|
 In 1998, Jeff Gordon started a streak of four straight years in
which the Indy winner went on to win the title. Dale Jarrett (1999),
Bobby Labonte (2000) and Gordon (2001) followed.
In 2005, Tony Stewart won both the Brickyard 400 and the series
crown. Jimmie Johnson accomplished the same feat in three of his six
championship seasons -- 2006, 2008 and 2009.
To Gordon, the very nature of racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
helps explains why eight Brickyard winners within a span of 12 years
also won Sprint Cup championships in the same season.
"I think that this is a track that demands the best team, the best
cars -- because track position is so important here," Gordon said
Friday at IMS as he prepares for Sunday's race. "(It's) so hard to
pass here. And because of that, what happens is that the pit crew
becomes crucial. The pit strategy becomes crucial, and the speed of
the car, especially in qualifying, becomes crucial.
"I don't know what the percentage rate is of those who go on to win
the championship, but typically, that means the best team is pretty
much going to win this race, which means they're probably going to
be the one to beat for the championship."
ENCOURAGEMENT FOR KENSETH
Seeking his first win of the season, not to mention the accompanying
ticket to the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Matt Kenseth was
fastest in opening practice on Friday at IMS.
Not one to get overly enthused about a performance in practice,
Kenseth nevertheless was encouraged by the speed of his No. 20 Joe
Gibbs Racing Toyota.
"I felt like we had a really good hour-and-a-half," said Kenseth,
who topped the speed chart with a lap at 186.285 mph. "It was
productive, so one of our goals was to get a good lap in case it
does rain tomorrow. They always go off first practice speeds (in the
event of a qualifying rain-out), and we've been bit by that this
year.
"We wanted to try to lay down a lap early when the track was as good
as it could be and we were able to do that in case there is bad
weather for qualifying. Then we just worked hard on race trim the
whole time. Felt like we got through a lot of stuff. Felt like we
gained a lot. I feel like we're closer than we've been in a long
time in balance and in speed. Still have a lot of work to do
(Saturday), but I felt pretty good about today."
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Clint Bowyer, another Chase regular still looking for a win this
year, was second fastest in the opening practice at 186.070 mph.
Bowyer and Kenseth were the only two drivers to top 186 mph.
HISTORIC DOUBLE?
Fresh from his breakthrough victory at Daytona International
Speedway in early July, Aric Almirola can be forgiven for thinking
big.
After all, he put the vaunted No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports car
in the winner's circle for the first time in 15 years.
Almirola would like nothing better than to complete the
Daytona/Brickyard double, last accomplished by Jamie McMurray in
2010.
"We brought a brand-spanking new race car with, I'm sure, a lot of
horsepower from Doug Yates, so I'm expecting good things," Almirola
said Friday morning before opening Sprint Cup practice. "We haven't
been on the race track for practice yet, but every time you show up
at the race track, you expect to run really good.
"I don't think anybody shows up at the race track expecting to run
35th, so I fully intend to have a lot of speed and be able to go
race on Sunday for a Brickyard 400 win. That would be amazing to
have an opportunity to win at probably both of the most historic
race tracks on our circuit."
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