FYI WIRZ: NASCAR's Paul Menard, Jeff Gordon Talk Amazing Race at Indianapolis

Drivers for the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) often speak out about the parity and high level of competition in the Sprint Cup Series. Most say 20 to 25 teams are capable of winning every race week.

First time Sprint Cup winners in 2011 Trevor Bayne, Regan Smith, David Ragan and now Paul Menard, who crossed the finish line first at Sunday’s Brickyard 400 presented by bigmachinerecords.com, are prime examples.

In Indianapolis, many drivers got their teams to the front without major crashes, but the order changed frequently with pit-road strategy.      
 
Track position is critical at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as it’s hard to pass on the 2.5-mile track with the low nine-degree banking. Pit stops with tire and fuel decisions proved significant for the 13 leaders. There were 22 lead changes.

In the end, Menard and Regan Smith prevailed with little fuel remaining, as Jeff Gordon charged to the front but could not get past Menard.

Menard, Gordon and Smith shared comments before and after the exciting race that attracted a crowd of 138,000.

Off-track viewers tuned in to ESPN as the network returned to its 2011 NASCAR coverage with newly promoted lap-by-lap announcer Allen Bestwick joining analysts Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree.

Paul Menard (No. 27 Chevrolet) Finished first, started eighth
 
Before the green flag:

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“I love Indianapolis and I really look forward to going there every year,” Menard said. “I was eight years old the first time I ever went there, and it was the coolest experience I’ve ever been through. I’ve been a huge fan of Indianapolis ever since. We would go to the (Indianapolis) 500 to watch my dad’s cars race."

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After the checkered flag:

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“I've been coming here for a long, long time, but not nearly as long as my dad,” Menard said. “To be the first one after all those years of trying to win him a race at Indy, very special.

“We're winners in Sprint Cup. That's the big deal. To do it at Indy, even bigger deal.

“I've always been kind of a low-key guy. Doesn't make it any less special. It's very special for me. It's just something that we work hard for, something that Richard expects us to win. He's won a lot of races. Just really gratifying that we could pull it through.”

 

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Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Chevrolet) Finished second, started 15th

Before the green flag:

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"I think NASCAR had a test session here in 1992 or 1993, and I was bummed that I idn't get the chance to participate in it,” Gordon said. “When I finally got the chance to drive down the front straightaway, it was like 'whoa.' And then to win the inaugural race? Unbelievable. It's still like that for me—just an incredible feeling driving here. But it also always takes me a few laps to get up to speed each year.

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After the checkered flag:

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“What a fun race for us,” Gordon said. “From the time we got here, probably even prior to getting here, I felt really positive about the effort that was put into our race car. The guys were really fired up about getting here. But you still never know until you get out there on the track.

“While we didn't win, I think we definitely showed that we're a championship-caliber team. We've been knocking on the door, getting closer every single weekend, won a couple races. For me this is going to be a huge boost for this race team.”

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About Paul Menard:

“I think he's in awe right now. I went and saw him. His eyes, he's like a deer in headlights. I'm so happy for him, I think a lot of people are. It's one thing to get your first win here, but it's another when you can appreciate how special it is to win here. I think Paul certainly has that.”

 

Regan Smith (No. 78 Chevrolet) Finished third, started 27th

Before the green flag:

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“I truly feel that our Furniture Row Chevy has the potential to do something special at Indy," Smith said. "We had a pretty good run going last year until a mechanical issue, which was also the case the year before. It's been a pretty good year, but still could be better.

“Indy is a track that we know we can do well on."

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After the checkered flag:

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“Certainly can't be disappointed with third, and in particular when somebody like Paul wins, I have very many close friends on this circuit, that's one of them,” Smith said. “He was at my victory celebration; I plan on being at his tonight or tomorrow or whenever it is.
 
“I think every week we know it's going to be a fuel mileage race and we try to plan for that, to work around it accordingly.

“That's what we're doing. Even when it's races that aren't necessarily fuel mileage races, they still play a part in how much track position you can get, who can pit sooner so you have that track position.”

 

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FYI WIRZ is the select presentation of topics by Dwight Drum @ Racetake.com. 

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained from official release materials provided by NASCAR and Sprint Cup teams.

Photo credit: Dwight Drum at Racetake.com.