Written by
Steve Ballard | The Indianapolis Star
INDIANAPOLIS — If the Brickyard 400 has lost some of its allure among racing fans, which half-empty grandstands at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last year and probably again Sunday would seem to indicate, that isn’t the case for the 43 teams and drivers taking part in NASCAR’s 18th visit to Indy.
Starting with pole winner David Ragan and continuing throughout the field, the overwhelming sentiment is that other than the Daytona
“There’s only a couple tracks on our schedule that when you walk into the track you feel the history of the facility,” said three-time winner Jimmie Johnson, who will start third today. “This is one of them.”
Dale Earnhardt
“Everyone wants to win at this race,” he said. “Everyone wants to go through the process they have at post race, the celebration and the unique thing that they do here.
“I’ve read about the history and how this place has survived two world wars and how it was basically the proving grounds for the automobile back in the turn of the century. I would love to be able to say I’ve won a race here. It’s at the top of the list.”
Ragan put himself in prime position to join the elite list of Indy winners by earning just his second career pole. The Roush Fenway Racing driver lapped the 2.5-mile oval at 182.994 mph to put his Ford in front of the grid, ahead of Kasey Kahne’s Toyota (182.927) and Johnson’s Chevrolet (182.801).
“It’s going to be cool to lead the pack (today),” said Ragan, who just four weeks ago notched his first career win at another iconic racetrack, Daytona International
It’s Ragan’s second career pole. His first came in April at Texas.
“It was a good lap, I didn’t make a mistake,” he said. “It wasn’t as aggressive as I wanted to be. But I knew if I hit my marks, had a conservative lap, I’d at least have a top-five.”
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