Controversial 1994 Brickyard 400 Brings Back a Flood of Memories on 30th Anniversary

On a hot August day in 1994, NASCAR made history with its Cup Series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. That’s when the roar of stock cars replaced the whine of Indy Cars on the 2.5-mile speedway that had been viewed as hallowed ground for open-wheel cars since 1909.

It was a change that was welcomed by many, but hated by others, including then Indianapolis Star reporter Robin Miller.

Ironically, NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., who had been thrown out of IMS in 1962 for arguing with an official, didn’t believe stock cars should race at Indianapolis because the flat turns couldn’t showcase them like the high-banked speedways. However, his son, Bill France Jr., was now running NASCAR and he believed that adding Indy to the series schedule would help it grow and give it prestige.

The inaugural Brickyard 400 had been two years in the making, beginning with a “tire test” in June 1992 that involved nine drivers—Dale Earnhardt, Rusty Wallace, Davey Allison, Kyle Petty, Mark Martin, Darrell Waltrip, Ricky Rudd, Bill Elliott and Ernie Irvan. It was an experience I will never forget. The security personnel, with whom I had been told not to argue with, were extremely nice.

Earnhardt sat on a bicycle’s handlebars and peddled the bicycle backwards. There were those who attempted to follow Indy tradition and push their cars onto pit road. However, Wallace wasn’t among them. The Roger Penske driver fired up his Pontiac in the garage and squealed his tires as he sped from Gasoline Alley onto pit road to the delight of more than 40,000 people.

Hundreds of autographs were signed during those two days. On the final day as fans crowded against the garage fence, Bill Jr. pointed to then series director Dick Beaty’s Winston Cup official cap and indicated to him to toss it to the fans. Beaty handed it to me and said, “Here, you throw it.”

Tony George was the IMS president then and the track was owned by Hulman & Company. Bill Jr. considered the two-day test “pretty impressive”, but noted it was up to management to change its traditional direction of having only one race—the Indianapolis 500.

Another two-day test in 1993 was for multiple NASCAR Cup teams as preparations continued for the 1994 event. However, for the 43 drivers who qualified for the inaugural Brickyard 400, as well as those who attended and covered it, it was a once-in-a-lifetime moment.

To watch qualifying, one had to sit in the grandstands lining pit road. The media workroom was a long, one-story, crowded concrete building behind the grandstands that lined pit road. We had already been warned that fans often tossed items down on people walking between the back of the grandstand and media workroom.

Eighty-six drivers, from various forms of motorsports, attempted to qualify for the event. Most of the regular Cup drivers made the 43-car field, but so did four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A.J. Foyt, 1985 Indy 500 winner Danny Sullivan and Geoff Brabham. Among those failing to qualify for the race were Joe Ruttman, the younger brother of 1952 Indy 500 winner Troy Ruttman, Gary Bettenhausen, Hershel McGriff, who had raced in the 1950 inaugural Southern 500, Charlie Glotzbach, Butch Gilliland and P.J. Jones.

That weekend the constant whistle blowing by the “yellow shirts” or security personnel became aggravating. One crew member actually jerked the whistle out of a person’s mouth as he walked by enroute to pit road. Still, there was an aurora about the event that you knew you were a part of something special, something historical. Whether it was participating in the golf tournament, touring the speedway’s museum, or browsing through historical Indianapolis 500 photos, the inaugural Brickyard 400 weekend was different.

Most of the media that regularly covered NASCAR were surprised at Rick Mast earning the pole, but they predicted Jeff Gordon would win the inaugural event. After all, he was the sport’s rising star and had lived and raced Sprint Cars in Indiana.

Approximately 300,000 fans showed up for the inaugural event and watched Gordon and crew chief Ray Evernham race into history.

Prior to the Brickyard 400 NASCAR had its triple crown—Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600 and Southern 500. However, with Indianapolis now added to the schedule, NASCAR dubbed those four races its Crown Jewels. The Indy race lost its luster when it moved the Cup race to the track’s road course in 2021.

However, this year it’s back on the oval for the race’s 30th anniversary and the shine has returned to the Brickyard crown jewel.