Former NASCAR driver and current broadcaster Kyle Petty doesn’t believe the Brickyard 400 belongs alongside NASCAR’s most prestigious races.
Crown jewel races are widely considered the sport’s premier events because of their history, tradition and difficulty to win. While many today recognize the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, Southern 500 and Brickyard 400 as NASCAR’s four crown jewels, Petty said he sees the list differently.
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“There’s three crown jewels,” Petty said during an appearance on Gluckcast Live with Jeff Gluck. “There’s Daytona, Darlington and the Coca-Cola 600.”
The son of seven-time Cup Series champion Richard Petty, Kyle Petty competed in NASCAR’s premier series for 30 years before transitioning into broadcasting.
“You can’t buy a crown jewel,” Petty said. “I don’t give a rat’s rear end whether Indy paid $20 million, you’re not going to buy your way towards a crown jewel.”
Instead, Petty pointed to the sport’s roots as the defining factor.
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“It’s the history and the tradition of the place,” Petty said. “And for us in stock car racing, starting in 1949 in the South, that’s Daytona, that’s Darlington, that’s the Coca-Cola 600.”
The Brickyard 400 debuted in 1994 and has regained prominence since NASCAR returned to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval in 2024 after three seasons on the road course. Even so, Petty said age and tradition still separate Indianapolis from NASCAR’s longest-standing marquee events.
“You don’t come along in the ’90s and become a crown jewel,” Petty said. “Now we’ve been here 30 years and the level of importance of this race, especially back on the track, has risen back again, but it’s not a Daytona.”
Jessica Garcete is an IndyStar sports reporter. Get IndyStar’s motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter. Subscribe to theYouTube channel IndyStar TV: IndyCar for a behind-the-scenes look at IndyCar and expert analysis.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Why Kyle Petty says Brickyard 400, IMS isn’t one of NASCAR’s crown jewels
