Is the Brickyard 400 a Crown Jewel?

[@videomediaarchive]

One of the biggest reasons I say it’s not a crown jewel is because of the fact that moving it to the road course was even a possibility. Crown jewel races don’t get booted for poor ratings. Could you imagine if they tried to run Daytona 500 on the road course?

[@andrewwinslow9315]

The Southern 500 was killed because of ratings and attendence and moved a few times. The only two "Crown Jewels" would be Daytona and The Coke 600, and I fear that both of them could be in trouble of losing it.

[@Clyde-2055]

@@andrewwinslow9315 - And let’s not forget the Charlotte “Roval” … The “National 500” was a major NASCAR event back in the 60’s and 70’s, and these days it’s consigned to the road course …

[@MrTakaMOSHi]

​@@Clyde-2055 IMO, the 500 mile race at Charlotte feels like the day Bristol race vs the 600 being the Bristol night race. Same track, different feel

[@firecardrock5553]

@@andrewwinslow9315 The Daytona 500 is the only Crown Jewel in NASCAR. The term Crown Jewel getting tossed around to refer to any old school race within a series does a disservice to the manner in which this term has been applied in the history of racing, it cheapens things. The racing triple crown is the World Drivers Title, the 24 Hours of Lemans and the Indy 500. The Crown Jewel Races are the Indy 500, the 24 Hours of Lemans, and the Daytona 500. End of story. Not being a Crown Jewel is ok, it does not mean a race is not a great one to win, but it is not a Crown Jewel. The Brickyard is very obviously not a Crown Jewel, not even close. There is at least an argument for events like the Coke 600, Long Beach GP, Monaco, Sebring, but there is zero, absolutely no reasonable argument for the Brickyard 400 being considered a Crown Jewel.

[@Dreded100]

@@firecardrock5553 You are talking about the Crown Jewel events of all of motorsports. The only way the Brickyard could even be considered for being a Crown Jewel event, is when talking exclusively about NASCAR events. Is the Brickyard 400 one of the 3-4 most important NASCAR races? Eh, I personally still don't think so, but at least with that perspective it has an argument.

[@Ultimate23Dragon]

It used to be... but not now. It's the Coca-Cola 600, Southern 500, the Bristol night race, & the Daytona 500.

[@DamagedIncorporated1]

If any track that deserves to be a crown jewel in NASCAR it’s either Indy, Martinsville, or North Wilkesboro

[@TGL_STUDIOS]

It used to be? That's like saying "adding restrictor plates to daytona makes it not a crown jewel because it's too much of a lottery"??? This track is the most historic in all of motorsports ... period

[@firecardrock5553]

The term Crown Jewel is a term, imo, reserved for races that transcend a particular series. Big races within a series cannot be Crown Jewel races. A crown jewel is a race that is historical and widely consider a significant accomplishment across the racing world, it must be an event that bring drivers from multiple disciplines to attempt to win as a way of asserting their long term legacy. Crown Jewel races: Indy: The Indy 500 Nascar: The Daytona 500 IMSA/WEC: Lemans 24 Hours F1: There is no jewel race, but being World Drivers Champ is equivalent

[@firecardrock5553]

@@TGL_STUDIOS It is all a matter of how one wishes to define Crown Jewel. For me, the term Crown Jewel is reserved for those races that transcend any particular series, races in which winning just one will make a career practically, races that drivers in all disciplines strive to win one day...Indy 500, Daytona 500, Lemans...that is it...those are the Crown Jewels. This is why historically a great driver like Mario is held as such because he won the 500, Daytona 500 and the World Drivers Championship.

[@Ultimate23Dragon]

@@firecardrock5553 Wouldn't F1 be Monaco?

[@matthewgolke865]

If you have to ask, then I think you already know your answer. Thank you David for your coverage and content.

[@jerylcates]

Yes it was until the caution filled race in 2008

[@brentasmith]

For me it's hard to get into when youve been watching Indycars on that track for years make thousands of laps at over 230 mph and stock cars looking dreadfully slow by comparison.

[@ElliottNest41]

If I were a race car driver, yes, a crown jewel. It’s a world famous track. As a fan, it’s a nice race to attend, but it’s not must-attend event - like the Indy 500.

[@MatthewLittle]

As long as I can remember, the Big 4 in NASCAR were the Daytona 500, the spring Talledega race, the Coca-Cola 600 and the Southern 500. Ever accounting for schedule changes and the differing tracks that've come and gone, those four races are still the Big 4. If you wanted to expand it, Bristol's night race and the Brickyard 400 are big events, but NASCAR's Crown Jewels are still those first four races listed above.

[@johnkortman5143]

Back in the day when there was a 2 week lead up to the Brickyard, it was as big of an event as the Daytona 500. You had show cars all across Indianapolis for just about every driver, had driver autograph sessions outside of race weekend at sponsor locations, and had team trailers set up for those 2 weeks. When there stopped being a full 2 weeks dedicated to the Brickyard is when the hype around the race was destroyed and the tire controversy of 2008 was the final nail in the coffin.

[@alittleloose6595]

Your exactly right on NASCAR . The race isn't important.

[@iuaump4]

David IMO it used to be until THE DEBACLE OF 2008 with the tires!

[@charliepalmer3244]

The hype for "The Brickyard" was 1000xs more amped up in the 90's. I remember seeing commercials during baseball games every inning break to the point I got sick of seeing them! Different times....

[@christopherthacker4002]

It's a crown jewel facility but just a mediocre race. A crown jewel event should NOT expose serious flaws in the series program

[@freedom6919741]

If it was a crown jewel event, why did they put it on the road course for the last four years? I’ve never seen them put the Indianapolis 500 on the road course.

[@jcarn24]

I guess by that logic the Southern 500 isn’t a crown jewel event either

[@runrafarunthebestintheworld]

Thats the worst reason why it's not a big event though. Racing at the Oval was getting boring and NASCAR had to try something else.

[@Grant-kd8cz]

YES! I believe that the Brickyard 400 is a Crown Jewel event! 1) The race is hosted by one of the oldest race venues in the US & in the World 2) It’s one of only 2 racing ovals in the US & in the World that has a distance of 2 1/2 mile around 3) It’s one of only a few tracks in NASCAR history to be a part of the No Bull 5 Program (Which should return by the way) 4) It’s one of the only tracks in the World where a driver from IndyCar or NASCAR can crossover and say I completed/won both races or both races in the same year and carry it as a prestigious mantel 5) The drivers have unequivocally said that they believe that racing on the oval is very prestigious to them (which should NOT be taken lightly!) 6) Racing on the oval always goes back to History & Tradition on the Most Hollowed & Sacred Ground of Motorsport! I think David (If I may)who might have to do a video Docuseries to help some NASCAR fans understand why the Indy oval matters and why NASCAR on the oval matters! Would be awesome to see that; would love to help out! #ContinueTheTradition

[@mikehergenroether6160]

Not anymore. Once the race went to the road course it lost any argument of being one. Maybe it can back there someday.

[@runrafarunthebestintheworld]

Thats the worst reason why it's not the biggest event though. I don't know why people are even making this argument.

[@anthonywetzel4544]

I want to say yes and it’s mostly because of my love for Indianapolis Motor Speedway but I would have to agree with the person earlier who stated how can it be a crown jewel race if they (NASCAR) can’t decide if it should be on the oval (my preference) or on the road course.

[@runrafarunthebestintheworld]

Thats an odd reason why it's not a big event an it's not even the main reason why it's not a crown jewel any more. The road course defienitly wasn't a needle mover but the decision to move over to the Road course isn't the sole or entire reason.

[@RobertDetert]

Not really. Id say a Talladega race. Probably go with the spring race because that was a Winston Million race back in the day. Fall race is the original Talladega race .the one that was boycotted in September of 1969. Started having 2 races in 1970.

[@d.d.7287]

I'm also an Indianapolis native and I say no. It's more about the novelty of racing at the brickyard than it is the actual quality of racing. I don't think I've ever heard anyone who went to the race talk about how great the racing was. I think the problems you mentioned with Nascar promoting the whole season over the individual events is something we have seen happen in other sports (MLB, NBA, NFL). The more games/events that a sport schedules in a season the less important each individual game/race becomes. I could be wrong but I don't see practice sessions making much money. It seems to me Nascar would have more motivation to compress the schedule too add as many races as possible because races are where they make their money.

[@_NoDrinkTheBleach]

2008 honestly killed the event for a lot of people. I went in 1999, when there was a rough estimate of 300,000 people in attendance. The last time I went in 2017, I think it would be generous to say that there were 40,000 people. That kind of drop off cannot be overstated. Maybe the race needed to go away for a few years, for interest to creep back to 75k. But all those tarped over stands show where the event still is. I think it's a jewel of a race for the drivers, but there isn't even polish in the world to make it shine for the fans again.

[@greenwrench91]

If you compare it to the chicago race, it proves that nascar can make any race a crown jewel........IF they choose to do so.

[@dragonblazer96]

I really never felt that Indy should have been a crown jewel for Nascar. Always thought the Bristol Night Race deserved that prestige. But i also feel that Watkins Glen has earned its right to that prestige as well over the years

[@IndyCar_Ken]

The crown jewel of Nascar is Daytona. It could be a great race for both IMS and Nascar if the cars were designed for it. The Indy 500 will always be "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing". I'd love to see it succeed, but this year's crowd seems to indicate that it's going to be a tough go.

[@charlieboyd4431]

this crowd was bigger than years before

[@jacobaxton6353]

​@charlieboyd4431 still had entire grandstands tarped off/empty

[@charlieboyd4431]

@@jacobaxton6353 the track sits 250k it will still look empty.

[@charlieboyd4431]

@@jacobaxton6353 if we are at Martinsville we be overfilled since they reduced to 44,000 so we have better attendance than other tracks.

[@TGL_STUDIOS]

You heard it multiple times last weekend from the drivers, "hollowed ground" Indianapolis Motor Speedway is hollowed ground, its historical value to all motorsports is incredible The drivers are the ones who want to win this race so bad, & the drivers are the ones that have made this race a crown jewel. If y'all dont think so, i genuinely feel sorry for you

[@f1jones544]

"Hollowed ground" is just a hole, which the speedway is to all of motorsport except Indycar, and to that series it truly is hallowed ground, but only the oval.

[@RyanPetrynka]

Crown jewel? No. Is it a race every driver wants to win? Yes. Why? It's Indy. Edit: Anyone who knows anything about auto racing knows how historic and special IMS is. Heck if I won a running race from the exit of 4 to the start finish line it would be one of my proudest accomplishments. Why? Because I won a race at Indy.

[@benshappell6339]

Yes, It's a race the drivers value a ton at the most historic track in the world, with the biggest racing series in the states. It still draws 80k people and has higher ratings.

[@MLGProSwag69]

If you think there was 70-80K people there because Penske said so, I have so oceanfront property in Nebraska to sell you

[@IndyCar_Ken]

He was using the p2p button on those attendance figures​@@MLGProSwag69

[@castandblast1852]

@@MLGProSwag69I was at the race and there were at least 75k there. A lot of the people were under the roof that is not viewable by over head shots.

[@benshappell6339]

@@MLGProSwag69 I was there, the 70k number is very much a realistic number.

[@f1jones544]

70-80k is nothing, it's just an NFL game attendance. Is every NFL game a "crown jewel" or is it just another NFL game?

[@bigjon9188]

Daytona 500- 3 practices Coke 600- 3 practices Brickyard 400- 3 practices Southern 500- 3 practices Bristol night race- 3 practices Champship race- 3 practices The rest of the races, 1 hour practice maby 2 practices

[@johnthefalcon2903]

David and fellow KZbin viewers. How would you feel if the Brickyard 400 was on an Indycar off weekend, and NASCAR/ IMS offered a huge prize for any Indycar driver who could win the race? NASCAR allows a extra test time for drivers coming over from other series (SVG had a test before Chicago), so you could have cars on track during the week. Give the cross-over drivers from Indycar (or any series quiet frankly) the full week for open testing, and do a 2 hour carb day style full field NASCAR practice Friday afternoon? Also as good as the Xfinity race was, I think you move it back to IRP. Make Saturday an all day bump style qualifying day. Hopefully the prize money potential can get the car count up over 40, and you could have actual bumping . I personally don't care for stage racing. BUT if NASCAR is going to have stage racing, why not offer stage points for the top 10 qualifiers and give that 1 playoff point to the pole sitter of the Brickyard 400? Make Saturday qualifying a real show. 5 or so hours of qualifying, followed by the top 10 shootout for the pole and the stage points?

[@DFSJR1203]

You could bring drivers to INDY early and On Wednesday you have a drivers parade / autograph sessions. Maybe on Thursday you have a downtown pit stop challenge with all teams(Like the Indy Cars do). Then a double practice on Friday followed by a morning practice and the qualifying on Saturday. Doing these things might bring an Indy 500 vibe to the NASCAR race. The drivers and teams have to be there longer than 2 days. They need to become part of the INDY Family Vibe for this race to be a Crown Jewel Race.

[@FloridaManRacer]

The Brickyard 400 is a less than average race that happens at a Crown Jewel facility of Motorsports. Indy will always be Indy Car's playground, NASCAR just gets to hang out once in a while...

[@FrosteeWusky]

If a race happens at a Crown Jewel facility, it should be treated as a Crown Jewel event. Everyone wants to win at Indianapolis regardless of the series, just like everyone wants to win at Spa, Monaco, Daytona, Silverstone, Darlington, and Bristol. This is just stupid ass Motorsports tribalism and nothing more.

[@FloridaManRacer]

@@FrosteeWusky not at all. I've been a NASCAR fan my whole life. It's not tribalism. But if the Brickyard 400 wants to be a crown jewel, it needs to have a hell of a lot more fans showing up to it, and it needs to feel way more important than it currently does. There's nothing special about that race except for the place its happening at, period.

[@charlieboyd4431]

@@FloridaManRacer no nascar race ever hit 250k fans in attendance except indy its a huge track

[@FloridaManRacer]

@@charlieboyd4431 NASCAR has never seen that number at Indy. Even the first race.

[@firecardrock5553]

@@FrosteeWusky Spa, Monaco, Sliverstone, Darlington, Bristol....none of those races are Crown Jewel events or Crown Jewel Tracks. They are great tracks, but not Crown Jewels. Everyone wants to win at Indy, sure, but literally no human ever will equate Jeff Gordon's Brickyard win in even the slightest similarity to one winning the Indy 500. First, I don't think a Crown Jewel can be an event that is a closed series, it must be an event in which a driver from another discipline can attempt to win. Crown Jewels are events that transcend a series and are a draw for drivers around the world to win and go down in history. Second, a Crown Jewel cannot be just another race. It must have something about that it separates from other races within that series....The places you mention are just normal races within the series (typical length, typical starting procedure, same qualifying procedures etc etc). that happen to be on tracks that have been run for a long time, a Crown Jewel is run for a long time, but it is more than just the track and the passage of time.

[@InterestedAmerican]

I don't like NASCAR's playoff format. I think it was a gimmick created to drum up interest when that series was on life support. Something new to hopefully draw in new fans to the sport. Now it has become a monster that takes away from the regular season's races. You can ignore the entire season until the playoff starts and you wouldn't miss a thing. I also don't like NASCAR's stage racing. I think that has outlived it's usefulness (created for same reason as playoffs). If NASCAR must have a race break, then at halfway in a race would be the best option. I'm for going old school and just race throughout the year. The better teams and drivers rise to the top. No other race series uses the gimmicks that NASCAR drummed up to fill seats and gain TV vieweship. There was a time in NASCAR in the 1990's when NASCAR was all but dead. Empty race tracks were seen at every race. Rockingham and Dover with completely empty seat sections was impossible to ignore. NASCAR was desperate, and now that that time has passed, I think it's time to end the gimmicks and just get back to racing.

[@runrafarunthebestintheworld]

Yep and next year there will be an "in season" tournament they just can't help themselves.

[@danielwest9955]

It's funny how this is the only time people actually don't want to listen to the drivers. They say it is. I'll take their word for it.

[@Jose-Gomez]

Yes, 100%.

[@robrohrer2014]

David, You as a motorsports fan and enthusiast for years like you are know that's a very very short-sided rhetorical question and R£AL motorsports fan will say, WHY |-|£LL YES t is !!! I'll leave it there for you to pick apart 🤔

[@wpflesh6510]

NASCAR has 5 Crown Jewels:Daytona 500,Spring Talladega,Coke 600,Bristol Night Race,Southern 500…..

[@troygillum5]

Talladega and Bristol are not crown jewels

[@earlybirdearlybird1371]

And Chicago in rain😁

[@wpflesh6510]

@@troygillum5 oh yea they are hell they are better races and more history than Indy…..we shouldn’t even be racing at Indy

[@troygillum5]

@@wpflesh6510 TV, sponsors and drivers say otherwise

[@dinococupseries3290]

Talladega??!! 😂 That's so random!! Uh no

[@happywrenching33]

It was. Not anymore.

[@PaperBanjo64]

My thoughts exactly...at one point the second richest prize and largest attendance.

[@Vermonter8812]

if thats one thing that drives me nuts in general (especially with NBC), its not about the win anymore. First thing out of the car with a first time winner on the season is your in the playoffs. yes its all well and great but feels like they are blowing past the actual race

[@alistairarchibald1312]

the Brickyard is what we make it. i was sick this week. i totally regret not being there. i wanna buy 10 tickets next year if God allows me to live that long. the IMS is the crown jewel and i'm happy to live 7 miles away from it

[@alistairarchibald1312]

i actually am gonna buy like 10 tickets to the IMSA and GT World Challenge if anyone wants to go

[@alistairarchibald1312]

i couldn't disagree more about demographics. for every Ricky Spinhouse there is an Alexander Rossi or Graham Rahal crying constantly. NASCAR is refreshing for getting on with the job. even Bubba who cries harder than anyone was just like "yeah i fucked it up". Rossi wants to live in a video game world setting or else he cries. like LeClerc or Max. embarrassing man children

[@alistairarchibald1312]

you are 100% correct on the IMS doing their part and NASCAR failing. the Caitlyn Clark jab was a little out of place, we Hoosiers have to hitch our wagons to whatever we can nowadays, a la Haliburton

[@stevenhill4122]

The race there is not that good. I have been there for both and Indy cars are best.

[@johnberger51]

It used to be a Crowned Jewel race, but it's not anymore.

[@charlieboyd4431]

it is a crown jewel now

[@runrafarunthebestintheworld]

​@@charlieboyd4431it is not.

[@mgers75]

Crown Jewels aren't decided on attendance, if it is'isnt the premiere event at a certain track. It's decided by the drivers. The races they want to win the most are the crown jewels. Nascar those races are Daytona 500, Coke 600, Southern500, and Indy. Indycar is Indy and Long Beach. Formula One Monaco, Spa, Silverstone, and maybe Suzuka

[@runrafarunthebestintheworld]

Thats a horrible excuse.

[@2speedy4u22]

I don’t know, but the Toronto Indy was pretty good.

[@PaperBanjo64]

Yes it was

[@michaeljacobs2954]

No it is not. They rarely if ever have put on a good race at Indy.The crown jewels are Daytona 500, Coke 600, Southern 500. Way back when the spring race at Atlanta used to be considered a crown jewel. And the spring race at Talladega as well back when Winston sponsored it was a crown jewel.

[@srb2834]

NASCAR’s schedule in the 90s was perfectly balanced for fans in a sense. 30 total races, at 17/18 different tracks, w/ 1/3 of the locations being out of the traditional “south east” … northern tracks in: Michigan 2x, NH 2x, Dover 2x, Pocono 2x, Glenn & (west) Sonoma*, races all took place in the summer months when it would be very hot and uncomfortable for the Southeastern tracks. The most important part of the schedule in the early 90s was the complete consistency. You pretty much always knew when a race was taking place @ tracks, and even 2 week between the second to last and last race…. Allowing for a lot of buildup and implied scarcity of a nascar race, even if there were still 30 rounds.

[@boyfrmnewyork]

A Crown Jewel Race would have packed stands...

[@jayhuey5898]

Tell me one single NASCAR race that packs the stands these days? Indy is the worlds largest sports venue by seating capacity and they “pack” the Indy 500 every year

[@castandblast1852]

There are many sold out nascar races. I go to several sold out races a year

[@boyfrmnewyork]

@@jayhuey5898 Because the Indy 500 is a Crown Jewel... The 400 is just another race...

[@scotturbanski740]

Yea I noticed that too. I looked back at the race 20 years ago and the stands were packed back then. Yesterday's race I saw a section of grandstands that was completely empty.

[@charlieboyd4431]

@@scotturbanski740 this year was a huge gain of fans remember its 250k seats no race in nascar can compare the capacity of indy

[@psychlops924]

One way to tell its a crown jewel is by who has won it: Jeff Gordon x5, Jimmie Johnson x4, Kevin Harvick x3, Dale Jarrett x2, Tony Stewart x2, Kyle Busch x2, Dale Earnhardt, Ricky Rudd, Bobby Labonte, Bill Elliott, Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman, Brad Keselowski, and now Kyle Larson. The best drivers show up to win at the biggest races. The only winners who won’t be in the HoF are Paul Menard and maybe Jamie McMurray

[@JohnDeereA219]

I remember the 2003 Brickyard 400 when Matt Kenseth was leading the points during the race the team was taking risks and gambles. Someone from NBC asked Robbie Riser if he was worried about it affecting points and he goes "this is Indy"

[@earlybirdearlybird1371]

Empty stands says it all !

[@rrsycm]

Some good points in this video i cant believe i havent thought about before, especially the ones directed towards nascar as a whole, good job david

[@able-fox]

I don't really care. Xfinity was better than Cup, but that happens about 1/2 the time.

[@PaperBanjo64]

Xfinity cars are better than Gen 7 Cup cars...only an back asswards series like NASCAR would allow the the secondary series to be better.

[@Clyde-2055]

@@PaperBanjo64 - Yep … This is the third year running that Xfinity is better … There are actually weekends where I’ll watch the Xfinity and skip Cup …

[@PaperBanjo64]

@@Clyde-2055 same, especially road courses and short tracks, even superspeedways are better in Xfinity, in Cup they've devolved into a gridlocked pack that can't pass and they just ride around saving fuel running 20 MPH off the pace.

[@keithandreaexplorations7556]

It’s not. Brickyard 400 is maybe Top 5 biggest races for NASCAR but not the Crown Jewel. Daytona will always be the Crown Jewel for them.

[@JacobHuffman-t8y]

I believe the only reason this is a crown jewel event is because this track is hollowed ground. Forget the attendance forget how they race it, it’s about the history of the track and how many incredible names have raced on this track across both Indycar and nascar. Al Unser, Mario Andretti, Rick Mears, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon. The only reason it is, is because this track is the birthplace of auto racing. Side note: Might also start being a better race for nascar, while the track is made for open wheel new gen cars are lookin pretty good

[@f1jones544]

Auto racing existed for about twenty years before IMS was even a thing.

[@SquiggyWigginz]

Where can i find your email David to send you stuff? Like your doppleganger playing guitar live?

[@colemorganracing]

I didn't even know that this was a debate... but I've always considered it a crown jewel. The problems with it not being a big show can be applied to every NASCAR race. And I don't think the racing being bad should take away its status as a crown jewel. Remember when the whole field rode around the top at Daytona in a single file line for 195 laps? I didn't see anybody arguing that the Daytona 500 wasn't a crown jewel after that.

[@ceeinfiniti1389]

I would say to an extent it is to some of the drivers, but you can argue that the debacle of 2008 left such a sour taste in everyone's mouths that if it was a crown jewel before in the eyes of many, it certainly isn't now. Not to the fans. I will say this. ask any NASCAR driver if they were to pick one race out of the entire year to win, Everyone's answer is certainly going to be the Daytona 500. The true Crown Jewel of Indianapolis is and always will be the Indy 500.

[@thereluctanthireling]

It's at the IMS oval, it's Crown Jewel event...it means a lot to the teams and drivers, just ask their opinion on it. The fans don't get a say.

[@runrafarunthebestintheworld]

What a horrible excuse for a track that already has plenty of racing history already.

[@jquatt21]

David’s take is spot on.

[@icedude3519]

100% on the money David, There is no Cup Series event that seems substantial anymore, I hate to compare NASCAR to F1, But that is what F1 do so well, they make every event seem special. 2 day events will never be the answer.

[@jcarn24]

Agree. The Brickyard 400 is a crown jewel race. The Speedway did a great job this year, like you said NASCAR needs to put more effort in on their end to make it mean more for us fans. It is frustrating how aero sensitive this gen cup car is, but the same applies to the 2x2x2 fuel savings we see at the Daytona 500 and other drafting tracks. Indy can’t be blamed for this current car’s shortcomings on single groove tracks, and even then you still had the best of the best battling for the win at the end.

[@runrafarunthebestintheworld]

Indy can be blamed though. There's literally no real reason for NASCAR to be at Indy any more. Can't convince the fans to come out fill the seats we tried the Road course and still nothing. Time for IRP now.

[@chrish931]

Iconic but not a crown jewel, maybe down the road, too much history from the other crown jewels like Daytona and Darlington, it needs more time to catch up and make up for the bad post tire debacle years.

[@nolandavis9040]

Answering the question: YES the Brickyard 400 is a crown jewel. It doesn’t matter what the fans think. If the drivers are all in for the win and not points then it’s a crown jewel. I agree with David on NASCAR’s marketing problems. NASCAR needs to have a whole weekend worth of racing and activities. It would help promote the sport. However NASCAR handicaps their drivers into not have personalities and that really really hurts the perception to the fans.

[@z71pack]

This year was best Brickyard in many years- possibly since Harvick vs Stewart 2007. Fans likely never will match the 500 attendance again like those 90s Brickyards. Was sitting 2 rows behind you in the B Penthouse Sunday. Clifford had many miles put on that day

[@hippyjason]

Great insights, David.

[@JeffreyB1983]

When I was really into NASCAR in the 2Ks I considered Indy race 3rd only to both Daytona races. Sad that now it's even a question

[@brennan_lsr]

The NASCAR Playoffs is their "golden goose" the regular season doesnt matter. I wish they gave events like the Brickyard more respect

[@walkerking3875]

Yes Brickyard 400 is a Crown Jewel. You people up in Indiana need to do a better job of selling it out next year

[@runrafarunthebestintheworld]

Nah but you go ahead and keep making excuses and blaming fans.

[@walkerking3875]

@@runrafarunthebestintheworld you want the track to have prestige more than one day a year or nah?

[@MrAndyNich]

I say yes. Eldora Speedway has like 8 Crown Jewels a year. Those races have prelim events though that make them special.

[@miketwotwenty]

The Brickyard 400 is a crown jewel, I also agree with more practice for NASCAR!

[@NASCARDAWGYT]

Driver opinions I think matter more in determining if a race is a crown jewel or not. Drivers are the ones who win these races and their emotions tell you they care about winning here more than most places. We don’t know what it’s like. So yes it is a crown jewel. Fans don’t have to like it. Monaco is a crown jewel of F1 yet fans hate it.

[@runrafarunthebestintheworld]

Thats where the drivers have it all wrong an it's a terrible excuse an even when it was on an important Holiday weekend it still wasn't enough to get fans in every seat at Indy. Can't compare Indy to Monaco and what F1 fans feel about it.

[@TheFamemonster31]

its only a crown jewel for Nascar because of the desire drivers have to win it. But its not a crown jewel from a global motorsport perspective

[@JSkunk3223]

Agree 100 💯 with the slashing of the weekends and the lack of practice etc. Watering down their product

[@GrantRustin]

As a lifelong NASCAR fan the brickyard is ABSOLUTELY a crown jewel…

[@mr.inferno8354]

NASCAR needs to learn from Indycar and give the fans more access to the drivers.

[@gagemcpherson1956]

Ever since the 2008 tire debacle I think it lost some of it's prestige I would still want to win at IMS no matter what but I don't think it's a crown jewel for Nascar I think crown jewels for Nascar now is Daytona 500 Coca Cola 600 Southern 500 and the last one could be a toss up between a grandfather clock at Martinsville maybe the Bristol night race or maybe the fall race at Talladega

[@grahamcrackergaming1540]

I mean tbf NASCAR fans will also claim the Bristol Night Race is a Crown Jewel race and it’s like well why? What makes it a Crown Jewel? Just cause they’re racing on one of NASCAR’s oldest and most well known tracks and probably the oldest to have lights at the track? The reason the Southern 500, Coke 600, and Daytona 500 r considered Crown Jewel races cause of how predestined they r. The Southern 500 was NASCAR’s first Crown Jewel since it was the first race on a large track. The problem is NASCAR doesn’t really treat it as a Crown Jewel anymore. Especially since it’s not advertised as one. It just feels like any other race like Bristol, Atlanta, Martinsville, etc. The Daytona 500 is a Crown Jewel since Bill France wanted a race like Indy but bigger and faster which he made happen. And now it’s on par with the likes of the Indy 500 and 24 hours of Le Mans. The problem though is it just nowadays show that NASCAR’s back with a new season. It’s still feels like this big race, but also has a “just another race” feel. And the Coke 600 is a Crown Jewel since it’s NASCAR’s one endurance race and as long as people has known is the Memorial Day Classic with the Indy 500. But once the stages have came in, it just feels more like a drawn out race than an actual endurance race. Losing out on some of its aspects. Now it just feels like the race that’s run alongside the Indy 500, even if the racing has been good the past couple years with this year being a big deal since Larson was attempting the double. It just feels like people say the Brickyard 400 is a Crown Jewel just cause it’s being run at Indianapolis Motor Speedway instead of putting their money where their mouth is and making it actually feel like it’s a big deal. Especially since the reason for the Brickyard 400’s creation was a money grabber for Tony George to make his own IndyCar Series. And NASCAR and their tv broadcasters don’t advertise the races that r supposed to be Crown Jewels much since like David said, they’re not talking about who could win this race and we could see out of it, we’re talking about rivalries and Playoff implications. It’s like WWE where we’re talking about the story with the feud between this superstar and this superstar, what lead to the feud as they head to face each other at the next PLE/PPV. With the Playoffs being more of the run from the Royal Rumble to Wrestlemania with the final 4 racing for a championship at Phoenix being like the people who’re gonna be the main event at Wrestlemania.

[@justinyoung109]

I say put it somewhere between the Daytona 500 and the yearly Kansas/Michigan/LVMS race. Is it an average, run of the mill schedule filler, no. Its clear the drivers like racing at IMS, and being able to say they won a race there. Heck, it's carried Paul Menard's entire career and even afterlife once he got out of the cup series. On the other hand, is it as big as the Daytona 500 or even the Bristol Night Race? Absolutely not, and this where I think the drivers have it all wrong. The race was a very big deal back in the 90s and NASCAR's glory days in the 2000's. However a combination of NASCAR no longer being America's sport and the 2008 tire debacle caused a chasm that I don't think this race will work its way out of anytime soon. Some of it is problems NASCAR themselves have created, especially since lots have changed in the sport since the 2000s. The Brickyard 400 isn't a run of the mill race, but it's not as of now worthy to be in the discussion. Its a hyped novelty like the Chicago Street Race. Hopefully that will change in the future.

[@Ka_Gg]

Let's be real. If this type of racing and track design was built in the 90s and some random place like kansas. Every single person would bash it. It isn't a crown jewel race. It is definitely a crown jewel track and facility. In my opinion, the four crown jewels in NASCAR is the coke 600, the southern 500, Daytona 500, and the Bristol night race. Those four races became crown jewels, they just didn't automatically start off as crown jewels

[@princessnodak]

Crown jewel USED to mean it was a race STILL on the schedule since the 40's, Daytona 590, Southern 500 and World/Coke 600 and RJ Reynolds would pay an extra million to anyone who won all 3.....that being said, I think the Brickyard has earned a place having been on the schedule(even if it was the road course for a short bit)

[@kg0173]

There also were no IndyCar driver at Brickyard. Just Daly in Xfinity and he did well. IndyCar drivers must step up and race big races in NASCAR. 1994 Brickyard 400 had AJ Foyt, Danny Sullivan, John Andretti. PJ Jones, Stan Fox, Garry Bettenhosen, Davey Jones tried to make the race. For example, why no fourth Penske car for Newgarden?

[@schuylerschultz804]

Nascar INTENTIONALLY doesn't treat it as a big event. In the first several years, it rivaled the Daytona 500 as potentially being the sport's biggest event, and Nascar wasn't having it. I'm not saying that's why it generally isn't the most entertaining race in the world, but Nascar intentionally doesn't promote it as a big event because they don't want it to rival Daytona.

[@runrafarunthebestintheworld]

Hmm you many have to point there because David also said that Indy also used to cut some infield ticket sales when NASCAR came over an I think the IRL didn't want the Brickyard 400 to be bigger than the Indy 500 either.

[@schuylerschultz804]

@@runrafarunthebestintheworld well, when you look at attendance, Indy can hold almost double what Daytona can if memory serves - with Indy being able to host in abundance of 250,000 people, and that's not even counting the infield tailgating areas and spectator mounds which could probably hold another 100,000 easily - and that alone means it has the potential to be bigger than Daytona simply because more people are packing in to see it in person.

[@f1jones544]

Never was IMO. Just a typical NASCAR coopt of a race and circuit that had more gravitas than NASCAR ever managed on its own. It was always a contrivance from Day 1.

[@alistairarchibald1312]

Dave, they just gotta promote it more. it's a Super Bowl. CBS puts adverts out for 6 months before that even happens, Build it up in people's minds let's do a podcast together on marketing

[@kfjrusa]

If you watched the TV broadcast, then you already know that it is a Crown Jewel race. They only said it 3200 times during the broadcast. (Don't know the actual number, but it was defiantly a lot.) In my opinion, If a race truly is a Crown Jewel you don't need to repeatedly tell the viewers to the point they are tired of hearing about it. A few times is fine, just not every chance you can work it into the broadcast.

[@kg0173]

Like they don't hype the Indy 500 all the time during its broadcast....

[@gameshowe7975]

Dale Jr was asked on his podcast what the most iconic turns in Nascar and he brought up turn 1 at the brickyard. I think NBC promotion plays a big role. I think they are doing a crappy job of promoting motorsports. They used to be good...now they don't seem to care.

[@kg0173]

The empty stands at Brickyard 400 show the problem in Indycars, not NASCAR. Those are IndyCar fans that fill and once filled the stands of Brickyard 400. If you are a real race fan, you would go to both Indy races, the Indy 500 and Brickyard 400. Indy 500 fills the stands, but those are not Indycar race fans. We need more IndyCar fans. You just wouldn't miss seeing cars racing at the big oval if you are a race fan, and it doesn't matter what cars there are Indy or Cup.

[@jakobbuckles4472]

I see The Brickyard 400 as a Crown Jewel, the same way I see The Bristol Night Race as a Crown Jewel Before 2008, yes it absolutely was. It was an absolute spectacle. And the winners list was who's who of greats. 2008 and onward. It's just a shell of its former self. So no, it's not anymore

[@ab209ljf]

I would say the drivers consider it as such because the facility is the most famous racing facility on the Continent (if not the world) and they all would like to win there. For NASCAR fans, however, I would say it is probably no higher than 5th - behind the Daytona 500, the Bristol Night Race, Coca Cola 600, and the Southern 500

[@chrisw443]

Yes. its a crown jewel all of the industry agrees, only people on the internet would foul mouth such a historic event. The crown jewels were always Daytona! World/coke 600! Southern 500! and Indy! Always. You could toss martinsville in there too.

[@aaronbaird9444]

It was until the tire fiasco. Since then it has not been

[@iDAV8]

In the 90s it was. Then everything got bigger taller longer and heavier like indycar. And now both series suck at a lot of these tracks

[@Indyracer12]

All events at ims are crown jewel events just because of the series but because of the track and it's history and that ims raises all their events to a crown jewel level.

[@Man_in_BLKtruck1991]

Indy only ever had one date on the schedule. Charlotte lost an oval date to the Roval, they put dirt on Bristol, and Darlington lost a date and the 2003 finish saved the track. Daytona has lost speed weeks and now the race has turned into a fuel saving race that ends with a wreckfest, GWC, and undeserving winners. But oh man Indy isn’t in the southeast so it’s not a Crown Jewel. Idc what fans think or want, the teams and drivers determine what a crown jewel is. And Indy is definitely one of them.

[@PaperBanjo64]

Daytona 500 is a joke now.

[@jorhop4005]

To counter your first point, is the 24 hours of Daytona not a crown jewel for IMSA because the 500 is the biggest event?

[@LucasTA26]

Spot on and I would love to have some practice again. Covid ruined a lot of what nascar is and was. Save money to have a shitty product.👎🏻

[@PaperBanjo64]

Next gen car was a covid era mistake, should've just kept Gen 6 cars, maybe put that splitter from that prototype RCR tested in 2016 and call it a day.

[@aaronspringborn34]

I agree about the brickyard but they do talk about the event every week in the broadcast

[@sunshinecoolwater9528]

If I had a series that had remote-controlled toy car racing at Churchill Downs, would that make it a Crown Jewel race, my guy?

[@troygillum5]

put up enough money and hype it could be

[@codileger4876]

Pre Video comment: Yes it is. There’s no debate needed. This has replaced the Firecracker 400. You have the Daytona 500, Coke 600, Brickyard 400, Southern 500 and the debate would be on if the fall Talladega race is included After having my humble pie: Maybe it’s just me growing up in the 2000s where this race was such a big deal then murdered in 2008. I want it to be one but the data and scheduling shows it’s not as important anymore. Tbh now I think about it Chicago Street Course is a bigger event in terms of promotion and effort put in.

[@MotorSport33-f5u]

It's not , look at the attendance for Christ sacks man.

[@hogziller]

It is not a crown jewel because NASCAR does not treat it as such........ frankly NASCAR barely treats the Daytona 500 a crown jewel. NASCAR does not even treat itself as top tier when you have single source parts supplier stifling innovation

[@photudiodan4648]

lol..... no f'ing way!! They look like snails crawling around that track compared to Indy cars. Crown Jewel? More like trash trucks.

[@kg0173]

I see Brickyard 400 as big and important as Indy 500. In the early days there were multiple races at the Speedway. Saying that I would not have the Xfinity or Indy junior series running the big oval. Only Indy 500 and Brickyard 400. Xfinity takes away interest from Brickyard 400. When NASCAR stops racing at Brickyard 400, Indycar should have that race. And don't race at indy roadcourse at all.

[@runrafarunthebestintheworld]

Yep IRP is literally chilling in the background waiting for the Cup series.

[@caltiki3090]

What happened to the awesome introduction dude ? Thnx !!