Paul Menard won the Brickyard 400 racing for Richard Childress racing.
For 30 years the John Menard family has been trying to win at Indianapolis and his son Paul finally won at the famous race track.
“I’ve been coming here since I was a little kid. My dad has been coming here for 35 years,” said Menard. “This is for my dad.”
Menard is the first driver to win his first career race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He is the fourth different first-time driver of the season, the most since 2007.
The Menard family has a long history at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but this is the first Indy win in a Menards-sponsored car. For John Menard it was emotional to watch his son finally win for the family at Indy.
“For Paul to get his first win here is unbelievable, said the father, John Menard. ”He’s a good boy. He has followed this place all his life. I can’t believe it. My heart is going 1,000 miles per minute. It’s a wonderful place. Our family has spent so much time here. It is unbelievable.”
There was not a dominate racer at the 18th running of the Brickyard 400. Kasey Kahne let 47 laps and Jeff Gordon led for 36. Several others led various lesser amounts.
Kasey Kahne grabbed the early lead beating Pole sitter David Ragan to the first lap lead. Kayne went on to lead the first 24 laps before surrendering to Indiana favorite Jeff Gordon who then went on to lead for 26 laps.
The race was a straight forward event with the only early cautions for debris and on lap 51 when David Reutimann who hit the SAFER barrier in Turn 3 with the right side of his car. He was able to continue.
Brad Keslowski, winner of last night’s Nationwide Series at the Lucas Raceway Park began to be a force in the last quarter of the races. He was hoping to bring Roger Penske his first Brickyard NASCAR.
But with 30 laps are done Keslowski and several of the leaders gambled and came into pits even though they didn’t need servicing quite yet. They thought the rest of the field had to come in for servicing prior to the end of the race and if there was if there was a caution, they could stay out and benefit from track position.
Jamie McMurray, Paul Menard, Mark Martin pitted at lap 125 and their teams thought they could the distance without having to pit which in the end foiled the Keslowski and other team’s plans.
But as the laps ticked down, Menard and McMurray swapped the lead with Menard taking the lead for the final time with 4 laps remaining. Jeff Gordon who was attempting the be the first 5-time winner at the race track, he had newer tires and more fuel and moved himself to second place but did not have enough time to catch Menard.
So it was another storybook race at the famed Brickyard.
“My first year here [Indy] was 1989,” said Menard. “I was here for the inaugural Brickyard 400.”
And now he goes home is a Brickyard winner, a memory that the Menard family will never forget.
Story and Photos by: Kevin Proot and Larry Vancil
St. Louis Motor Racing News.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM THE BRICKYARD 400 PRE RACE!
CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM THE BRICKYARD 400 RACE ACTION GALLERY 1!
CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM THE BRICKYARD 400 RACE ACTION GALLERY 2
!