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2008 Brickyard 400

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2008 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
Race details[1]
Race 20 of 36 in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season
2008 Brickyard 400 program cover
2008 Brickyard 400 program cover
Date July 27, 2008 (2008-July-27)
Official name Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
Location Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana
Course Permanent racing facility
2.5 mi (4.023 km)
Distance 160 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km)
Weather Hot with temperatures approaching 88 °F (31 °C); wind speeds up to 9.9 miles per hour (15.9 km/h)
Average speed 115.117 miles per hour (185.263 km/h)
Attendance 240,000
Pole position
Driver Hendrick Motorsports
Time 49.515
Most laps led
Driver Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports
Laps 71
Winner
No. 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network ESPN
Announcers Jerry Punch, Andy Petree and Dale Jarrett

The 2008 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, the 15th running of the event, 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 (640 km) event was raced on July 27 at the 2.5 miles (4.0 km) Indianapolis Motor Speedway located in Speedway, Indiana (a separate town 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; an average of just 9 green flag laps were run during the race.[2] Tires started to explode if the race was allowed to continue past that distance. Even at that distance, tires were down to the cords/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. By the 2013 race, the last year NASCAR tracked attendance, it dropped to 70,000.[3]

Qualifying

[edit]

Jimmie Johnson 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 retired following the season.

RANK[4] DRIVER NBR CAR TIME SPEED
1  Jimmie Johnson 48 Chevrolet 49.515   181.763  
2  Mark Martin 8 Chevrolet 49.616   181.393  
3  Ryan Newman 12 Dodge 49.732   180.970  
4  Kasey Kahne 9 Dodge 49.776   180.810  
5  Jeff Gordon 24 Chevrolet 49.849   180.545  
6  Elliott Sadler 19 Dodge 49.890   180.397  
7  Kurt Busch 2 Dodge 49.905   180.343  
8  Jamie McMurray 26 Ford 49.911   180.321  
9  Carl Edwards 99 Ford 49.942   180.209  
10  Matt Kenseth 17 Ford 50.023   179.917  
11  Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 88 Chevrolet 50.038   179.863  
12  Greg Biffle 16 Ford 50.067   179.759  
13  Juan Pablo Montoya 42 Dodge 50.084   179.698  
14  Tony Stewart 20 Toyota 50.145   179.480  
15  Patrick Carpentier 10 Dodge 50.146   179.476   *
16  David Ragan 6 Ford 50.261   179.065  
17  Brian Vickers 83 Toyota 50.303   178.916  
18  Kevin Harvick 29 Chevrolet 50.319   178.859  
19  Kyle Busch 18 Toyota 50.345   178.767  
20  David Gilliland 38 Ford 50.447   178.405  
21  Jason Leffler 70 Chevrolet 50.467   178.334   *
22  Reed Sorenson 41 Dodge 50.511   178.179  
23  Denny Hamlin 11 Toyota 50.514   178.168  
24  Marcos Ambrose 47 Ford 50.524   178.133   *
25  Martin Truex, Jr. 1 Chevrolet 50.568   177.978  
26  A.J. Allmendinger 84 Toyota 50.581   177.932   *
27  Bobby Labonte 43 Dodge 50.594   177.887  
28  Travis Kvapil 28 Ford 50.622   177.788  
29  Robby Gordon 7 Dodge 50.676   177.599  
30  Michael McDowell 00 Toyota 50.678   177.592  
31  Casey Mears 5 Chevrolet 50.698   177.522  
32  Jeff Burton 31 Chevrolet 50.724   177.431  
33  David Reutimann 44 Toyota 50.749   177.343  
34  Michael Waltrip 55 Toyota 50.770   177.270  
35  Scott Riggs 66 Chevrolet 50.796   177.179   *
36  Joe Nemechek 78 Chevrolet 50.823   177.085   *
37  Paul Menard 15 Chevrolet 50.848   176.998  
38  Sam Hornish, Jr. 77 Dodge 50.911   176.779  
39  J.J. Yeley 96 Toyota 50.923   176.737   *
40  Terry Labonte 45 Dodge 51.000   176.471   PC
41  Bill Elliott 21 Ford 51.267   175.552   *
42  Clint Bowyer 07 Chevrolet 51.471   174.856  
43  Dave Blaney 22 Toyota 51.728   173.987   OP
44  Johnny Sauter 08 Dodge 51.803   173.735   *
45  Tony Raines 34 Chevrolet 51.996   173.090   *
46  Stanton Barrett 50 Chevrolet 52.258   172.222   *
47  Regan Smith 01 Chevrolet OP

OP: qualified via owners points

PC: qualified as past champion

PR: provisional

QR: via qualifying race

* - had to qualify on time

Failed to qualify: Bill Elliott (#21), Stanton Barrett (#50), Johnny Sauter (#08), Tony Raines (#34).

Race

[edit]
Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the race track where the race was held.

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 different characteristics of the fifth-generation car that was being used for the first time at Indianapolis. Concerns led NASCAR to implement caution periods after ten laps for tire wear, a procedure NASCAR debuted at 1969 Talladega 500, which had a driver boycott over tire wear issues, and NASCAR called cautions after a specific time in order to allow teams to pit and change tires.

Competition cautions were called between 10–12 laps. Because of an accident involving Michael Waltrip on Lap 4, the first competition yellow would not wave until Lap 14 for a crash when Kurt Busch lost the car off of Turn 1, hitting Kevin Harvick in the process. The only other non-competition yellow came halfway through the race when Brian Vickers' Toyota had its engine fail. Some drivers compared the racing to the roots of NASCAR with ten-lap heat races, as nine competition cautions and the two incidents combined effectively led to ten "heat races" were thrown with the final sprint being a "feature" race. Jimmie Johnson won the race after a battle with Carl Edwards after various teams attempted a two-tire stop in what effectively had become the caution leading to the final shootout, similar to the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.

Numerous drivers suffered tire failures during the race. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was the first on lap 26, blowing a right rear tire while leading the race. Just 3 laps later, Juan Pablo Montoya blew a tire coming off of turn 2. ESPN reported major tire cording on Jeff Gordon. On lap 47, Carl Edwards reported on the radio that he had a right rear tire problem. Just seconds later on the same lap, Matt Kenseth spun on the backstretch with a right rear tire failure, causing major damage to the right side of the car. ESPN reported Kyle Busch had some tire problems on lap 65. After that, tires showed a slight improvement, even though the tires still showed major cording. Throughout the race, drivers expressed their disappointment at the events that had occurred prior and during the event, with Matt Kenseth saying in the garage "It's a really, really disappointing situation. You know, this is one of the biggest races in the year, to never have this car here, before or not come into an open test and then working on this things working the tires, it's pretty darn disappointing... I feel bad for the fans and everything, when we're running three quarters speed because we're worried the tires are going to fall off and we got them blowing every 8 laps. I'm pretty disappointed." NASCAR president Mike Helton announced that NASCAR threw out more competition cautions than expected. Many NASCAR fans compare it to the 2005 United States Grand Prix tire debacle, when tires blowing out became a major concern for drivers. Some also say that this race was another incident that caused the decline of NASCAR's popularity.[5]

Results

[edit]
POS[6] ST # DRIVER SPONSOR / OWNER CAR LAPS MONEY STATUS LED PTS
1 1 48   Jimmie Johnson Lowe's   (Rick Hendrick) Chevrolet 160 509236 running 71 195
2 9 99   Carl Edwards Aflac   (Jack Roush) Ford 160 366700 running 4 175
3 23 11   Denny Hamlin FedEx Office   (Joe Gibbs) Toyota 160 331516 running 26 170
4 6 19   Elliott Sadler Stanley   (Gillett Evernham Motorsports) Dodge 160 290745 running 5 165
5 5 24   Jeff Gordon DuPont   (Rick Hendrick) Chevrolet 160 275111 running 7 160
6 8 26   Jamie McMurray Crown Royal   (Jack Roush) Ford 160 206850 running 0 150
7 4 9   Kasey Kahne Budweiser / LifeLock   (Gillett Evernham Motorsports) Dodge 160 225491 running 0 146
8 12 16   Greg Biffle Dish Network / Dish DVRs   (Jack Roush) Ford 160 196225 running 0 142
9 32 31   Jeff Burton Prilosec OTC   (Richard Childress) Chevrolet 160 233783 running 10 143
10 26 84   A.J. Allmendinger Red Bull   (Dietrich Mateschitz) Toyota 160 178775 running 4 139
11 2 8   Mark Martin U.S. Army   (Dale Earnhardt, Inc.) Chevrolet 160 210383 running 0 130
12 11 88   Dale Earnhardt, Jr. National Guard / AMP Energy   (Rick Hendrick) Chevrolet 160 180950 running 8 132
13 3 12   Ryan Newman Alltel   (Roger Penske) Dodge 160 207975 running 0 124
14 16 6   David Ragan AAA Insurance   (Jack Roush) Ford 160 170000 running 0 121
15 19 18   Kyle Busch M&M's   (Joe Gibbs) Toyota 160 180700 running 14 123
16 27 43   Bobby Labonte Cheerios / Totino's Pizza Rolls   (Petty Enterprises) Dodge 160 195536 running 0 115
17 22 41   Reed Sorenson Target   (Chip Ganassi) Dodge 160 184689 running 0 112
18 15 10   Patrick Carpentier Sears Auto Center / Valvoline   (Gillett Evernham Motorsports) Dodge 160 154375 running 0 109
19 40 07   Clint Bowyer Jack Daniel's   (Richard Childress) Chevrolet 160 169875 running 0 106
20 20 38   David Gilliland FreeCreditReport.com   (Yates Racing) Ford 160 175183 running 0 103
21 38 77   Sam Hornish, Jr. Mobil 1   (Roger Penske) Dodge 160 195400 running 0 100
22 24 47   Marcos Ambrose Little Debbie Snacks   (Tad Geschickter) Ford 160 148825 running 0 97
23 14 20   Tony Stewart Home Depot   (Joe Gibbs) Toyota 160 197461 running 0 94
24 25 1   Martin Truex, Jr. Bass Pro Shops / Cub Cadet   (Dale Earnhardt, Inc.) Chevrolet 160 182408 running 3 96
25 35 66   Scott Riggs State Water Heaters   (Gene Haas) Chevrolet 160 166133 running 1 93
26 31 5   Casey Mears Kellogg's / Carquest   (Rick Hendrick) Chevrolet 160 162725 running 0 85
27 43 45   Terry Labonte Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil   (Petty Enterprises) Dodge 160 161083 running 0 82
28 39 96   J.J. Yeley DLP HDTV   (Jeff Moorad) Toyota 160 153825 running 0 79
29 36 78   Joe Nemechek Furniture Row / DenverMattress.com   (Barney Visser) Chevrolet 160 142225 running 0 76
30 33 44   David Reutimann UPS   (Michael Waltrip) Toyota 160 145200 running 0 73
31 42 01   Regan Smith Principal Financial Group   (Dale Earnhardt, Inc.) Chevrolet 160 152600 running 1 75
32 21 70   Jason Leffler Hunt Brothers Pizza   (Gene Haas) Chevrolet 160 140700 running 0 67
33 29 7   Robby Gordon Menards / Johns Manville   (Robby Gordon) Dodge 160 163558 running 0 64
34 30 00   Michael McDowell Champion Mortgage   (Michael Waltrip) Toyota 160 150097 running 1 66
35 41 22   Dave Blaney Caterpillar   (Bill Davis) Toyota 160 140300 running 1 63
36 28 28   Travis Kvapil Hitachi Power Tools   (Yates Racing) Ford 160 168214 running 3 60
37 18 29   Kevin Harvick Shell / Pennzoil   (Richard Childress) Chevrolet 148 186661 running 0 52
38 10 17   Matt Kenseth DeWalt   (Jack Roush) Ford 144 187241 running 0 49
39 13 42   Juan Pablo Montoya Wrigley's Big Red Slim Pack   (Chip Ganassi) Dodge 124 167408 crash 0 46
40 7 2   Kurt Busch Miller Lite   (Roger Penske) Dodge 119 139425 running 0 43
41 37 15   Paul Menard Menards / Johns Manville   (Dale Earnhardt, Inc.) Chevrolet 118 147300 running 0 40
42 17 83   Brian Vickers Red Bull   (Dietrich Mateschitz) Toyota 93 147600 engine 1 42
43 34 55   Michael Waltrip NAPA Auto Parts   (Michael Waltrip) Toyota 91 139494 running 0 34
Failed to qualify, withdrew, or driver changes:
POS NAME NBR SPONSOR OWNER CAR
44 Bill Elliott 21 Motorcraft Wood Brothers Ford
45 Johnny Sauter 08 getFUBAR.com John Carter Dodge
46 Tony Raines 34 doorstopnation.com Bob Jenkins Chevrolet
47 Stanton Barrett 50 NOS Energy Drink Chris Lencheski Chevrolet

Post-race

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Two days following the running of the race, NASCAR VP of competition Robin Pemberton formally apologized for the problems, saying that it did not 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.[7]

Legacy

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Many fans have pointed to this race to the overall decline of the Brickyard 400 in general.[8][9] By 2021, NASCAR eventually moved the race to the Speedway's road course, although they returned to the oval in 2024.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Weather information for the 2008 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard at The Old Farmers' Almanac
  2. ^ "2008 Allstate 400 At The Brickyard". Racing-Reference. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
  3. ^ Horrall, Zach. "Tire debacle at 2008 Brickyard 400: 'Oh no, we're in trouble'". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  4. ^ "Race Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
  5. ^ Nascar Blows it at Indy, archived from the original on 2021-12-21, retrieved 2021-05-03
  6. ^ "Race Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
  7. ^ Indianapolismotorspeedway.com Archived 2009-02-26 at the Wayback Machine "Goodyear, NASCAR Stars Pleased With Progress At Indy Tire Test" Retrieved February 1, 2009
  8. ^ "The Brickyard 400 Doesn't Matter Anymore". Apex Off. 2019-09-08. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  9. ^ "Brick wall: Why Indy has lost its allure for NASCAR fans". www.sportingnews.com. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
[edit]
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2008 LifeLock.com 400
Sprint Cup Series
2008 season
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