RACE REPORT
Brickyard 400
August 7, 2005; Speedway, Indiana
2.5-mile, Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Stewart finally wins Indy. A dream come true, Tony Stewart, a native of Indiana, finally won in his home state and at his favorite track. Stewart passed Kasey Kahne with 11 laps left on a restart and held him off for the popular victory. It was his fourth win of the season.

FINAL RESULTS:
1. Tony Stewart, Chevrolet
2. Kasey Kahne, Dodge
3. Brian Vickers, Chevrolet
4. Jeremy Mayfield, Dodge
5. Matt Kenseth, Ford
13. Kyle Petty, Georgia-Pacific/Marsh Stores Dodge
15. Jeff Green, Box Tops/Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge

FULL RUNDOWN: http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2005...nofficial.html

TELEVISION: NBC, nationally televised.
RADIO: Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network

OVERVIEW:

The talk all week was that of Tony Stewart moving back to his hometown in Columbus (Ind.) and attempting to win his first Brickyard 400. Stewart made his dream a reality on Sunday by winning the ‘400’ at the famed 2.5-mile Indianapolis (Ind.) Motor Speedway. He started from the 22nd spot in Sunday’s race, but showed that he was a man to beat by climbing to the front. A steady climb, Stewart took the lead for the first time on lap 100. The final 60 laps a duel between Stewart and Kahne determined the outcome of the race. As drivers were suffering from blown tires, Kahne and Stewart swapped the lead on the track and on pit road. A final restart with 11 laps left, Stewart made an inside pass on Kahne heading into the first turn. That pass was all Stewart needed to seal his first victory at Indy. Kahne finished second with Brian Vickers, Jeremy Mayfield and Matt Kenseth rounding out the top five.

Kyle Petty, #45 Georgia-Pacific/Marsh Stores Dodge
Finished: 13; Started: 28

Petty and the #45 Georgia-Pacific/Marsh Stores Dodge team finished an impressive 13th on Sunday after crew chief Paul Andrews made a good call from pit road in the closing laps. Petty started the race in 28th, but fought a tight handling Dodge all afternoon. The team adjusted on the Georgia-Pacific/Marsh Stores Dodge on pit road and the car came around to the team. The team did lead a lap in the day’s race while in the middle of making adjustments. Petty was then ready to make his move in the closing laps. A late race caution, cars in front of Petty decided to hit pit road, but Andrews made the call for Petty to stay out on the track. Petty restarted 12th and ended the day 13th.

“That was a great call by Paul (Andrews),” said Petty. “It was really a good day for both Petty cars. We just kept working on it, and we now have four top 15 finishes for Evernham Engines in one day. We are proud to do that for him. The guys worked really hard on this car today, and we really made it count at the end. It was an aggressive race, but we stayed in there for a solid finish.”

Jeff Green, #43 Box Tops/Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge
Finished: 15; Started: 15

Jeff Green and the #43 Box Tops/Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge team finished where they started on Sunday, but it was how they got there that was impressive. Green and the team started off the day with a major adjustment. The team had to replace a left front shock, but didn’t lose a lap in the process. The team was then fighting back to the front when a left front tire punctured, sending Green into the wall. Green did a remarkable job of not causing further damage to the car. The “Helping Hands” pit crew again went to work and got Green back on the track. This time, however, he was one lap down. The driver proved that his Cheerios Dodge was fast. The team got the ‘lucky dog’ award and was placed back on the lead lap with the second half of the race to run. Green used that time to race up into the top 20. Crew Chief Greg Steadman made a late race call for only two tires on their last stop and Green raced to a 15th-place finish.

“This Cheerios Dodge was pretty fast today,” said Green. “We need to figure out how to get a complete day. We came from the back twice today and we had a really good car. We proved that, but we just need to stay up front and complete the day with a top five or top 10. The guys are working hard and we have had some good cars. Hopefully we can get some good finishes like this the rest of the season.”

NEXT RACE:
SIRIUS Satellite Radio at The Glen; Sunday, August 14. 2.45-mile Watkins Glen (N.Y) International Road Course. Live (NBC)

 

Kahne was so close too...



-Matt-

 

I loves me some Kasey! I've been rooting for the Pettys for as long as I've been aware racing existed and KK is definately cut from the same cloth. Kyle and Jeff are in the same camp so I keep tabs on them plus it's fun to pull for the underdog. I thought I'd post this just because it's one of Kyles best finishes in recent months and I was stuck on 13 posts anyway.
If only I could get KP to play Nascar2005 on xbox like EJr. and the other younguns. With all his real-life driving experience, He'd rule!