Prior to 1994, only open-wheel under a variety of sanctions—including AAA, USAC, CART and IRL—com- peted at the Speedway. Occasionally, drivers from or other racing cir- cuits in the U.S. would enter, but rarely with any success after the teens. ‘GO-KARTS’ Frenchmen , driving a , and Rene Thomas, in a De- lage, won the 1913 and 1914 races. All- vs. time great American Ralph DePalma won the ’15 race in a Mercedes and the following year Dario Rasta won in an- other Peugeot. Following a two-year break due to World War I, Gaston ’s win in a Frontenac in 1920 ended meaningful participation by European cars or driv - ‘TAXICABS’ ers, until Wilber Shaw used a Maserati BY PACK BRYAN for the first back-to-back wins at the Speedway, in 1939 and 1940. ndy car fans call the NASCAR when NASCAR added the Brickyard The original surface was made up of racers “taxicabs” while NASCAR 400 at to its event schedule. 3.2 million paving bricks (hence the fans refer to Indy cars as “Go- When you race at the Indianapolis nickname “The Brickyard,” and two of Karts.” They’ll never race Motor Speedway, you’ve reached the which are now embedded in my patio), against each other, but it’s an in- top! The name “Indianapolis” is almost but over the years since the 1930s, the teresting exercise to look at the synonymous with “.” bricks have been covered with asphalt two kinds of cars and see how they It’s been that way since 1911, when many times. Only a three-foot section of Imatch up running on the same track. won the first 500 Mile brick at the starting line remains, in a Are we comparing apples and oranges race at an average of 74.602 mph. bow to tradition. here, or can you really make a side-by- It took him 6 hours, 42 minutes to do it. The two front and back straight 5 side evaluation of the vehicles running in In 2008, New Zealander stretches are each ⁄8 mi. long, separated 1 the two most popular forms of racing in won the race in 3 hours, 28 minutes, 57 by a pair of short ⁄8-mi. stretches. These 1 the U.S.? That became possible in 1994 seconds. Average speed: 143.567 mph. are connected by four identical ⁄4-mi.

NASCAR’s Sprint Cup and the Indy Racing League are this country’s two most popular racing series. While race cars built for the two series looklook veryvery different,different, theythey have one very important thing inin common:common: They’reThey’re builtbuilt forfor speed.speed.

22 March 2009 banked turns, banked at a mild 9 de- Chryslers, Mercurys and . Unfortunately, just a few weeks be- grees, 12 minutes. While supposedly The Good Ol’ Boys’ plans were greet- fore the first in February identical, drivers say that each corner is ed with much skepticism, not only by 1959, NASCAR superstar Marshall totally different from the others. the sports car and Grand Prix aficiona- Teague was killed as he attempted to set Stock cars had been competing with dos, but by open-wheel fans as well. a closed-course record in a modified In- each other ever since two pioneer car Edging up toward the Jaguar and dianapolis roadster. Then, in April, Indy owners got to wondering whose was performances, the southern cars car driver George Amick was killed in fastest, but rarely at a “recognized” stunned everyone with their speed and an Indy car race on the track. The loss track. Soon, the process became find a maneuverability. Still actually “stock,” of Teague and Amick so disturbed Bill track (usually a fairgrounds horse the cars were modified street cars with that he barred further Indy car track), assemble a group of drivers, lo- strengthened chassis and running gear, races at the track, and they haven’t offi- cate a promoter to publicize the event, and (sometimes) a roll bar welded in- cially run there since. sell tickets to make up a purse and go side the cockpit to protect the driver. During the next 30-plus years, open- racing. “Win on Sunday, sell on Monday” was wheel drivers like Mario and In 1949, NASCAR was formed as a gaining believability as a slogan. A.J. Foyt entered and won the Daytona sanctioning body to supply the group Tim Flock, driving a , won 500, while NASCAR superstars like Don- strength, cohesion and consistency the 258-mi. race, averaging 73.858 mph nie and Bobby Alison and Lee Roy and needed for success. Since then, the pre- in the rain! He won all of $2950 for the entered but had less mier group has grown race! The speed record on the track at success running in the . to become the most popular form of the time was 80.2 mph, posted the pre- Finally, in 1992, NASCAR sent nine racing in the country. Its cars had vious September by , just start- drivers to test tires on the Indianapolis evolved from the souped-up coupes and ing his legendary career. He drove a track. Top speed of the test was 168.767 sedans used by backwoods bootleggers Ferrari, designed and built specifically mph, achieved by on June throughout the south, and it was in the for road course racing. Many doubting 23. At the Indy 500 that year, Roberto southeast where, until recently, it minds were changed. Guerrero was clocked at 232.484 mph achieved its greatest success. Three years later, in 1959, Bill France to win the pole, and , Jr., won 1 NASCAR’s first venture north into opened the 2 ⁄2-mi. Daytona International the race, at an average speed for the Open Wheel territory was in a race in Speedway. With banking in the corners 500 mi. of 134.447 mph. 1956 on the road course at Elkhart Lake, of 31 degrees, on the tri-oval 18 degrees Then, on Aug. 16, 1994, WI. A favorite of sports and Grand Prix and on the three straights 3 degrees, it won the first NASCAR Brickyard 400 at car drivers, the 4-mi., 14-turn track was soon became recognized as a great high- an average speed of 131.977 mph. (Ear- believed to be too tough and twisty for speed track, one that would undoubted- lier that year, Al Unser, Jr., won the 500 the supposedly overweight, wallowing ly be the scene of many fabulous races for the second time, at an average speed

stock cars of the day—Hudsons, and record-setting performances. of 160.872 mph.) The Brickyard 400 photo Speedway Indianapolis Motor

Aerial view of the track looking southwestsouthwest fromfrom thethe thirdthird turnturn during the 2008 Indy 500.

March 2009 23 ‘GO-KARTS’ vs. ‘TAXICABS’ Photo: Ron McQueeney Ron Photo: Scott Dixon, the 2008 Indy 500 winner, speeds down the main stretch. has since gone on to become the second modern stock racer: Virtually the only tubing for the main shapes, and smaller most popular race of the NASCAR sea- thing on the car that is really “stock” is tubing for supports and connectors. A 1 son, consistently drawing huge crowds. the manufacturer’s logo, and often that’s ⁄8-in. sheet steel barrier is welded to the a decal. So are the headlights and tail- roll cage on the driver’s side. The Cars lights! In reality, a NASCAR racer is just The car body is molded of 22-guage It’s easy to tell the difference between a as much a custom, purpose-built vehicle sheet steel, and energy-absorbing materi- stock car and an open-wheel racer as is an open-wheel Indy car. als are installed between the driver’s side when they’re sitting side-by-side, but Built to the organization’s specifica- roll cage door bars and the outside skin how much difference is there, really? tion and blueprints, the frame of of the car. Each of the four manufactur- Probably less than you think. The chart NASCAR’s top Sprint Cup racer is ers whose engines power the individual below gives a spec-by-spec comparison made of 3x4-in. .093-in. wall rectangular cars supply their teams with nose- and of an open-wheel Indy car and a steel tubing, doubled on the driver’s tailpieces, usually molded of fiberglass, NASCAR racer. side. The roll cage is welded together, along with hoods, roofs and deck lids. 3 Let’s get something straight about the using .093 1 ⁄4-in.-dia. seamless steel The “paint job” on most of the NASCAR competitors is actually a large decal. Decals provide more uniformity, Comparison:Comparison: IndyIndy CarCar vs.vs. NASCARNASCAR RacerRacer a better finish with more accurate placement of sponsors’ logos and, most Category Indy NASCAR importantly, save time. An Indy chassis is often referred to Engine 183.07-cu.-in. aluminum V8, 358-cu.-in. cast-iron V8, 32-valve DOHC aluminum cylinder heads as a “tub.” Tremendously strong, it’s a monocoque made of carbon fiber with Horsepower 670 @ 10,500 rpm; rev limiter 850 @ 9000 rpm an aluminum honeycomb core, along Induction Electronic fuel injection 4-barrel Holley carburetor with Kevlar and other composites. It Fuel 100% fuel-grade ethanol, Unleaded racing fuel, houses the cockpit, fuel cell and front 22-gal. capacity 17.75-gal. capacity suspension, plus antiroll bar adjusters, Transmission 6 forward gears, 4-speed manual the front air jack, the headrest struc- sequential manual shifting ture, the roll hoop, air jack fittings and Monocoque carbon fiber, Kevlar Rectangular steel tubing with the molded seat. The engine is also a Chassis and other composites; engine is integral tubular steel roll cage stressed (integral) part. The bellhous- stressed, integral member of chassis ing, gearbox and rear suspension mem- Front Lever action coil-over-shock Independent coil springs, bers make up the rear assembly. Suspension with upper/lower A-frames upper/lower A-frames The outer skin is made of aluminum Rear Lever action coil-over-shock Trailing arms, coil springs, or fiberglass panels, held to the chassis Suspension with upper/lower A-frames panhard bar by Dsuz fasteners. Wheelbase 120 Ϯ2 in. 110 in. Indy cars and NASCAR racers use Weight 1565 lbs. min for oval, 3450 lbs. without driver or fuel, different methods of refueling during a 1630 lbs. min for road course 1650 lbs. min for right side race. IRL cars have fuel delivered Length 192 in. min 198.5 in. though an airliner type connection, al- lowing gravity-fed ethanol to run Body Width 78.5 in. max, 77.5 in. min 74 in. (outside rim-to-rim) through a large hose from a big, elevat- ed pit-side tank and into the car.

24 March 2009 ‘GO-KARTS’ vs. ‘TAXICABS’ IMS photo: Don Helrigel IMS photo:

IMS photo: Steve Snoddy Steve IMS photo: In 2003, then three-time Brickyard 400 winner Jeff Gordon (left) is about to Head-on view of step into ’s Grand Prix car while Montoya prepares for winner . a ride in Gordon’s NASCAR racer. Montoya is now a NASCAR regular.

NASCAR racers are fed by hand- rear wings, with strict regulations re- two-piece, consisting of a main plane held, modified dairyman’s milk cans, garding their size, shape and place- attached at a mandated angle of Ϫ2.5 each with a capacity of 11 gals. and ment. These add down-force, but also degrees and a top flap whose adjust- hoisted by a (strong) crewman and can limit top speeds. ment varies depending on the track poured through the fuel filler opening. The current car running in NASCAR where the car is running. A second crewmen stands by to collect has an adjustable front splitter mounted overflow with a smaller can. beneath the grill. Its projection is limit- Driving the Cars To prepare for pit stops, both ed to 4 to 6 in. and the angle of attack What are the cars like in competition? NASCAR and IRL crewmen follow can be controlled by five turnbuckles. To begin, 33 cars start the Indy 500, 22 rigorous daily one-hour physical fitness Brackets for the rear wing are mounted cars in other races. All NASCAR races, routines to assure their strength and on the trunk of the car, and are de- on the other hand (including the Brick- agility during pit stops. NASCAR pit signed to allow considerable adjust- yard 400), are more crowded, with 43 stops when four tires are changed aver- ment of the NASCAR-supplied wing. cars. We talked to several drivers age less than 15 seconds seconds, while You could say that there’s a third who’ve driven in both races. IRL stops are slightly quicker. We’re at an apples-and-oranges point here, because NASCAR has built into its cars a number of anachronisms to main- tain the image of stock car racing. That also tends to slow down pit stops, but not nearly as much as you might expect. Those NASCAR crewmen are good! For example, hand-pumped hydraul - ic jacks are used to elevate cars for tire changing: Pump up one side, change the two tires, then drop the car, carry the jack around to the other side and repeat the process. IRL saves time by

having built-in air jacks lift the chassis. Bryan Pack Photo: NASCAR wheels are mounted with This is an interior view of the front left driver’s side of a NASCAR Sprint Cup five lug nuts that are spun off and on in- chassis. Note the tubular steel roll cage and side bars. dividually with an air wrench, while IRL wheels are mounted with a single wing on an Indy car. Working with the Juan Pablo Montoya was the 1999 knock-off nut, spun off and onto the nose and tail wings, the shaped bottom CART champion and won the Indy axle with an air wrench. Both NASCAR of the chassis (tub) provides a ground 500 as a rookie in 2000. He then com- and IRL tires are totally smooth with- effect that can exert up to 5000 lbs. of peted in from 2001 to out a tread pattern, for maximum adhe- force when speeds reach into the 220- 2006, amassing seven wins and, in sion on dry track surfaces…racing mph bracket. 2003, winning the series premier “slicks.” Neither group runs in the rain. At the Speedway, front wings consist event, the . Starting You can’t go flying around a race- of a mainframe and end fences. The in 2006 with one NASCAR race, he track these days without wings, and end fences are usually in line with the won his first career start at Infineon both NASCAR and IRL have front and center of the front tires. Rear wings are Raceway in 2007. He scored two Top

March 2009 25 ‘GO-KARTS’ vs. ‘TAXICABS’ Photos: Pack Bryan Pack Photos: A finished NASCAR Sprint Cup body, showing the identify- Each Sprint Cup car must run a NASCAR-supplied rear ing nosepiece. The running gear remains to be installed. spoiler. Its mounting brackets are shown here.

Fives and three Top Tens in 2008. He found braking going into the turn in a specializes in long-distance challenges finished second to in the stock car greatly different from keeping such as the , and is a three- 2007 Brickyard 400. your foot down at the same spot in the time winner of the . Three- Driving in the Brickyard 400 at Indy, race track in an Indy car. time Sprint Cup champion Darrell Wal- he says, “is like everything in NASCAR. trip says Gordon has the best control of You just run so close to each other and The Iron Men his car of almost anyone in racing. at such high speeds that it makes for in- Running the full Indianapolis 500 race In 2002 he qualified 11th for the In- credible racing. The biggest adjust- is not only a test of a driver’s physical dy 500 and finished eighth. After that ment, though, is how much more stock condition, but also of his determination race, following the same path as John cars move around on the track. They and ability to concentrate. It’s an even Andretti, he made it to start the 600 at are so much heavier and with so much tougher challenge to compete in a 600- Charlotte and finished 16th. In 2003, he less down-force that it makes the cars mi. race, such as the Coca-Cola 600 in started third at Indy, but a broken gear- much more challenging to handle. Charlotte, run on the same day as the box put him back to 22nd for the finish, Compared to Daytona and Talladega, Indy 500. while at Charlotte he finished 17th. there is a lot less banking, which also What kind of man would enter both Tony Stewart made two tries at our makes the cars move around a lot more. races and expect to survive? Three of “iron man” title and scored higher than “I think the biggest advantage I had the drivers we’ve been talking with for either Andretti or Gordon, but his from winning the 500,” Montoya con- this report did just that. record shows no wins. In 1999, the tinued, “was knowing the track itself. I is an all-around driver IRL’s 1997 champion finished ninth at feel like I know every inch of the track who made his first mark in racing in Indianapolis and fourth at Charlotte. In and know what to expect from it. The 1985 as USAC’s National Midget Rook- 2001, he came closer to the goal, with a handling of the stock cars always pre- ie of the Year. He first qualified at Indy sixth at Indy and a third at Charlotte. sents an added challenge. in 1988, has run in NASCAR and has Stewart has not driven in the Indy “Drafting in NASCAR, although sim- won a round in NHRA’s 500 since, but still has winning the May ilar in concept to that in the IRL, is still Dragster competition. He’s a veteran of event on his to-do list. He already has very different. In NASCAR, the more 1099 laps in competition at the Indy two Brickyard 400 trophies and two cars you have lined up, the faster you track between 1988 and 1994. Sprint Cup Championships in his col- go, and in order to get in those long In 1994, he started on the inside of lection. In 2009, his big challenge will lines you have to trust the other drivers the fourth row in tenth place in the Indi- be to adjust to ownership of his own and they have to trust you. At Indi- anapolis 500 and finished a respectable NASCAR team, Stewart-Haas Racing. anapolis, you are not running restrictor tenth, driving for his godfather, A.J. Schedule changes have made the plate engines, so the drafting is not Foyt. He then jumped out of his Indy 1100-mi. double at Indy and Charlotte quite as critical,” Montoya said. car, helicoptered to a local airport, a thing of the past, but the records show Having won the Indy 500 on his first hopped on an executive jet to Charlotte, that some drivers just want to try, Montoya has no interest in doing it took another helicopter to the Charlotte race…anything at any time. These again. But winning the Brickyard 400, racetrack and made the start of that three took advantage of the opportunity “that would be special. I don’t think any- race. Unfortunately, he had engine when it was there. one has done both before,” he added. problems and finished 36th. That Sam Hornish, another Indy winner, he was the only driver to run in both the This article can be found online at who amassed three IRL championships Indy 500 and the Brickyard 400. www.motormagazine.com. on his way to the 2006 Indy 500 win, Off-road champion

26 March 2009