Poll Position: NASCAR race takes backseat to Indy 500 at Brickyard
CBSSports.com editor Brian De Los Santos, writer Pete Pistone and a chosen member of the community (for a pure fan perspective) share their thoughts on this week's poll question.
Which is the better race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway: NASCAR's Brickyard 400 or IndyCar's Indianapolis 500? Where does the Brickyard 400 rank among your favorite races to watch during the NASCAR season?
PETE PISTONE: The Brickyard 400 in my mind is NASCAR's second-most prestigious race behind the Daytona 500. Unfortunately it's not in the top 10 in terms of competitiveness. While bringing stock cars to the most famed race track in the world seemed like a radical idea in 1994, the move to bring NASCAR to The Brickyard was a master stroke in helping the sport become a major national presence. The first Brickyard 400 was like attending a Beatles concert or a visit from the Pope -- it was a spectacle and an event that brought a buzz to NASCAR unlike anything in years. And while that excitement has died down some in the last 16 years, the annual mid-summer stop in Indianapolis is still one of NASCAR's premier moments every year.
But the lumbering stock cars have never been able to put on an exciting race at the flat 2.5-mile track because of one simple reason -- it was designed for open-wheel cars. The open wheelers by far outperform their Sprint Cup car cousins every year and there really is no comparison between the competition levels of the Indy 500 and the Brickyard 400. But I still enjoy watching and covering the Brickyard every year for the drama, controversy and emotion that more often than not accompanies the event. However, the better race comes at the end of May.
BRIAN DE LOS SANTOS: While the NASCAR event draws better TV ratings nowadays, the Indianapolis 500 remains the superior race in my opinion. It just goes to show you how impactful the NASCAR brand has become over the IRL.
In some ways, I find it funny that the Brickyard 400 has become one of NASCAR's crown jewels. The flat rectangular 2.5-mile layout isn't really conducive to great stock-car racing. It's the history the open wheelers built at Indianapolis that gives the Brickyard 400 its spirit and energy above and beyond a regular Cup race. Without that history, the racing wouldn't stand out on its own as anything special.
If we're talking purely about the racing and not the pomp and circumstance that surrounds the event, the Brickyard 400 is probably among my least favorite races. Terrific "event," but a rather bland "race." Not quite as bad as Pocono, but darn close. I prefer short-track racing -- Bristol, Martinsville -- best. For sheer spectacle, Daytona and Talladega are not to be missed. And among intermediate tracks, I'm a fan of Darlington.
HardToBeat20: For me, the Brickyard 400 is the best run at Indianapolis Motor Speedway each year, and it also tops my list of favorite races on the Sprint Cup schedule.
Up until the tire debacle from a couple of years ago, I had preferred the Brickyard 400 over not just the Indianapolis 500, but also the Daytona 500. While there are always a couple of standout drivers who quickly separate themselves from the rest of the pack, there is always some side-by-side racing that takes place during the Brickyard.
The speeds the Indy cars carry into the corners is amazing and very exciting to watch. However, there just doesn't seem to be much "racing" going on. The Indy cars seem to get separated based on speed then run by their lonesome around the track until someone encounters a problem and brings out a caution or it's time for the cars to pit. Maybe it's the additional 10 cars that are on the track during the Brickyard or maybe it's that the cars are that much more equal, but there's always some racing action taking place on the track.
