NASCAR 2011 Schedule: The Brickyard 400 Is in Despearate Need of a Great Race

The 2011 NASCAR Schedule is Highlighted by a Brickyard 400 at the Crossroads

The moment the Brickyard 400 appeared on the NASCAR senior circuit it was a fan and driver favorite. The inaugural Brickyard 400 was run in 1994, and it was surrounded by more hype expectations any race other than the Daytona 500.

The reason this race found instant success? The location. It is at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The NASCAR stock cars were the first non-open-wheeled vehicles allowed to tear into the famous speedway. As the name suggests, the race is 400 miles, which takes 160 laps on the 2.5-mile oval. spThe race set NASCAR records for attendance, as crowds nearing 300,000 flocked to watch the closed wheel steel beast tackle the speedway.

However, with the novelty of NASCAR stock cars racing around this famous rectangle having long worn off, interest has begin to wane in the light of recent disappointing performances.

the Brickyard 400s haven't been all that compelling, and it was home to one of the biggest black eye's in NASCAR history with the 2008 tire debacle. In the attached video, you can view some of the many crashes from the 2008 race that were blamed on the faulty tires. Along with dangerous conditions, the crashes resulted in numerous yellow flags, a disjointed race, and a boring product.

The lackluster results are taking a toll on the audiences. Last year's race drew an estimated 140,000 fans. That is still a large number, but less than half of the 300,000 number previously established.

The race still holds its appeal for the drivers. Kyle Busch was recently quoted on ESPN as saying:

"It's exciting for us all to go there, especially with the history there and the prestige of winning that event. I'd love nothing more than to win there. It would be something cool."

And their reward is still lucrative. The Brickyard 400 features the second biggest purse of the season. The potential is still there.

The Brickyard 400 can quickly regain its lost luster, but it needs enjoyable and entertaining races to do so.

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Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/773847-2011-brickyard-400-latest-news-qualifying-speeds-race-results-and-more/entry/110635-nascar-2011-schedule-the-brickyard-400-is-in-despearate-need-of-a-great-race

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