If this were any other track, I'd have a huge problem with how the racing turned out Sunday. It's obvious that track position and clean air were the trump cards in a deck otherwise full of jokers -- but don't forget that Indianapolis has nearly always been like that.
Some may term it boring, and it definitely lacked excitement for much of the day thanks to the good work of so many drivers to not make mistakes and hit each other or the wall, but come on, that's what your going to get at this flat track.
INDIANAPOLIS -- For all the talk of problematic tires and empty seats, the rubber held up and an estimated crowd of 180,000 showed up Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for NASCAR's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.
Although a dominating performance by Juan Pablo Montoya made the race look like it might be a runaway, the former Indy 500 champ made a pit road mistake that allowed the dependable Hendrick Motorsports team to pounce with what turned into an exciting late-laps battle between 50-year-old pole-sitter Mark Martin and gracious but gritty Jimmie Johnson.
INDIANAPOLIS -- It wasn't the one that got away. It was the one that was taken away.
That's how Juan Pablo Montoya felt after having one of the most dominating performances of the NASCAR season derailed by a speeding penalty on pit road late in Sunday's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.
"I swear on my children and my wife, I wasn't speeding,'' Montoya radioed to his crew after being called back on pit road to serve a "drive through" penalty after having raced out to a nearly five-second advantage on the field and led 116 of the first 125 laps.
"Thanks NASCAR for screwing my day," he continued on the team radio.
"Frustrated? The word isn't frustrated. I've been robbed before and I've been screwed before and they outdid themselves this time.''
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Jimmie Johnson grabbed an improbable third victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway when a speeding penalty to Juan Pablo Montoya blew Sunday's race wide open.
Montoya led 116 laps and had a 5-second lead when he headed to pit road for a routine stop with 35 laps remaining. NASCAR flagged him for speeding on his way in, and the penalty knocked him out of contention.
"I swear on my children and my wife that I was not speeding!" he shouted over his radio. "There is no way! Thank you NASCAR for screwing my day."
Crew chief Brian Pattie begged his driver to calm down and focus on salvaging a solid points day, to no avail.
"Don't tell me to relax, dude!" Montoya yelled. "We had this in the bag."
Bill Elliott was probably the happiest guy in Indianapolis Saturday afternoon when the skies cleared and, most importantly, NASCAR chose to avoid canceling qualifying.
INDIANAPOLIS -- It took just three hours, 28 minutes and 29 seconds to undo the 15-year love affair between the Brickyard and NASCAR.
Four-hundred miles of shredding tires and competition cautions left a lump in the throat of stock car racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2008, and a year later, the Sprint Cup Series has returned to the disaster zone facing a myriad of questions. Can stock cars produce a good show here? Should NASCAR be at the Brickyard? And, most importantly, do drivers still feel the awe and prestige of this legendary speedway?
Before Sunday's Allstate 400, I chatted with FanHouse readers live from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to discuss all things NASCAR.
Will Jeff Gordon become the first driver to win five oval races at the famed Speedway? Will Indy's favorite son Tony Stewart win a third Allstate 400? Will Juan Pablo Montoya or Sam Hornish Jr. become the first men to win both the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR's 400-miler? Will Danica Patrick make the move to stock cars?
Check out the great questions -- and my answers -- in the chat wrap after the jump.
Really? Has the pool of possible grand marshals been completely tapped? See below:
Actor John C. McGinley, best known for his role as the sarcastic Dr. Perry Cox on the long-running network comedy "Scrubs," was announced July 16 as the grand marshal for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard on Sunday, July 27 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
This year will mark the historic 15th running of the race, one of the highest-profile events in all of motorsports, and will kick off a block of 17 consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series telecasts on ESPN and ABC.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a big "Scrubs" fan. It's a great show. But is it really such a great show that the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard can legitimately say that one of it's supporting actors is a big enough deal to wave the green flag?
Is 'Dr. Perry Cox' really a guy who's going to bring in that on-the-fence ticket buyer? Does this race -- one of NASCAR's crown jewels thanks to its location at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway -- really need an actor who barely makes the B-list?
Rewinding from a successful tire test Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway could only mean one thing: it's time again for Sprint Cup Notes & Quotes.
INDIANAPOLIS -- It wasn't the one that got away. It was the one that was taken away.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- 
Race: 
INDIANAPOLIS -- It took just three hours, 28 minutes and 29 seconds to undo the 15-year love affair between the Brickyard and NASCAR.
Before Sunday's Allstate 400, I chatted with FanHouse readers live from the 
Really? Has the pool of possible grand marshals been completely tapped? See below:
