2008 SPRINT CUP RACE 20: Brickyard 400 @ Indianapolis

Indianapolis Motor Speedway is one of those tracks with a great deal of history, especially with the Indianapolis 500. NASCAR drivers have won that prestigious race, and when NASCAR got a date there during their schedule, it instantly became one of the races every driver wants to win once in their lifetime and to be able to "kiss the bricks". This Brickyard 400 for the Sprint Cup this weekend was the first time the COT platform has raced on the 2.5 mile oval. Jimmie Johnson scored the pole for the race over Mark Martin in the #8 car. Qualifying went well but based on the practices held there, there was talk of a bad tire problem that could affect the racing on Sunday. Since NASCAR was aware of this, they planned a couple competition yellows following the race start to examine the tire situation. Unfortunately, people began blowing tires before the competition yellows were called and it created a big mess all race long. With multiple tires blowing, NASCAR set regular competition yellows to do some tire testing. At one point, Matt Kenseth's left rear "exploded" when his tire blew. His car was completely demolished. Others like Kurt Busch and Michael Waltrip also blew tires during the race. The race never went over 15 laps of green flag racing in the 160 lap event. Goodyear had fingers pointing at them for using a bad tire compound for the Indy race. Whether it was Goodyear, something with the COT, or the track surface itself, Goodyear and NASCAR vowed to have a good race in 2009 with all the problems fixed. So who prevailed? None other than Jimmie Johnson. He started on the pole and led the most laps conquering the tough task of conserving tires all day. Sidenote: At one point under caution, Jeff Burton hit some birds on the racetrack. At least one died I believe. A confusing race but three Chevys, three Fords, two Dodges, and two Toyotas got Top 10 finishes. Pretty equal given the tire problems I'd say. As for commenting on the racing, ehh I'll take a day off...nothing to comment on haha.

The Top 10:
1. #48 Jimmie Johnson (Chevrolet)
2. #99 Carl Edwards (Ford)
3. #11 Denny Hamlin (Toyota)
4. #19 Elliott Sadler (Dodge)
5. #24 Jeff Gordon (Chevrolet)
6. #26 Jamie McMurray (Ford)
7. #9 Kasey Kahne (Dodge)
8. #16 Greg Biffle (Ford)
9. #31 Jeff Burton (Chevrolet)
10. #84 A.J. Allmendinger (Toyota)

With Indy over and done with, its off to Pocono again for the Pennsylvania 500.