The memories range from sitting on the couch to a father and son trip and from hearing an adult man say “here, kitty, kitty, kitty” to seeing that same man climb a fence.
Regardless of the memory, all memories point to a location.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
As the track prepares to host a historic double title on its run with the NTT IndyCar Series (noon ET Saturday on NBC) and the Xfinity Series (3pm ET Saturday on NBC) and then host the Cup Series at the Oval ( 4 pm ET On Sunday on NBC), the Cup drivers shared some of the special memories they have of the famous racing circuit.
One of the memories that stands out for Jimmie Johnson, a four-time Indy winner who made his last Cup appearance on the track, is watching the 1982 Indianapolis 500 Miles. That race that saw AJ Foyt leave early due to a mechanical problem and then take a Hammer in your car to fix the problem. But it was more than that moment what remains with Johnson.
“I was on the couch with my father and my grandfather,” Johnson told NBC Sports that day. “His opinion on AJ and how he handled the situation and took the bull by the horns. (It was) like a man / man moment with my father and my grandfather watching (Foyt) work in his car like he did. I am very hot inside me when I think about that moment. “
For 2013 Brickyard 400 winner Ryan Newman, who grew up about 150 miles north of the race track, his first memory of the track was when he was in elementary school and his father took him to the Indianapolis 500. It was rare to have a free weekend even then because Newman often competed with room dwarfs. The only thing is that Newman did not see the race. The race was rained. The experiences there would improve, especially in 2013 when he won from pole. “That was an incredible weekend,” he said.
Joey Logano, looking for his first Brickyard 400 win after finishing second there last season, thinks about the 2007 race. When Tony Stewart chased Kevin Harvick for the lead, Stewart pressed his radio and said “Here kitty kitty kitty, little cat”. It was a line that Stewart used from time to time when he had a strong car and approached the leader. Most of the time Stewart celebrated a victory after uttering that line on the radio during a race.
Stewart is at the center of the memories of William Byron, who won the 2017 Xfinity race at Indy. Byron remembers the first time Stewart won the Brickyard 400 in 2005. Stewart celebrated by climbing the fence. “I thought it was going to fall,” Byron said. “The fans were going crazy. … It was an incredible moment. “
For Kevin Harvick, who won the Brickyard 400 in 2003 and last year, many early memories center on Rick Mears, who is also from Bakersfield, California. Mears is one of three men to win the Indianapolis 500 miles four times.
“As a kid it was always a dream to go to Indianapolis and compete on IndyCars,” Harvick told NBC Sports. “Going to Indianapolis and racing stock cars is still a huge thrill for me. Going there and competing on the race track that was the place of your childhood hero to succeed and really make a name for yourself, going there and doing it for yourself is quite special.
“Sometimes you just have to pinch yourself and say, ‘Man, am I really experiencing all of that?’ To be able to win at Indy a couple of times now and win last year, for the first time with the whole family there and to have that iconic image of the trophy and my family … is something that cannot be replaced. “
For others, the memories that stand out are when they set out on Indy.
“You have to pinch yourself once in a while the first few laps around Indy because you’re that cool,” said Corey LaJoie.
Kurt Busch, who will make his 700th Cup race on Sunday in Indianapolis, competed in the 2014 Indianapolis 500 Miles and then the Coca-Cola 600 Miles later that day.
His Indy experience was special, but he admits that his laps around the circuit in an IndyCar during qualifying remain vivid.
“Going 230 miles per hour for four laps,” Busch told NBC Sports, “why I decided I was going to jump into an IndyCar, I will never understand it beyond wanting to challenge myself and I wanted to go fast.”
