2008 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
Encyclopedia
The 2008 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
was the twentieth race of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season
and the fifteenth NASCAR race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
(IMS). It was also the first race under the ESPN/ABC
section of the TV coverage for the 2008 season. The 160-lap, 400 miles (643.7 km) event was raced on July 27th at the 2.5 miles (4 km) Indianapolis Motor Speedway
located in Speedway, Indiana
(a separate town completely surrounded by Indiana's state capital
). Along with ESPN, the IMS Radio Network
, working with Performance Racing Network
, provided radio coverage (along with Sirius Satellite Radio
) with both broadcasts starting at 1 PM US EDT
.
The race was deemed a "disaster" for NASCAR, Goodyear, and Indianapolis. Due to the new Car of Tomorrow
, the surface at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
, and problems with Goodyear tires, NASCAR was forced to throw competition cautions every 10-12 laps. Tires started to explode if the race was allowed to continue past that distance. Even at that distance, tires were down to the chords/nylon base. At the end of the race, every tire that Goodyear had brought to the track for the weekend had been used and were no longer usable.
The race was starting to rival the Daytona 500
in terms of the biggest race of the NASCAR season before the tire problems at this race. Since this race, attendance has dropped from a 257,000+ sell out to an estimated 100,000 at the 2010 race.
and this race, the last break of the season before a stretch of seventeen straight races, there was plenty of news stories to go around.
held off Mark Martin
to win the pole position. Bill Elliott
, after starting the first 14 races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, failed in his final run to do so, as he will retire following the season.
Failed to qualify: Bill Elliott (#21), Stanton Barrett
(#50), Johnny Sauter
(#08), Tony Raines
(#34).
The excessive wear led NASCAR to follow procedure first adopted at the 1969 Talladega 500, calling cautions every 10-12 laps for safety issues, allowing teams to pit and change tires. Because of an accident involving Michael Waltrip
on Lap 4, the first competition yellow would not wave until Lap 14. The only other non-competition yellow came halfway through the race when Brian Vickers
' Toyota had its engine fail. All in all, nine competition yellow flags were thrown, and when all was said and done, Jimmie Johnson won the race after a battle with Carl Edwards.
formally apologized for the problems, saying that it didn't go to IMS with the correct car-tire combination. To rectify those problems, Goodyear staged two additional tire tests at Indy in the fall, the first with only three teams as per the tiremaker's policy September 22 and 23; the other with as many as 12 teams on October 7 and 8 to detect what might have gone wrong and test a new tire to be used for the 2009 race
. A total of 7 tests were conducted in preparation for the 2009 race.
The results of these tests indicated an increased amount of load and slip on the right rear tire caused the particle debris to be smaller than anticipated. This prevented rubber from adhering to the track and prevented tire wear from improving as the race progressed.
Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
The Brickyard 400 is an annual 400-mile NASCAR Sprint Cup points race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. The event, when first held in 1994, marked the first race other than the Indianapolis 500 to be held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway since 1916...
was the twentieth race of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season
2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
The 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season began on February 9, 2008 at Daytona International Speedway with the Budweiser Shootout, followed by pole qualifying on Sunday, February 10, 2008 for the 50th Daytona 500 on February 17...
and the fifteenth NASCAR race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana in the United States, is the home of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race and the Brickyard 400....
(IMS). It was also the first race under the ESPN/ABC
ESPN on ABC
ESPN on ABC is the brand used for sports programming on the ABC television network. Officially the broadcast network retains its own sports division; however, for all practical purposes, ABC's sports division has been merged with ESPN, a sports cable network majority-owned by ABC's parent, The...
section of the TV coverage for the 2008 season. The 160-lap, 400 miles (643.7 km) event was raced on July 27th at the 2.5 miles (4 km) Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana in the United States, is the home of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race and the Brickyard 400....
located in Speedway, Indiana
Speedway, Indiana
Speedway is a town in Wayne Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States. The population was 12,881 at the 2000 census. Speedway is the home of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, from which the town derives its name, and is a complete enclave of Indianapolis....
(a separate town completely surrounded by Indiana's state capital
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
). Along with ESPN, the IMS Radio Network
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network , is an in-house radio syndication arrangement which broadcasts the Indianapolis 500, IndyCar, and the Brickyard 400 to radio stations covering most of North America....
, working with Performance Racing Network
Performance Racing Network
The Performance Racing Network is a radio network controlled by Speedway Motorsports, Inc..Performance Racing Network broadcasts all NASCAR-sanctioned Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series events held at Speedway Motorsports-controlled tracks which include Atlanta, Bristol, Infineon, Las Vegas,...
, provided radio coverage (along with Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of...
) with both broadcasts starting at 1 PM US EDT
North American Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
.
The race was deemed a "disaster" for NASCAR, Goodyear, and Indianapolis. Due to the new Car of Tomorrow
Car of Tomorrow
The Car of Tomorrow, sometimes called CoT or "Car of Today", is the car style for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Larger and boxier than the design it replaced, the Car of Tomorrow is safer, costs less to maintain, and was intended to make for closer competition.The car was introduced in the 2007 Cup...
, the surface at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana in the United States, is the home of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race and the Brickyard 400....
, and problems with Goodyear tires, NASCAR was forced to throw competition cautions every 10-12 laps. Tires started to explode if the race was allowed to continue past that distance. Even at that distance, tires were down to the chords/nylon base. At the end of the race, every tire that Goodyear had brought to the track for the weekend had been used and were no longer usable.
The race was starting to rival the Daytona 500
Daytona 500
The Daytona 500 is a -long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is one of four restrictor plate races on the Cup schedule....
in terms of the biggest race of the NASCAR season before the tire problems at this race. Since this race, attendance has dropped from a 257,000+ sell out to an estimated 100,000 at the 2010 race.
Pre-Race News
As there was a two week gap in the schedule between the LifeLock.com 4002008 LifeLock.com 400
The 2008 LifeLock.com 400 was the nineteenth race of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, and the final race under the TNT coverage for the year. It was held on July 12 of that year at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois, as the race moves to a nighttime event for the first time in the event's...
and this race, the last break of the season before a stretch of seventeen straight races, there was plenty of news stories to go around.
- As expected, 2008 Daytona 5002008 Daytona 500The 2008 Daytona 500 was the 50th annual running of "The Great American Race", the Daytona 500. The race took place on Sunday, February 17, 2008 at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The race was the 50th to be run since the first in 1959, won by Lee Petty. To commemorate...
champion Ryan NewmanRyan NewmanRyan Joseph Newman is a driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He drives the #39 United States Army/Tornados/Haas Automation Chevrolet Impala for Stewart Haas Racing under crew chief Tony Gibson. Newman graduated from Purdue University in 2001 with a B.S. in vehicle structure engineering...
and Penske RacingPenske RacingPenske Racing is a racing team that competes in the IndyCar Series and NASCAR. They also previously competed in road racing, and Formula One. Penske Racing is a division of Penske Corporation, and is owned and chaired by Roger Penske...
parted ways, effective following the season's end. - JTG Racing sold one-half interest to former Cleveland CavaliersCleveland CavaliersThe Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...
basketball star and ESPN anayist Brad Daugherty, and will be renamed JTG Daugherty RacingJTG Daugherty RacingJTG Daugherty Racing is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team owned by former advertising executive Tad Geschickter and his wife Jodi, along with current ESPN analyst Brad Daugherty...
and enter the 2009 season2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup SeriesThe 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season was the 61st season of professional stock car racing in the United States, which began at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, with the 2009 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona, a race for the top six teams of the four brands in the 2008...
with Marcos AmbroseMarcos AmbroseMarcos Ambrose is a championship winning Australian racing car driver. He currently drives the #9 Stanley Black & Decker Ford Fusion for Richard Petty Motorsports in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series...
as their driver. Little Debbies will be the sponsor of the #47 car. - Technical Director Steve Peterson, who led NASCAR's safety drive following the 2001 Daytona 500Daytona 500The Daytona 500 is a -long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is one of four restrictor plate races on the Cup schedule....
, died on July 15 at the age of 58 of an apparent heart attack. Peterson mandated the HANS deviceHANS deviceThe HANS device is a safety item compulsory in many car racing sports...
, the SAFER barrierSAFER barrierThe Steel and Foam Energy Reduction barrier, sometimes called a soft wall, is a technology found primarily on oval automobile race tracks and intended to make racing accidents safer...
and the Car of TomorrowCar of TomorrowThe Car of Tomorrow, sometimes called CoT or "Car of Today", is the car style for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Larger and boxier than the design it replaced, the Car of Tomorrow is safer, costs less to maintain, and was intended to make for closer competition.The car was introduced in the 2007 Cup...
in the seven years since the death of Dale EarnhardtDale EarnhardtRalph Dale Earnhardt, Sr. was an American race car driver, best known for his involvement in stock car racing for NASCAR...
in the final moments of that race. - Due to their recent economic troubles, General MotorsGeneral MotorsGeneral Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
has announced that they will not renew their contracts to be the official pace car providers for BristolBristol Motor SpeedwayBristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961...
, New Hampshire or RichmondRichmond International RacewayRichmond International Raceway is a 3/4-mile , D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series...
. - Two weeks earlier, Tony StewartTony StewartAnthony Wayne "Tony" Stewart is an American auto racing driver and owner. Throughout his racing career, Stewart has won titles in Indy cars and stock cars as well as midget, sprint and USAC Silver Crown cars, giving him the recognition of "one of the finest racers of his generation."Stewart...
announced he will be part-owner of Stewart-Haas RacingHaas CNC RacingStewart-Haas Racing, formerly known as Haas CNC Racing, is a NASCAR racing team based in Kannapolis, North Carolina, which runs Chevrolet Impalas. The team is owned by Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, and runs the #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet Impala driven by Stewart and the #39 United States...
in 20092009 NASCAR Sprint Cup SeriesThe 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season was the 61st season of professional stock car racing in the United States, which began at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, with the 2009 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona, a race for the top six teams of the four brands in the 2008...
. Now, he will bring a new number (14, made famous by A.J. Foyt) and sponsors (Office DepotOffice DepotOffice Depot is a supplier of office products and provides many services. The company's selection of brand name office supplies includes business machines, computers, computer software and office furniture, while its business services encompass copying, printing, document reproduction, shipping,...
, coming from Carl EdwardsCarl EdwardsCarl Michael Edwards, II is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #99 Fastenal/Aflac Ford Fusion in the Sprint Cup Series and the #60 Ford in the Nationwide Series for Roush Fenway Racing...
' Roush Fenway Racing #99 and Old SpiceOld SpiceOld Spice is a prominent American brand of male grooming products. It is manufactured by Procter & Gamble, which acquired the brand in 1990 from the Shulton Company.-History:...
). - Discussions have started between Chip Ganassi RacingChip Ganassi RacingChip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates is an automotive racing organization with teams competing in the IZOD IndyCar Series and the Rolex Sports Car Series. It is owned by businessmen Chip Ganassi and Felix Sabates. They have won 4 Champ Car, 3 Indy Racing League and 1 Grand-Am championships...
and Michael Waltrip Racing on a possible merger between the two groups. Ganassi shut down the #40 team prior to the Coke Zero 400Coke Zero 400The Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola at Daytona is a 160 lap, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held annually, beginning in 1959, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida; the second major stock car event held at Daytona on the Sprint Cup circuit...
while Waltrip's team will lose UPSUnited Parcel ServiceUnited Parcel Service, Inc. , typically referred to by the acronym UPS, is a package delivery company. Headquartered in Sandy Springs, Georgia, United States, UPS delivers more than 15 million packages a day to 6.1 million customers in more than 220 countries and territories around the...
after the season, with the sole sticking points remaining being which team will close to get within NASCAR's four-team cap as of 2010, and the brand of car to use (Waltrip teams drive Toyotas, while Ganassi uses DodgeDodgeDodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....
.)
Qualifying
Jimmie JohnsonJimmie Johnson
Jimmie Kenneth Johnson is an American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race car driver. He currently drives the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports....
held off Mark Martin
Mark Martin (NASCAR)
Mark Anthony Martin is an American stock car driver currently competing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. As of 2012, Martin will drive for Michael Waltrip Racing, moving on from successful organizations such as Hendrick Motorsports and Roush Fenway Racing. He has the second most wins in the NASCAR...
to win the pole position. Bill Elliott
Bill Elliott
William Clyde "Bill" Elliott , also known as Awesome Bill from Dawsonville or Million Dollar Bill, is a part-time driver and former champion of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Elliott was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America on August 15, 2007. He won the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup...
, after starting the first 14 races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, failed in his final run to do so, as he will retire following the season.
Failed to qualify: Bill Elliott (#21), Stanton Barrett
Stanton Barrett
Stanton Thomas Barrett is a NASCAR driver and Hollywood stuntman. He has driven in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series, as well in the IZOD IndyCar Series.-NASCAR:...
(#50), Johnny Sauter
Johnny Sauter
Johnathan Joseph Sauter is a NASCAR driver from Wisconsin. Sauter is the son of former NASCAR driver Jim Sauter, and the brother of NASCAR drivers Tim Sauter and Jay Sauter...
(#08), Tony Raines
Tony Raines
Floyd Anthony Raines is an American race car driver. He is a former National Touring Series champion in the now defunct American Speed Association and 1999 Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Nationwide Series...
(#34).
Race
In pre-race practice, teams realized that the tires provided for the race wore down quickly, due to the abrasive course at Indianapolis and the Car of Tomorrow, as this was the first race for the car at Indianapolis. Because of this concern, NASCAR announced that they would have a competition yellow after ten laps to check tire wear.The excessive wear led NASCAR to follow procedure first adopted at the 1969 Talladega 500, calling cautions every 10-12 laps for safety issues, allowing teams to pit and change tires. Because of an accident involving Michael Waltrip
Michael Waltrip
Michael Curtis Waltrip is a semi-former professional race car driver, co-owner of Michael Waltrip Racing, and a published author. He is the younger brother of three-time NASCAR champion and racing commentator Darrell Waltrip. Waltrip is a two-time winner of the Daytona 500; having won the race in...
on Lap 4, the first competition yellow would not wave until Lap 14. The only other non-competition yellow came halfway through the race when Brian Vickers
Brian Vickers
Brian Lee Vickers is a American NASCAR driver. He was the 2003 Busch Series champion, and at age 20, became the youngest champion in any of NASCAR's three top-tier series...
' Toyota had its engine fail. All in all, nine competition yellow flags were thrown, and when all was said and done, Jimmie Johnson won the race after a battle with Carl Edwards.
| Top Ten Finishers | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Car # | Driver | Car make | Team | ||||
| 1 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson Jimmie Johnson Jimmie Kenneth Johnson is an American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race car driver. He currently drives the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports.... |
Chevrolet Chevrolet Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918... |
Hendrick Motorsports Hendrick Motorsports Hendrick Motorsports , originally named All Star Racing, is a current American auto racing team created in 1984 by Rick Hendrick. The team currently competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with Chevrolet Impalas... |
||||
| 2 | 99 | Carl Edwards Carl Edwards Carl Michael Edwards, II is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #99 Fastenal/Aflac Ford Fusion in the Sprint Cup Series and the #60 Ford in the Nationwide Series for Roush Fenway Racing... |
Ford Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK... |
Roush Fenway Racing | ||||
| 3 | 11 | Denny Hamlin Denny Hamlin James Dennis Alan "Denny" Hamlin is an American race car driver. Though originally born in Tampa, Florida, Hamlin was raised for most of his life in Chesterfield, Virginia. After racing in go-karts for a number of years, he worked his way up to Late Models by 2004 and signed a development contract... |
Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing Joe Gibbs Racing Joe Gibbs Racing is a group of NASCAR racing teams owned and operated by former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs, who first started racing on the NASCAR circuit in 1991, and J. D. Gibbs, his son... |
||||
| 4 | 19 | Elliott Sadler Elliott Sadler Elliott William Barnes Sadler is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet Impala for Kevin Harvick Inc. in the Nationwide Series. He is one of only 23 drivers to have won in each of NASCAR's top three series... |
Dodge Dodge Dodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide.... |
Gillett Evernham Motorsports | ||||
| 5 | 24 | Jeff Gordon Jeff Gordon Jeffery Michael "Jeff" Gordon is a professional NASCAR driver. He is the driver of the #24 Drive to End Hunger/DuPont/Pepsi Chevrolet Impala. He is a four-time Sprint Cup Series champion and a three-time Daytona 500 winner. He is third on the all-time wins list, with 85 career wins, and has the... |
Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | ||||
| 6 | 26 | Jamie McMurray Jamie McMurray James Christopher "Jamie" McMurray is a professional American race car driver. McMurray is best known for winning the 2002 UAW-GM Quality 500 as a substitute driver in his second Winston Cup start, and is one of three drivers to win both the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 in the same year... |
Ford | Roush Fenway Racing | ||||
| 7 | 9 | Kasey Kahne Kasey Kahne Kasey Kenneth Kahne is a NASCAR driver. He drives the #5 Farmers Insurance Group Chevrolet Impala for Hendrick Motorsports in the Sprint Cup Series.... |
Dodge | Gillett Evernham Motorsports | ||||
| 8 | 16 | Greg Biffle Greg Biffle Gregory Jack "Greg" Biffle is a NASCAR driver who drives the #16 3M Ford Fusion for Roush Fenway Racing in the Sprint Cup Series. After racing in the NASCAR Winter Heat Series in the mid-90s, he was recommended to Jack Roush by former announcer Benny Parsons... |
Ford | Roush Fenway Racing | ||||
| 9 | 31 | Jeff Burton Jeff Burton Jeffrey Brian "Jeff" Burton , also referred to as JB or The Mayor, is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver who drives the #31 Caterpillar Chevrolet Impala for Richard Childress Racing. Burton is the younger brother of Ward Burton, who is a former Sprint Cup driver... |
Chevrolet | Richard Childress Racing Richard Childress Racing RCR Enterprises, LLC, doing business as Richard Childress Racing, is a NASCAR team based in Welcome, North Carolina, and is owned and operated by former driver Richard Childress... |
||||
| 10 | 84 | A.J. Allmendinger | Toyota | Team Red Bull Team Red Bull Red Bull Racing Team, also known as Team Red Bull, is a NASCAR team owned by Dietrich Mateschitz. The team is based in Mooresville, North Carolina in the United States and is managed by Jay Frye... |
||||
Post-Race
Two days following the running of the race, NASCAR VP of competition Robin PembertonRobin Pemberton
Robin Pemberton is an American motor racing official, currently the vice president for competition of NASCAR. He has held that position since 2004....
formally apologized for the problems, saying that it didn't go to IMS with the correct car-tire combination. To rectify those problems, Goodyear staged two additional tire tests at Indy in the fall, the first with only three teams as per the tiremaker's policy September 22 and 23; the other with as many as 12 teams on October 7 and 8 to detect what might have gone wrong and test a new tire to be used for the 2009 race
2009 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
The 2009 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard was the twenty-first race of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season and the sixteenth NASCAR race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway . It was the first race under the ESPN/ABC section of the TV coverage for the 2009 season...
. A total of 7 tests were conducted in preparation for the 2009 race.
The results of these tests indicated an increased amount of load and slip on the right rear tire caused the particle debris to be smaller than anticipated. This prevented rubber from adhering to the track and prevented tire wear from improving as the race progressed.