It was Aug. 6, 1994, and J. Douglas Boles was working for then Indianapolis Mayor Stephen Goldsmith. At that time, Indianapolis was an up-and-coming city, gaining a strong reputation for business and a downtown area that was rapidly being revitalized.
Indy had already earned international acclaim as a mecca for sports. Its professional sports teams included the NBA’s Indiana Pacers and the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts, but this was long before Peyton Manning became the most famous professional athlete in the city’s history.
Nicknamed the “Crossroads of America,” the city was best known for Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indianapolis 500.
But this hot August Saturday was different.
For the first time since the Harvest Racing Classic in 1916, a race other than the Indianapolis 500 would be run at IMS. It was the inaugural Brickyard 400 and for those with a deep connection to the speedway, it was arguably the most anticipated event in auto racing history.
Previously, it seemed unfathomable that Indianapolis Motor Speedway would ever host a NASCAR race. At that time, drivers such as Mario Andretti believed that only the “thoroughbreds of racing” should compete at the legendary track.
Some critics thought a NASCAR race at Indy was like running Clydesdales at the Kentucky Derby.
Tony George was president of Indianapolis Motor Speedway at the time and he wanted to see the facility utilized for more than the month of May.
Nine NASCAR Cup Series drivers participated in a Goodyear tire test at the speedway in 1992 to see if the bigger, heavier stock cars were capable of racing on the 2.5-mile oval.
Both sides deemed the test a success and the Brickyard 400 was scheduled.
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