character and respect from the drivers and crews. the brickyard has been around for what? 10 or so years. its kind of boring to watch, predictible, and not a very exciting race. i know that the track alone has tons of history. just not in nascar. as a fan, i would rank it 3rd behind the daytona 500 and bristol at night. but thats just me
Posted by: fatred | Jul 27, 2007 8:53:57 AM
Restrictor plate racing just plain sux. It's like driving down I-95 around Richmond in a huge pack of passenger cars ALL with the cruise control on. Sometime you gain a little, and then you fade, but are totally helpless without being able to accelerate. We have that ability, Nascar drivers do not.
Give me Bristol under the lights anytime. It's the ONLY track that sells out, and people actually show up and use their seats. THAT tells ya something.
Now I'm sittin back quietly awaiting little MonkeeBoys idiotic response.
Remember Mikey, these are OPINIONS.
Posted by: LarryTCG | Jul 27, 2007 9:07:45 AM
Darlington is NASCAR. I'll take Darlington over Daytona, Indy, and even Bristol.
Posted by: keith12 | Jul 27, 2007 10:07:57 AM
LTC, I'd love to plate race! because it is so intense! Now if every passeger car on 95 had worn out Bias-ply tires and brakes that hardly slowed the car THAT might be exciting too, It's a hight speed chess match, where as some tracks it's all about fuel windows, Gimme 'Dega and Daytona any day!
Posted by: Fan #5 | Jul 27, 2007 10:54:49 AM
I'll go along with M. B. Voelker and Kieth12 on the Darlington comments.
Now if we could just convince NASCAR to give the track it's 2nd race back....
Figure the odds.
Posted by: FedEx Guy | Jul 27, 2007 11:49:58 AM
It has to be Indy. Remember we wouldn't even have the Ford Motor Company if it wasn't for Indy.
Daytona has been overrated ever since they went to restrictor plates. What makes the 500 there any different from the two Dega races? You can't pass anyone without someone else helping you. What kind of racing is that?
Bristol is overrated because it's nothing but single file knock someone out of the way to pass them racing.
If you want to talk about the best pure racing then it has to be Richmond.
Darlington is ok but it's out in the middle of nowhere. So I don't know how significant it can really be. I mean has the Southern 500 done anything to help that area grow?
I could be wrong but I don't know if Indy is the city that it is today without the Indy 500. Darlington probably wouldn't be much different withouth the Southern 500.
Now you add the Brickyard 400 to that tradition and history and I think that's what makes it so significant. Look at the list of drivers that have won the Brickyard 400. Gordon, Earhnardt, Rudd, Jarrett, Labonte, Stewart, Elliott, Harvick and Johnson. All of them are big names in the sport. You don't see any flukes on there like a Derrick Cope or a Ward Burton or a Michael Waltrip like you do on the list of Daytona 500 winners. The Brickyard 400 is where the best of the best come out and shine. That to me shows the importance that teams put into the race and that's why I think it's the most significant race in NASCAR now.
Posted by: Ken | Jul 27, 2007 12:24:38 PM
So what if Darlington is in the middle of nowhere.That just adds to it's charm.And while Darlington and the surrounding area may not have been turned into a Metropolis,I say good,it doesn't need to be.The local economy sure likes the cup series,that's what matters.
Posted by: TommyTutone | Jul 27, 2007 6:51:59 PM
Ok, I know "middle of nowhere" sounds a little harsh. I didn't mean it to be negative. It's just when you compare it to Daytona and Indy as to what the most significant race is, I don't think it helps that it isn't located in a major market.
When you're talking about the most significant, most prestigious race in NASCAR, there has to be so much more than just the race itself. It's everything leading up to the race that shows how important the race really is. There's no build up to the Southern 500, never was even when it was held on Labor Day. People may say the race is as big as Daytona or Indy but it's not treated like it is. How many celebrities do you see at Darlington? There isn't anything even close to a Speedweeks type of deal at Darlington. How much attention did tv networks give to the Southern 500 leading up to the race? ESPN dedicated an entire week of NASCAR programming in place of their normal programming to hype Indy. Do you think they would have done that for the Southern 500.
Darlington is just lacking in a lot of areas to be the most prestigious race and that's all I was trying to say. I didn't mean that Darlington being in the middle of nowhere as a negative.
Posted by: Ken | Jul 27, 2007 7:24:05 PM
Ken: I don't understand "we wouldn't have Ford Motor Company if it wasn't for Indy". I really don't know the history of FoMoCo, so maybe I shouldn't ask, but Fords have been around longer than you and I.
I don't follow Indy racing like I have NASCAR/CART/Formula - and I don't want to be sassy, I've been to two Brickyards and honestly, I was bored. I do agree with your comments that certain drivers (Waltrip, Cope) would probably never have won.
I do have to say: I've attended (for years) Indy 500 races and Brickyard races (including the Inaugural Race), it's a very boring race for attendees. It's a two+mile race track and your seat will maybe allow you a view of a corner or 1/4 mile depending where you are sitting at.
I've never been to Daytona, so I can't compare.
I think the Daytona 500 should continue as the Super Bowl of Nascar.
Some things should stay the same.
Posted by: kitty | Jul 27, 2007 9:06:40 PM
Ken: I don't understand "we wouldn't have Ford Motor Company if it wasn't for Indy". I really don't know the history of FoMoCo, so maybe I shouldn't ask, but Fords have been around longer than you and I.
I don't follow Indy racing like I have NASCAR/CART/Formula - and I don't want to be sassy, I've been to two Brickyards and honestly, I was bored. I do agree with your comments that certain Daytonadrivers (Waltrip, Cope) would probably never have won.
I do have to say: I've attended (for years) Indy 500 races and Brickyard races (including the Inaugural Race), it's a very boring race for attendees. It's a two+mile race track and your seat will maybe allow you a view of a corner or 1/4 mile depending where you are sitting at.
I've never been to Daytona, so I can't compare.
I think the Daytona 500 should continue as the Super Bowl of Nascar.
Some things should stay the same.
Posted by: kitty | Jul 27, 2007 9:07:52 PM
Ken, that ESPN has dedicated so much programming to the NASCAR race at Indy is irrelevent, because all their coverage does is promote themselves. "Would they have done that for the Southern 500?" A network truly interested in racing absolutely would have devoted substantial coverage to the Southern 500, Pocono, Richmond, Kansas, whatever race was being held - albiet not as much as the overkill coverage that is frequently provided.
The reason the Southern 500 is not treated like one of the sport's biggest races is because NASCAR stopped promoting it as such.
As for the drivers who've won at the Brickyard, that they've invariably never had to actually fight for the win - the closest the event has had to an actual fight for the win was Jeff Gordon and Ernie Irvan in 1994, and Gordon was beaten until Irvan's flat tire - undermines the race's prestige. "You don't see fluke winners like Derrike Cope or Michael Waltrip or Ward Burton." Dale Earnhardt's 1995 win was something of a fluke - he wasn't nearly strong enough to win it; he got a fortuitous pitstop. Dale Jarrett's 1996 win was something of a fluke - Johnny Benson was by far the strongest that day.
To call the Brickyard the most significant race in NASCAR now is ludicrous.
Posted by: Mike Daly | Jul 28, 2007 12:40:50 AM
LarryTCG - "these are only opinions." That the premises behind the onjes you're offering are ridiculous and inaccurate means they're not credible opinions. Here are the facts - restrictor plate racing sees more leaders, more lead changes, and more sustained side-by-side racing up front than any other racing. If the Brickyard was a plate-roof spoiler race, it would be a real race.
"Bristol is the only track that sells out." No it isn't. Where are the lead changes there?
You want "idiotic responses," then re-read your own epistles.
Posted by: Mike Daly | Jul 28, 2007 12:43:56 AM
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