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On motorsports YouTube, it’s hard to find anyone more passionate about the Indianapolis Motor Speedway than David Land. He’s also, unapologetically, a racing purist in a lot of aspects, and he does not always agree with the decisions NASCAR makes. However, he still wants to see the NASCAR race at his childhood hometown track succeed as well.
In response to NASCAR’s rumored move back to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval, David Land added his opinion on the potential return of the Brickyard 400. Sporting a lab coat standing next to a whiteboard, David Land goes through what he feels NASCAR and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway should do to “fix” the Brickyard 400. What did he have to say, and how much of it can or will actually happen?
David Land suggested completely breaking the mold of what a traditional modern NASCAR race is for the Brickyard 400. From how you qualify for the race, to field sizes, to restarts, to stages.
David Land described what a race at Indianapolis should be, to him, in these four words: special, difficult, exclusive, and with a sense of urgency. He then goes into depth about the three-day Brickyard 400 weekend, and how that would allow for these four things he is looking for. He models a lot of how he goes about the race weekend around the way that the Indianapolis 500 is approached.
It’s a completely different way to approach a NASCAR race weekend. It’s also a different way to approach a race itself. The Brickyard 400 itself has some pretty major changes made to it as well in this scenario David Land has put together.
Obviously, it’s very unrealistic that all of the things he suggested would actually happen because NASCAR would have to break a lot of their own rules to make a lot of these changes happen. However, the sentiment David Land has makes a lot of sense.
He says in the first of his four words to describe what a race at Indianapolis should be that the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis should be special. Why not implement some unique aspects that make this race special?
The Indianapolis 500, which David Land models a large part of his Brickyard 400 weekend proposal after, is more than just a one-day show. There is practice all throughout the month of May, and qualifying happens one week before the actual race.
It’s truly unlike any IndyCar race or motor race in general that you see. NASCAR has even gone this route to some extent with the Daytona 500. No other points race in NASCAR has qualifying races a few days before the actual race.
Why is the Daytona 500 like this? It is a special and unique event. It’s not like the rest of the races on the schedule, and its’ qualifying procedure reflects that exactly as it should.
The Brickyard 400 was a very prestigious race, and it still should be. NASCAR would be the only other sanctioning body to run on the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway Oval other than IndyCars for the Indianapolis 500. Running on that race track is an incredible privilege.
This race should not feel like a normal race weekend. Why should NASCAR not break the mold? If they want the Brickyard 400 to be a “Crown Jewel” once again, they are going to have to think outside the box.
It’s worth noting that the race is still not guaranteed to happen yet, and there are a lot of factors to consider with this race. What is preventing the things that diminished the value of the Brickyard 400 from happening again? Will the racing product be good enough to keep fans interested in the race where it needs to be?
That is the ultimate question, and it will be interesting to see how creative NASCAR gets with the Brickyard 400 if it returns. Who knows?
