Indy: The Allstate 400 At The Brickyard ALLSTATE 400 AT THE BRICKYARD FEATURES ADDED TRACK TIME     INDIANAPOLIS – The 2006 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard weekend, Aug. 4-6, will provide more on-track action for fans of NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series racing, as an additional 30 minutes of practice time have been added to the 2006 schedule.   The Indianapolis Motor Speedway will play host to an exciting weekend of NASCAR racing, beginning with two practice sessions on Friday, Aug. 4, which again will be Chevy Day at the Brickyard. Qualifying and two practice sessions are scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 5, with the 13th annual Allstate 400 at the Brickyard race at 2:30 p.m. (local time) Sunday, Aug. 6.   Tony Stewart scored an emotional victory and fulfilled his lifelong dream of winning at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the 2005 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. Stewart will attempt to defend his very popular, exciting win in this year’s race.   The stars of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series will take to the 2.5-mile oval Friday, Aug. 4 for practice sessions at 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Chevy Day at be appearances, autograph sessions and question-and-answer sessions with many NASCAR Chevy personalities. Details of this event are forthcoming.   NASCAR qualifying is scheduled to begin at 10:10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 5, followed by practice sessions at 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. The Saturday practice sessions have been expanded from 45 minutes in the past to this year’s one-hour format for each session.   Driver introductions for the 13th Allstate 400 at the Brickyard get underway at 2:10 p.m., followed by the start of the 160-lap race at 2:30 p.m. The race will be broadcast live on NBC Sports and the IMS Radio Network.   Tickets are on sale for the 2006 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. Fans can order tickets online at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com, by calling the IMS ticket office at (317) 492-6700 or (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area, or at the ticket office at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Parking and camping information also can be obtained through the ticket office.   Hours for phone orders and the ticket office are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, while online orders can be made at any time.   Reserved seats start at just $35.   2006 ALLSTATE 400 AT THE BRICKYARD SCHEDULE (All times local, subject to change)   Friday, Aug. 4 Chevy Day at the Brickyard 1:30-2:30 p.m.            NASCAR NEXTEL Cup practice 3:30-4:30 p.m.            NASCAR NEXTEL Cup final practice TBA     Chevy Day at the Brickyard activities   Saturday, Aug. 5 10:10 a.m.            NASCAR NEXTEL Cup qualifying (two laps, all positions) 1:30-2:30 p.m.            NASCAR NEXTEL Cup practice 3:30-4:30 p.m.            NASCAR NEXTEL Cup final practice   Sunday, Aug. 6 2:10 p.m.            NASCAR NEXTEL Cup driver introductions 2:30 p.m.            13th Allstate 400 at the Brickyard (160 laps/400 miles)                                     NASCAR Qualifying at Indy   The sun is starting to peak out thought the hazy we only mention it because the track could warn up after a cloud cover most of the day. 52 cars are going out for the two-lap run to qualify for 43 spots on the starting grid. Fastest in the morning practice for the second year in a row was Casey Mears. Four-time winner at the Brickyard Jeff Gordon ran 27th in the morning practice.   Scott Riggs (10) was first out to qualify he was second fastest in morning practice at 184.147 but was well off that pace in his two lap qualifying run at 181.456mph. Kyle Bush (5) was second to take on the 2.5 mile oval in warming conditions is in the race at 181.656 Brain Vickers (25) went out and set the early pace at 182.785. Ricky Rudd (21) in the Motorcraft Ford turned in a speed of 182.285 Scott Wimmer (22) Caterpillar Dodge ran 180.860 Casey Mears (41) in the Target Dodge was on a great ran after being fastest in morning practice when he touched the wall on the back side of the track and brought the dodge back into the pit lane.  Mears was last year’s pole sitter and holds the track qualifying record at Indy with a speed of 186.293. The Target car is qualified by virtue of owner’s points. Rusty Wallace (2) put the Miller Lite Ford in the wall here at Indy. Rusty took the green flag flying down the front straight into turn one bobbled in the short shoot tried to gather the Ford back up but ended up against the wall on the back stright. Rusty will make the show on owners points but he will not break the speed record set here last year by CaseyMears.      Qualifying Order for the Allstate 400 At The Brickyard.   Pole: Elliot Sadler (38) MM FORD  SPEED 184.116 2nd.    Jeremy Mayfield (19) UAW Dodge Speed 183.053 3rd     Machale Waltrip (15) NAPA Chevy Speed 182.975 4th     Kasey Kahne (9) UAW Dodge          Speed 182.837 5th     Brain Vickers (25)  Garnier Chevy    Speed 182.785 6th    Ryan Newman (12) Alltel Dodge      Speed 182.666   Qualifying is still underway and the top five are not official. We will have a full qualifying report later in the day.                   Saturday: Practice finally gets underway after Friday rain delay :   Final Practice Session  Indianapolis: Overcast hazy skies with intermittent rain highlighted the two morning practice sessions before qualifying for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard this afternoon. 52 cars took to the 2.5 mile 4 turn oval this in an effort to prepare for qualifying there are only 43 starting positions available so some teams will be heading home this evening.   CASEY MEARS (41), in the Target Dodge topped the leader board with a speed of 184.873. SCOTT RIGGS (10), in the Rally’s Chevy was second fastest with 184.147 and KASEY KAHAN (9) went third fastest in the Dodge Dealers UAW Dodge.   Ken Schrader (49), Brian Vickers (25) and Mike Bliss (0) rounded out the top 6 fastest.   Due to the washout of Friday Practice this now becomes and impound race under new NASCAR rules.  What that means is after qualifying teams cannot do anything to change the cars. The only things allowed are to cut off the electronic switches, take out the radio and cover the car. The car remains in qualifying trim for the race.   Kevin Harvick is sporting a brick-themed paint scheme on the number 29 GM Goodwrench Chevy this weekend for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. Mark Martin’s number 6 viagra Ford is sporting the red-and-gold colors of the Folgers Ford Thunderbird that Martin drove earlier in his NASCAR career with Rouch.   Army National Guard Sgt Peter Damon, from Brockton, Mass., and his family are guest here this weekend. Damon lost part of both of his arms when a tire exploded on a Black Hawk helicopter that he was servicing in Iraq. Damon’s family is receiving a new home through Homes for Out Troops, a non-profit group committed to helping members of the Armed Forces who have selflessly given to their country and have returned home with serious disabilities and injuries.   Home’s for Our Troops assists injured service men and women and their families with donations of money, building materials and professional labor and coordinating of the building a new home or adapting an existing home for accessibility. For more information visit their site on the web at http://www.homesforourtroops.org./                       Friday Practice Sessions       Indianapolis:  Fans are here by the thousands, with more of the NASCAR faithful due in by race day. Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be overflowing with people this Sunday for the 12th running of the Brickyard 400, now sponsored by Allstate. The event is a huge draw for NASCAR, second only to the Daytona 500.   Practice was to start this afternoon at 1:30 pm central, however rain as plagued the area since 8:30 this morning, and continues to fall at the speedway. The stands have a double handful of the NASCAR hardcore waiting for chance to watch their drivers and teams and trying to glean which could have the best chance for victory here on Sunday.   The Brickyard draws everyone who is anyone in the NASCAR world from big-name celebrities to the biggest sponsors. This is an Event. Already this week, Chevrolet introduced its redesigned 2006 Monte Carlo at the track. Saturday, Ray Evernham is expected to name the driver for his third car next year and before the weekend’s out, half a dozen or so other big news stories will break. And with the cutoff for the NASCAR Nextel Chase for the Championship just six races away, the Brickyard has added significance. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Jeff Gordon, NASCAR’s two most bankable stars enter the weekend 14th and 15th, respectively, in points and desperately need good runs if they hope to make the Chase. Indiana native Tony Stewart wants to win here in the worst way, too, and every team in contention for the title is hoping for build momentum for the stretch run.   Who Will RacingLinesUSA Be Watching Sunday? Defending 400 race Champion Jeff Gordon is having a terrible year. Much is being said and written about the team being out of the hunt for the Nextel Cup Championship. However when the chips are really down, Gordon seems to pull them out of the fire.  Whether you’re a Gordon fan or not, you’ve got to admit that he is one talented guy when he is in the racecar.   It’s impossible to ignore Gordon’s incredible Brickyard record of four victories, and nine finishes of sixth or better in 11 starts here. Gordon, a California native who grew up in Indiana, is seeking to make history by becoming the first driver in history to win five races at IMS, a truly monumental accomplishment if he can pull it off. And he is someone who historically has risen to the top in big races. That’s the good news. The bad news is that Gordon is having his worst Cup season ever, including his rookie campaign on 1993. In the last 10 races, Gordon has earned just one top-five finish and seldom has run up front.   All of which suggests that Gordon will either miraculously regain his form and win again or finish about 25th.                                              Kurt Busch  In the first half of the season, Busch seemed out of control, on and off the track. There were inexplicable incidents like the first-lap crash at Darlington, another crash and last-place finish at Charlotte and a dressing down or two from the NASCAR powers-that-be following some less-than-politically correct outbursts from Busch’s mouth. But in recent weeks the reigning Cup champion has gotten his groove back, as evidenced by a runner-up finish at New Hampshire and a crushing victory at Pocono two weeks ago, when Busch led 131 laps and seemed to be in an entirely different zip code than other guys on the track. Busch has three top-10 finishes in four career starts here and has as good a shot as anyone at winning on Sunday.   Rusty Wallace Wallace, the veteran, enters his final Brickyard 400 on a roll. He’s fourth in points and is coming off a strong second-place finish at Pocono two weeks ago. Historically, drivers who do well at Pocono also do well at Indy. Pocono has only three turns to Indy’s four, but both tracks are basically flat and have similar handling characteristics. In his last nine races, Wallace’s worst finish was 12th, and he clearly is ready to win. The Brickyard just might be the place he does it. In 11 career starts at Indy, Wallace has nine top-10 finishes, including three seconds. Wallace’s consistency has not made headlines this season, not with the hot streaks put together by first Greg Biffle, then Stewart and finally Kurt Busch. But do not underestimate him here. Not in his final Brickyard.   Tony Stewart As a kid growing up in nearby Columbus, Ind., Stewart has always idolized Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In a sport where competitive fires burn brightly, Stewart is the hottest flame in the garage. He said recently that he’d gladly trade his 2002 title for one Brickyard win, and he probably would. This race has been difficult for him in the past, perhaps because he was pressing too hard. Stewart’s best career finish at the Brickyard was fifth, which is where he ran in 2000 and again last year. This year, Stewart is second in points and has been on hot streak of late, last month winning three races in four weeks. Much has been made about Stewart’s move back home to Indiana and his general mellowing. This weekend will be a good test of how far he’s come.

ROUSH'S BIFFLE, KENSETH FASTEST IN BUSY INDY TESTING INDIANAPOLIS, Monday, July 11, 2005 – Roush Racing teammates Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth served notice that they will contend for victory in the 12th Allstate 400 at the Brickyard by posting the fastest laps in private testing July 11 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Biffle turned the fastest lap of the day at 181.963 mph in the No. 16 National Guard Ford. Kenseth was just .22 of a mph slower at 181.742 in the No. 17 DeWalt Tools Ford. Roush Racing’s Kurt Busch was fastest in two days of testing last week at 180.208. Biffle sits second in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series points, but he said the team’s approach to the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard will not change despite its comfortable position heading into the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup. “We come here to win,” he said. “We’re going to be as focused as we can and as conscious of everything that’s going on as we can. We’re pretty happy with the test so far today, and we’re just going to continue to do what we can do.” Rounding out the top five were Ken Schrader in the No. 49 Schwan’s Home Service Dodge at 181.727, Robby Gordon in fourth at 181.722 in the No. 7 Fruit of the Loom Chevrolet and Elliott Sadler at 181.495 in the No. 38 M&M’s Ford. Sadler took Biffle’s thoughts about the upcoming Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, scheduled for 2:30 p.m. (EDT) Sunday, Aug. 7, a step further by saying that all bets are off come the first weekend of August. “The guys that are up front (in the Chase) are ones that are being consistent,” he said. “We’re not going to take any big chances, until we come to Indy because Indy’s in a league of it’s own as far as trying to win the race. “Do the math: How many teams are out here testing? This is not just another race on the schedule, I don’t think. The George family does such a great job promoting it. We have more fans here than anywhere else we race. It’s a lot of prestige that comes with running here, and you ask any team that’s won here how much fun it was and how much emphasis they put on it. I know our team spends just as much time preparing a car here as it does for the Daytona 500 because it just means so much.” 2003 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard champion Kevin Harvick knows how much fun it was to win at Indianapolis, and reflected on the memories of winning from the pole two years ago. “The thing I remember the most about winning here was taking the victory lap after the race, seeing all the fans that stayed over and just letting it all sink in after Victory Lane and kissing the bricks,” Harvick said. “To share that moment with (wife) DeLana and (owner) Richard (Childress) and take it all in for a nice, slow victory lap around the track was probably the most memorable thing of the weekend. We put a lot of effort into this race, so everybody was pretty pumped up. This is where you bring your next generation of motors, usually, and your best car, and hopefully you bring your ‘A’ game.” Weather forecasts call for the remnants of Hurricane Dennis to bring heavy rain to Indianapolis over the next several days, so the 23 NEXTEL Cup Series drivers and teams on hand at IMS took advantage of cloudy but dry skies – save for a few afternoon sprinkles – to turn a total of 1,988 laps on the 2.5-mile oval. Boris Said, who will attempt to qualify for his first Allstate 400 at the rickyard, turned the most laps of any driver with 137. Testing is scheduled for Tuesday, July 12, with more testing July 18-19. Drivers scheduled to participate next week include former Allstate 400 at the Brickyard winners Jeff Gordon, Dale Jarrett and Bill Elliott, Indiana native Tony Stewart, former USAC standout Kasey Kahne, Indiana native Tony Raines and Dale Earnhardt Jr., winner of the NEXTEL Cup Series race July 10 at Chicagoland Speedway. Fans are welcome to watch testing July 12, 18 and 19 from the South Terrace grandstands, located in the infield between Turns 1 and 2. Admission is free. ALLSTATE 400 AT THE BRICKYARD FANS CAN ENJOY CONCERT, HOG ROAST INDIANAPOLIS, Monday, July 11, 2005 – NASCAR fans can enjoy the roar of NEXTEL Cup Series cars and the sweet sounds of country music superstars Diamond Rio, all while enjoying free pork sandwiches, during the HANK’S “Good Hands” Hog Roast at the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard on Saturday, Aug. 6 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. With the purchase of a Saturday Qualification Day ticket from IMS, fans will have access to the concert starring Diamond Rio and Emerson Drive, as well as free food to the first 10,000 people. The concert and free food are presented by Indianapolis country music station 97.1 HANK FM, Allstate and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Festivities begin at noon (local time) with free pork sandwiches, cole slaw and baked beans, while supplies last, for the first 10,000 people. Emerson Drive hits the stage at 3 p.m., followed by headliner Diamond Rio at 4:45 p.m. Concert goers can also participate in country karaoke, line dancing lessons, and see the semi-finals and finals of the Allstate Drivers Change Challenge, where one lucky winner will receive a one-of-a-kind NASCAR experience. Diamond Rio, known for rich three-part harmonies and renowned musicianship, has had nine No. 1 hits, including “Meet In the Middle,” “One More Day,” “Beautiful Mess” and “I Believe.” The band has sold more than 10 million albums. Emerson Drive began its career playing in a high school talent contest. The band’s debut album, released in 2002, cracked the Top 5 with “I Should Be Sleeping” and “Fall Into Me.” 97.1 HANK FM’s sister station, 1070 WIBC, also will be on site at the Hog Roast. Both stations will broadcast the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard live on the air.