Brickyard 400 Notebook
Gordon's victory embellishes Brickyard records
Posted: Saturday August 01, 1998 09:04 PM
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Gordon, who became the first two-time winner in the race's five-year history Saturday, kisses the promised land AP |
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Jeff Gordon, the youngest driver on the Winston Cup circuit, might not want to win the pole when he returns next year to defend his Brickyard 400 victory.
Gordon became the first two-time winner in the race's five-year history Saturday, and both victories came when he started in the No. 3 position on the inside of the second row.
Gordon set a series of race records while recording his sixth victory this year and the 35th of his Winston Cup career. The marks included most laps led (97) by a winner, topping the mark of 93 he set in 1994.
Gordon, who spent most of his teen-age years living about 15 miles west of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, has held the lead in all five Brickyard races. He led Saturday's race four times, including the final 34 laps.
The winner, who will be 27 on Tuesday, holds the Brickyard record for most laps led (253) and most times led (19) since it began in 1994.
"I'm just overwhelmed with what is going on with this race team and with my life," said Gordon, who has won two consecutive races and finished eighth or better in his last 12 races. "Every day just seems to get better. You can't believe it's happening."
Luyendyk released
After an overnight stay at Methodist Hospital for observation, two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Arie Luyendyk was released Saturday morning.
Luyendyk sustained a mild concussion in a multi-car crash Friday during the International Race of Champions.
The Indy Racing League driver didn't stay around to watch the Brickyard 400. With no Indy Racing League event scheduled until the Samsonite 200 in Colorado Springs, Colorado on August 16, Luyendyk left to join his family in his homeland of Holland.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Spencer was spending Saturday night in Methodist after suffering a concussion when he crashed on the 155th lap. He was reported in good condition and was being kept overnight for observation.
Changing fortune
Rookie Steve Park, racing on the circuit for the first time since he was badly injured during a March practice session at Atlanta, had a dramatic change in fortune late in the race.
With 40 laps remaining, he was on the lead lap and vying for a top-10 finish. But his race ended with a wreck on lap 150. He finished 35th.
Luyendyk, who had to stay overnight at Methodist Hospital, was released Saturday morning AP | |
"We cut a right rear tire down going into [turn] three," Park said. "It looked like Ricky [Craven] might have cut a tire ... and went high in Turn 2. I came through that corner and slid around a little bit. I didn't know if he was dumping some fluids. ... I went down into three and the right rear tire cut down."
Big jump
Darrell Waltrip, who got into the race as a provisional entry for being a former Winston Cup champion, was the last car in the 43-car starting field. He finished 13th.
"That's 30 cars we passed and that's a pretty good day," Waltrip said. "Traffic was the big thing. The car was a little pushy in traffic, but when I got clear. I could really mow."
It was his first start for the reorganized Tabasco Chevrolet team.
"You'd think we'd been doing this for a long time," he said. "Am I surprised? I'm thrilled. We were thinking if we came here and just had a top 25 we'd be happy. You can imagine how we feel right now. We feel like we just climbed a big mountain."
Officials happy
Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials do not contest the fact that NASCAR's Winston Cup is the most popular form of motor sports in the country.
And while interest in the Indianapolis 500 appears to be down in recent years, they believe that there is more than enough room for both circuits at the oval. Capacity crowds attended both the Memorial Day running of the Indianapolis 500 and Saturday's Brickyard 400.
Speedway officials estimated a crowd of 100,000 attended Friday's combination of the International Race of Champions, the second day of Brickyard 400 qualifying and the final round of Winston Cup practice.
Fred Nation, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's vice president for public relations, said the crowd may be the largest non-race day gathering here in a decade.
"It was a tremendous crowd for the fans, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway," Nation said. "Our sales, for souvenirs, for apparel and for concessions were very, very good. There's no question NASCAR is the most popular form of racing in the United States. But you have to keep in mind that there would be no Brickyard 400 without the history, without the mystique of the Indianapolis 500."
Sparkplugs
In a break in tradition, the opening command to start a race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was given by someone not in the Hulman family for the first time in years. The Hulman family gave the role to NASCAR president Bill France Jr. in recognition of NASCAR's 50th anniversary season. ... The five drivers eligible for the $1 million Winston No Bull 5 bonus that Gordon received each had a giant dollar sign on the passenger-side window of his car. ... Bill Elliott's streak of being the only driver to finish in the Top 10 of every Brickyard race ended when he placed 12th. ... Elliott and Ken Schrader are the only drivers to have finished all 160 laps in each of the five Brickyard races. ... There were a record 24 cars on the lead lap at the end of the race. ... Kenny Wallace set a record he'd willingly relinquish. He finished last after completing 65 laps. The previous record for most laps by the last place finisher was 17 by Elton Sawyer in 1995. ... Wallace also earned the smallest piece of the $5.6 million purse -- $67,630. Thirteen drivers earned more than $100,000. s
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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