Winning at Indianapolis is a good sign that you’ll be hoisting the Cup trophy at the end of the season. Kissing the bricks in Indy has led numerous drivers to raise the Cup in Homestead (or, in this case, Atlanta).
In 2000, Bobby Labonte joined his brother Terry as the only brothers to win Cup championships. Along the way he won four races, including the famed Brickyard 400.
In 2000, Bobby Labonte joined his brother Terry as the only brothers to win Cup championships. Along the way he won four races, including the famed Brickyard 400.
Bobby Labonte pulls into the garage area after a practice run at Indy in 2005
The 2000 Brickyard 400 was the quickest 400 to date. The 160 laps around the 2.5-mile rectangle took just over two-and-a-half hours. The average race speed was 155.91 miles per hour. The 2000 400 was just barely the quickest race in history, beating out the 1995 race (which the late Dale Earnhardt Sr. won) by 30 seconds.
I can’t recall much about the 2000 Brickyard 400, and that’s most likely attributed to the fact that Mark Martin wrecked on lap 15, so I stopped watching. I believe there was a commercial break and when the race was back it there was a solitary shot of Mark Martin walking away from the #6 Valvoline Ford—which was backed up against the wall, if I correctly recall the moment—as fluid leaked down the turn one pavement.
That year Labonte won the 400 by leading just 21 laps. The day belonged to Rusty Wallace though. He paced 110 of the 160 circuits, but was passed with fifteen to go, and Labonte’s green #18 sped away.
The driver of the #18 car has been the hottest story in NASCAR for the past year or so. Kyle Busch is one of, if not the most despised drivers in the garage area. No one garners more boos on a weekly basis than Kyle Busch. But, according to this writer, no one has as much talent as he does either.
I can’t recall much about the 2000 Brickyard 400, and that’s most likely attributed to the fact that Mark Martin wrecked on lap 15, so I stopped watching. I believe there was a commercial break and when the race was back it there was a solitary shot of Mark Martin walking away from the #6 Valvoline Ford—which was backed up against the wall, if I correctly recall the moment—as fluid leaked down the turn one pavement.
That year Labonte won the 400 by leading just 21 laps. The day belonged to Rusty Wallace though. He paced 110 of the 160 circuits, but was passed with fifteen to go, and Labonte’s green #18 sped away.
The driver of the #18 car has been the hottest story in NASCAR for the past year or so. Kyle Busch is one of, if not the most despised drivers in the garage area. No one garners more boos on a weekly basis than Kyle Busch. But, according to this writer, no one has as much talent as he does either.
Here's Kyle Busch zipping by me last year during Happy Hour at Indy
When is the year Kyle Busch breaks into victory lane at Indy? I thought last year would be his shot, but this year isn’t shaping up to be so bad either. Busch, who is tied with Mark Martin with a series high three victories, doesn’t have a bad record at IMS.
In his first shot at Indy he took the #5 car to a solid tenth place finish. Although he hasn’t qualified well at Indianapolis, the younger Busch has never finished worse than 15th. He’s completed every lap in his four attempts at the Brickyard and has even led some laps. In 2007, when Tony Stewart was celebrating his second career victory with the team that Kyle Busch now drives for—Joe Gibbs Racing—Kyle brought home his best Brickyard finish, a 4th place, in his last shot at Indy in a Hendrick ride.
Will Kyle Busch be able to put it all together and finally take one home this year at Indianapolis? I’m not going to say he will, but every year after the Daytona 500 I make a “way too early” Brickyard prediction. This year I said Kyle Busch, due to his dominance last season and at the 500. While my prediction has changed, I still won’t be horribly surprised if, at the end of the day, the #18 car is in victory lane at Indy.
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Tomorrow we’ll take a look back at the race that started my string of consecutive Brickyard 400s attended, and the connection it has to the number in tomorrow’s countdown. Hope you enjoy the rest of your day, the day that signifies 18 left until the green flag drops at Indianapolis.
In his first shot at Indy he took the #5 car to a solid tenth place finish. Although he hasn’t qualified well at Indianapolis, the younger Busch has never finished worse than 15th. He’s completed every lap in his four attempts at the Brickyard and has even led some laps. In 2007, when Tony Stewart was celebrating his second career victory with the team that Kyle Busch now drives for—Joe Gibbs Racing—Kyle brought home his best Brickyard finish, a 4th place, in his last shot at Indy in a Hendrick ride.
Will Kyle Busch be able to put it all together and finally take one home this year at Indianapolis? I’m not going to say he will, but every year after the Daytona 500 I make a “way too early” Brickyard prediction. This year I said Kyle Busch, due to his dominance last season and at the 500. While my prediction has changed, I still won’t be horribly surprised if, at the end of the day, the #18 car is in victory lane at Indy.
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Tomorrow we’ll take a look back at the race that started my string of consecutive Brickyard 400s attended, and the connection it has to the number in tomorrow’s countdown. Hope you enjoy the rest of your day, the day that signifies 18 left until the green flag drops at Indianapolis.
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