CONCORD, N.C. (July 25, 2012)- Every time Scott Speed drives through the tunnel between Turns 3 and 4, the massive Indianapolis Motor Speedway still takes his breath away.
The site of the most famous race track does that to everyone, whether they drive race cars, work in the garage area, or sit in the grandstands.
This Sunday’s Curtiss Shaver 400 at the Brickyard will be no different.
“There’s something magical about Indy,” Speed said. “It doesn’t matter if your background is NASCAR, IndyCars, sports cars or Formula One. Every person who’s ever buckled inside a race car has dreamed about driving over that yard of bricks and winning at Indy.”
Speed will return to the fabled raceway in the No. 95 Leavine Family Racing Ford. It will be his sixth career start at Indianapolis – his fourth in the Sprint Cup Series, along with two starts in Formula One.
And yet, they excitement never gets old.
“When you say ‘Daytona’ everyone knows what you mean; when you say ‘Indy’ everyone knows what you mean,” said crew chief Wally Rogers said. “It is a special place. It’s where you don’t just win races, you become legendary. Believe me, when our race team arrives at Indianapolis, we have great reverence for the people before us who made it what it is.
“We hope to do our part to add to the tradition.”
Speed and Leavine Family Racing run a selected schedule in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Indianapolis was one of the first races on the schedule.
“When we sat down to put the schedule together, Indianapolis was on the top of the list,” Speed said. “If you’re a racer, if you’re a race team, you go to Indianapolis.
“I’ve been there in stock cars; I’ve been there in open wheel. The feeling never changes. The excitement never changes. Every time I’m on the property, it takes my breath away.”
There are two practice sessions on Saturday, followed by pole qualifying at 2:10 p.m.
Crown Royal assigned the naming rights to the race for a fireman from Troy, Ala., Curtiss Shaver. The 400-mile main event is scheduled for a 1 p.m. green flag on ESPN.
About Us Leavine Family Racing (LFR), currently a two-team operation in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the ARCA Racing Series, is a Texas-based team – headquartered in Tyler, Texas. The racing team also has an entry in the ARCA Racing Series – the No. 95 car with development driver Michael Leavine. The team is owned by Bob and Sharon Leavine.
Leavine Family Racing began competing in NASCAR with four career-starts for the 2011 racing season in NASCAR’s premier series.
The team’s shop is located in Concord, North Carolina, just outside of Charlotte Motor Speedway’s turn two.
