This weekend, NASCAR returns to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Oval after a three-year absence. The track never truly disappeared though, because the Cup driver raced on the road course layout. It all started in 2021 with the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard, where they raced on the road course. Admittedly, the response to that track was very mixed, so people are pretty hyped about the return of the oval.

Truthfully, not many current Cup drivers have had a great track record at Indianapolis. The only active driver with more than one win at the venue, is Kyle Busch, and what are the chances of him making it three? Indianapolis has a rich history in motorsport since it is the third-oldest race track in the world. The venue has been hosting races since 1911, which was the year of the first Indy 500. By contrast, the Brickyard 400 is its way younger sister, having been born in 1994.

Now, NASCAR will be reviving the Brickyard 400 for its 29th edition. One person who is extremely excited about the oval’s return is Dale Jarrett. The former champion is a two-time winner of the Brickyard 400, winning in 1996 and in 1999, his championship year.

Dale Jarrett expressed his joy at Indianapolis’ return

It isn’t surprising that Indianapolis’ return, generated a lot of fanfare from the community. After all, the track is backed by its rich history and the fact that it was the location of several pivotal moments in the sport. Among them were Jeff Gordon’s five wins, as well as Jarrett’s two wins, out of which one became hugely iconic, but more on that later.

Dale Jarrett told WTHR, “When I saw that put out first, it was one of the best things that I’ve seen in a long time for this sport. These drivers deserve that opportunity. Nothing against the road course, it served its purpose there. These drivers need to be racing only oval to make their name and try to go to Victory Lane.”

However, with the good, must come the bad parts. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has also borne witness to a number of controversial moments in its NASCAR tenure.

First and foremost, it was the birthplace of the competition caution, largely due to the infamous tire debacle that plagued the 2008 race. Then there have been a few races that were hit with adverse weather, which prolonged the event, to the fans’ frustration. Despite all this, the IMS is still considered iconic in the NASCAR and motorsport scene.

The ex-NASCAR champion also introduced an iconic tradition

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The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is also known as the Brickyard because the original track was paved with bricks. Over the years, those bricks have been replaced with tarmac, and now only one strip remains on the finish line. Normally, a driver who wins at the track gets on their hands and knees and kisses the bricks. This is mostly prevalent in the Indy 500, but surprisingly, the tradition was not started there.

Instead, it was Dale Jarrett who was the one who set the ball rolling. He said, “Yeah, really it is. My crew chief Todd Parrott, who’s here. He and I started talking. A number of weeks before, we had a great test here, back in ’96. We were a little bit too cocky for our own good at the time. We were having a great year and we started talking about doing something different, and this is what came of it. Thought it would be a one-time thing together, and here it is now, becoming a tradition.”

It’s actually funny that a tradition that is normally associated with IndyCar, had its roots in NASCAR. Nevertheless, the celebration has been adopted in both series and as far as we know, no one has trademarked it.