| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 19 of 31 in the 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 1994 Brickyard 400 program cover. | |||
| Date | August 6, 1994 | ||
| Location | Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4.023 km) | ||
| Distance | 160 laps, 400 mi (643.74 km) | ||
| Weather | Mild with temperatures approaching 73 °F (23 °C); wind speeds up to 7 miles per hour (11 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 131.977 miles per hour (212.396 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Richard Jackson | ||
| Time | 52.200 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Laps | 93 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ABC | ||
| Announcers | Bob Jenkins and Benny Parsons | ||
The 1994 Brickyard 400 was held on Saturday, August 6, 1994, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race marked the nineteenth race of the 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. It was the first NASCAR stock car race at the famous Speedway and the first race of any kind held at the track beside the Indianapolis 500 since the Harvest Classic in 1916. The race featured the largest crowd in NASCAR history, and a then NASCAR record purse of $3.2 million.
Second-year driver, 23-year-old Jeff Gordon, who once lived in nearby Pittsboro, was cheered on by the hometown crowd to a popular win.[2][3][4] It was his second career NASCAR Winston Cup win and thrust the young Gordon, the future hall of famer, into superstardom.[5]
The race was a culmination of decades of speculation and over two years of preparation. While the event was looked on with enormous anticipation and significant media attention, the traditional nature of the Indianapolis 500 and the Speedway was a concern to ownership, some from the Indycar community, and some fans.[6][7] Despite some mild complaints, the event was considered a huge success and a financial cash cow—it ultimately bankrolled the formation of the Indy Racing League.[8] The race featured two former Indy 500 winners (A. J. Foyt and Danny Sullivan). Foyt came out of retirement to participate, which would be his final Winston Cup start.[9]
- ^ Weather information for the 1994 Brickyard 400at The Old Farmers' Almanac. Accessed 2013-06-24. 2013-07-02.
- ^ "CMT 40 Greatest NASCAR Moments". CMT. Archived from the original on 11 May 2009. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
- ^ Great Moments of NASCAR Winston Cup Racing (VHS). Car & Track/Sports Marketing Enterprises, Inc. 1988.
- ^ "Greatest NASCAR moments: Nos. 30–21". Fox Sports. 2008-07-20. Archived from the original on 2012-10-17. Retrieved 2009-02-24.
- ^ Dutton, Monte (2011-07-18). "The Wonder Boy of '94 is the Veteran of '11". IndianapolisMotorSpeedway.com. Retrieved 2011-07-20.
- ^ Miller, Robin (June 28, 1992). "NASCAR race irks Indy pilots (Part 1)". The Indianapolis Star. p. 59. Retrieved June 22, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Miller, Robin (June 28, 1992). "NASCAR race irks Indy pilots (Part 2)". The Indianapolis Star. p. 65. Retrieved June 22, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Schoettle, Anthony (2010-07-31). "Brickyard decline not good for IRL". Indiana Business Journal. Retrieved 2012-01-17.
- ^ "Driver".
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