FORD PERFORMANCE NASCAR: INDIANAPOLIS NOTES
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series continues its march toward the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup this weekend at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Ford will be looking for its first win at the 2.5-mile facility since 1999 when Dale Jarrett won his second Brickyard 400.
THE FIRST TIME…Ford found victory lane at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was in 1996 when Dale Jarrett won the first of his two Brickyard 400 championships. What made the race most memorable from a Ford perspective is that it ended up being a battle between Jarrett and his Robert Yates Racing teammate, Ernie Irvan. The two ended up breaking away from the field as Irvan found himself in the lead after passing Jarrett on lap 139, but when he pushed up the track going into turn two with only seven laps to go, Jarrett was there to take advantage and make the pass. Jarrett held on to eventually win as the race ended under caution. That completed a trifecta of sorts for Jarrett, who also won the Daytona 500 and Coca-Cola 600 earlier that season, and capped a memorable day for Ford with seven finishers in the Top 10 and 11 in the Top 14.
THE LAST TIME…Ford ended up in victory lane at the Brickyard was when Dale Jarrett won in 1999 for the second time in four years, overcoming the disappointment from a year ago when he had a dominant Ford Taurus but ran out of gas midway through the race. Jarrett, who qualified fourth, was in a class by himself as he led 81 of the final 82 laps to win his fourth race of the season. The crucial part of the race came under caution when Jarrett came down pit road on lap 143 and opted for two tires. He was able to clear Bobby Labonte on the ensuing restart and was not threatened the rest of the way as he joined Jeff Gordon as the only two-time winners of the event.
IN BETWEEN…Ford’s only other win in the Brickyard 400 came in 1997 when Ricky Rudd took advantage of superior fuel mileage to find victory lane. The win was Rudd’s second of the season, but undoubtedly the biggest of his career. Another memorable Brickyard highlight came in the inaugural weekend in 1994 when Rick Mast won the pole while driving the No. 1 Ford of car owner Richard Jackson. Mast went on to lead the first lap at the speedway in official NASCAR competition, but ended up finishing one lap down in 22nd place. The pole was one of four Mast earned during his 15-year NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career.
FORD WINNERS AT THE BRICKYARD
1996 – Dale Jarrett
1997 – Ricky Rudd
1999 – Dale Jarrett
