DRIVER ZONE:
Overall Rank: 485
Overall Score: 6 points
URL: /bass
Member since: 08/03/2007
Number of hits: 7659
Location: Charlottesville, VA
Quote/Motto: The wheels on the 3400 lb. stock car go round and round.
Favorite Driver: Greg Biffle
Who Am I:
I'm kind of a sports freak, so I'm lucky as heck to be doing this Rowdy thing. The more I learn about racing, the more I realize I got a lot to learn.
Favorite Track:
Richmond International Raceway
Favorite Racing Moment:
My first Cup race at Bristol--what a revelation!
How I discovered Rowdy, and why I Listen:
Founded Rowdy with Buck.
Why I'm a race fan:
The first time the cars took the green and I was in the stands, I was hooked forever!
What car/truck I drive now:
Car
My dream car:
Number 16 Ford
Favorite Music:
They Might Be Giants, Green Day, Elvis Costello, and Jazz
Favorite Movies:
My dad goes to 400 plus movies a year, so I've seen a few.
Favorite TV Shows:
Sopranos, Damages, Top Chef, as much sports as I can get away with.
Favorite Books:
Currently readiing Jonathan Franzen stories. I like biographies, history, and the occasional novel
Hobbies:
Hockey
How Big is the Yard?
Every year when we take the cars to Indy we all start to ask the same question here around Rowdy HQ. Just how big is the Brickyard 400? A couple of years ago the slightly deranged Buck Fever allowed as how he thought the race was bigger than the Daytona 500. I'm not sure if he still feels this way, but there I cannot go. Still is this the second biggest race of the year, the 3rd, the 4th?
Clearly it's the youngest of the big races. We started running at the Brickyard back in 1994, and it was a much anticipated event. Eighty-four cars tried to make the race (and in case you haven't heard, our own Rick Mast started on the pole). Dale Earnhardt was very intent on getting his number 3 out of the track first for the very first practice, and succeeded in beating out--or blocking in--Rusty Wallace. Everybody knew in year one this was a big race.
The reason, quite simply, is the the track and it's unsurpassed place in the history of American motorsports. Putting Cup cars on the bricks for the first time 14 years ago was a way of saying NASCAR racing has arrived. In a funny way, it felt like the track needed Cup series, clearly the top racing series in the country by that point, to stay 100% relevant to the mainstream American race fan. And conquering that race track, to a driver with any sense of history, means a lot.
So if Daytona is the biggest race, what competitors does Indy have for 2nd. To me it comes down to the 600, Darlington (which should still be the labor day Southern 500), and the Bristol night race. For some reason, the 600 stands out to me as the race that could give Indy a run for its money as number 2. Darlington is the track with the most history. But even with the short history of cup cars at the Brickyard, I'm gonna have to give the nod to Indy, despite it's young age.
This is the second biggest race of the year.
I think its funny how Daytona is number one cause of the history it has in our series but is Indy right up there with it because of the history in other series.
- Lauren
- 15:18:42 07-24-2008
Now that the Southern 500 is history (shame on you NASCAR) the Brickyard has moved up to number two.
The 600 would be just another long race it were not held on Memorial Day weekend.
The Daytona 500 will always be number one (unless that freaking Brian France decides to do something stupid like changing the date).
- John Ousterhout
- 17:05:25 07-24-2008
The Daytona 500 is #1 because of its date (first) on the schedule, its history, place, and hype.
Bass, you state your case well and I am inclined to agree with you. Nevertheless, I get wishy-washy with my big race rankings after Daytona. I pine for the Southern 500 on Labor Day, and it would be my #2 if it had not be eradicated. So, with all my wishy-washiness I say:
All (races) are equal, but some (races) are more equal than others.
- archidude
- 19:49:18 07-24-2008
Because the history of the track and the extremely large purse, the Brickyard has to be the 2nd biggest race of the year. I've seen a number of articles about this subject this week and the one thing that stands out about Indy is that only big name racers have won this event. You don't see "flash in the pan" guys taking the checkers at Indy; Gordon, Earnhardt, Elliott, Stewart and Jarrett. The stats speak for themselves with Harvick as the low man with his single Daytona 500 victory. Indy has to be considered one of the "majors".
- JeffInRoswell
- 09:21:06 07-25-2008
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