Motorsports

What's in a name? One more change at Indy

By BRANT JAMES
Published August 6, 2005

SPEEDWAY, Ind. - Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials sent the traditionalists, who so revere the storied 2.5-mile track, caterwauling down Georgetown Road this year with the announcement that the name of the Brickyard 400 had been sold to a sponsor and changed to the Allstate 400.

That NASCAR came 12 years ago to the home of the Indy 500 was enough of an insult anyway, many contended. Now this?

The name of one of NASCAR's most popular races was sold, leaving its signature event - the Daytona 500 - as the lone one without sponsor branding. NASCAR CEO Brian France said in a teleconference that any decision on whether that name will ever be sold is "above my pay grade."

Such matters are exactly within the pay grade of IMS president Joie Chitwood, however, and he said the Allstate deal simply made sense for the track. Allstate, he said, was the right kind of "partner."

"And if there is one thing we know about motorsports, it's (that) sponsors are the backbone of motorsports," he said. "It's so much different than other sports properties, in fact, that its drivers, its teams, its racetracks, its sanctioning bodies have sponsors. I think it was a natural evolution."

That evolution, he insists, will alter what the track sees as the real traditions.

"It's not going to change the fact the drivers are going to get on the yard of bricks and kiss 'em after they win," he said, "not going to change the fact a Hulman-George family member is going to say "Gentlemen, start your engines."'

Driver Jamie McMurray learned first-hand, however, how passionate fans are about Indy traditions.

"Honestly, I didn't know what the name of it was," he said. "I didn't realize they had changed it. I signed autographs (Thursday) night at a Dodge appearance, and a race fan in the back screamed above 20 other people, "It's always going to be the Brickyard 400.' I didn't realize what he meant until 10 minutes later. Then I started signing all these flags that said "Allstate.'

"I guess in a driver's eyes - not to take anything away from Allstate, because sponsors are obviously what drive our sport - but it will probably always be the Brickyard 400. Just like the Daytona 500 will always be the Daytona 500, whether a sponsor comes along or not."

Chitwood said the Indy 500 will do the same.

"The Indy 500 has had a great name since 1911," he said. "I see no reason to change that name."

WASH OUT: Rain canceled two Nextel Cup practices. In a revised schedule, teams will practice at 9 and 10:30 this morning and qualify at 4:10 p.m. Nextel Cup qualifying at Indy has traditionally been held in the morning, skewing the ability to determine the fastest cars because track conditions change so drastically from morning to early afternoon. Cars qualifying early on the cool surface are generally much faster. Casey Mears set the pole record last year with a 186.293 mph lap.

MAKE UP: McMurray said he has yet to speak with future Roush Racing teammate Matt Kenseth since they banged into each other then sniped at each other at New Hampshire on July 17. Kenseth was already displeased that he learned through the media that McMurray would replace retiring teammate Mark Martin in the No. 6 Ford in 2007.

"It doesn't do any good to let (the dispute) go on," McMurray said. "It's probably somewhat my fault. He tried to call me the following Monday and I didn't call him back. I didn't really know what to say at the time. I didn't know if it was going to come out right. I'm over it."

[Last modified August 6, 2005, 01:36:22]