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| NASCAR Cup Series | |
|---|---|
| Venue | Indianapolis Motor Speedway |
| Location | Speedway, Indiana, United States |
| Corporate sponsor | PPG Industries |
| First race | 1994 |
| Distance | 400 mi (643.738 km) |
| Laps | 160 Stages 1/2: 50 each Final stage: 60 |
| Previous names | Brickyard 400 (1994–2004, 2010, 2024-present) Allstate 400 at the Brickyard (2005–2009) Brickyard 400 presented by BigMachineRecords.com (2011) Crown Royal presents the Your Hero's Name Here 400 at the Brickyard powered by BigMachineRecords.com (2012–2014) Crown Royal presents the Your Hero's Name Here 400 at the Brickyard (2015–2016) Brantley Gilbert Big Machine Brickyard 400 (2017) Big Machine Vodka 400 (2018–2019) Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 Powered by Big Machine Records (2020) |
| Most wins (driver) | Jeff Gordon (5) |
| Most wins (team) | Hendrick Motorsports (11) |
| Most wins (manufacturer) | Chevrolet (18) |
| Circuit information | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 2.5 mi (4.0 km) |
| Turns | 4 |
The Brickyard 400 (currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Brickyard 400 presented by PPG) is an annual NASCAR Cup Series points race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. The inaugural race was held in 1994 and was the first race other than the Indianapolis 500 to be held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway since 1916. In its inaugural running, the Brickyard 400 became NASCAR's most-attended event, drawing an estimated crowd of more than 250,000 spectators. The race also paid one of NASCAR's highest purses. From 1994 to 2020, the race was held on the 2.5-mile oval, for a distance of 400 miles. The race was put on hiatus for three years (2021–2023) in favor of the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard which was run on a combined road course and run a distance of 200-mile (321.869 km). The event returned to the oval for the 2024 season.[1]
The term "Brickyard" is a reference to the nickname historically used for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. When the race course opened in August 1909, the track surface was crushed stone and tar. That poor surface was the cause of numerous and sometimes fatal accidents, so the track was subsequently repaved with 3.2 million bricks. Over time the bricks were paved over with asphalt, and now only a one-yard strip of bricks at the start/finish line remains exposed.
From 1994 to 2017, the event was held on the first weekend of August, or the last weekend of July. For 2018 and 2019, after schedule realignments, NASCAR moved the race from its traditional summer date to be the last race of the regular season on the weekend after Labor Day. In 2020 only, it was held on Independence Day weekend. In 2021, the event was moved back to late-July/early-August and moved to the Grand Prix road course rather than the full oval. The layout utilized was a newer modified layout of the circuit previously used for the Formula One U.S. Grand Prix, and currently used for the IndyCar Grand Prix.
From 2005 to 2009, the race was known as the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard under a naming rights arrangement with Allstate.[2] From 2012 to 2016, Crown Royal was the title sponsor of the race; under its sponsorship, the race honored a military member or first responder selected by fans, who received VIP tickets to the event, and their name included in the title of the race.[3][4][5][6] From 2011 to 2014, the country music record label Big Machine Records was the presenting sponsor, and it became the title sponsor beginning in 2017. After co-branding the event with Big Machine-signed artist Brantley Gilbert in 2017, subsequent races have had Big Machine's Big Machine Vodka,[7] as the sponsor. The 2020 race was known as the Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 at the Brickyard. When the race moved to the road course for 2021, Verizon assumed naming rights.[8]
The names of the winners of the Brickyard 400 are inscribed on the PPG Trophy, which is permanently housed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. Jeff Gordon won the inaugural Brickyard 400 on August 6, 1994. He is the most-successful driver in the history of the race, with a record five victories and three pole positions. Gordon also holds the most laps completed, most laps led, and most earnings in the race. Hendrick Motorsports was the most successful team with 11 total wins and five poles.
- ^ "Indianapolis Motor Speedway returning to oval layout for NASCAR in 2024". September 28, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
- ^ "Allstate terminates Brickyard sponsorship". IndyStar.com. 2009-07-27. Archived from the original on 2009-07-30. Retrieved 2009-07-27.
- ^ "Crown Royal campaign to sponsor Brickyard 400". July 28, 2011. Sporting New Wire Service. July 28, 2011. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
- ^ "Nation's Heroes To Be Honored At Crown Royal 'Your Hero's Name Here' 400 at the Brickyard". IndianapolisMotorSpeedway.com. 2011-07-28. Retrieved 2011-08-01.
- ^ "Event Detail". Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Archived from the original on 2012-08-01. Retrieved 2012-07-09.
- ^ "Crown Royal honors U.S. Marine as namesake of Brickyard 400". NASCAR.com. June 25, 2015. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
- ^ "Scott Borchetta's Big Machine Launches Vodka Brand". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
- ^ "Verizon to sponsor historic Cup Series road race Aug. 15 at IMS". Indianapolis Motor Speedway. June 15, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2021.