INDIANAPOLIS —
Although it took 35 years, the name Menard finally made it to victory circle at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday. When Paul Menard climbed from his car after taking the checkered flag, his father John was in shock.
“For Paul to get his first win here is unbelievable. My heart is going 1,000 miles per minute. He’s a good boy,” said John Menard. “Our family has spent so much time here. It’s unbelievable.”
Paul Menard, 30, was just a little boy when his father fielded entries in the Indianapolis 500.
John Menard showcased his motorsports savvy with such racing notables as Scott Brayton, Robby Gordon, Eddie Cheever Jr. and Tony Stewart in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Gordon finished fourth in 1999 after leading several laps toward the end of the race. That year, John Menard had teamed with Richard Childress Racing. The Menard’s team won an Indy Racing League championship with Stewart, but never could snag the brass ring until now.
Paul Menard has not had it easy since entering the NASCAR Sprint Cup series. Richard Childress Racing is his fourth home in as many years. He has teamed with long-time crew chief “Slugger” Labbe, who felt the younger Menard was very close to his first cup victory, but for that honor to come at Indianapolis gave him an overwhelming feeling of elation not many know.
Four-time Brickyard champion Jeff Gordon knows. “It was a dream come true for me to race at Indy. That race changed my life. I think Paul is going to experience the same thing,” he said Sunday.
Regan Smith, who finished third, is one of Paul Menard’s close friends. “He always talks about how much he loves this place,” Smith noted.
While in the pits on lap 35, a tire changer did not get the tire out of the way and fell down, resulting in a penalty. Menard went from position three to 38, using fuel mileage to fight his way back to the front. Once it came down to the final 30 laps, “We knew we had to gamble,” said Labbe.
Childress, who had taken flack for adding a fourth car this year, believed in Menard. “I knew if we got the right situation, we could win. For him to win with his family, I couldn’t be prouder,” the owner said.
Childress knew the car was fast and felt good going into the race. “I leaned into the window before the race and I told him, ‘This could be your day.’ ”
John Menard joined Childress, Labbe and Paul Menard in an after-race press conference. “This is Paul’s day, but in a way, we’ve all been at the Speedway for so long. He was always interested and wanted to be a race car driver. Now he’s a full-grown man, and I couldn’t be prouder,” the senior Menard said.
John recalled the days at Indianapolis when he had to sneak Paul into the garages in Gasoline Alley. He was too young to be there, and the yellow shirts would have kicked him out had he been found out. “But Paul was a good boy and didn’t get into any trouble,” said his dad.
Even from an early age, Paul knew how important Indianapolis was to his family. “To be the first one [to win], after all of these years, is very special. Here we are in victory lane,” he said. The first moment he saw his father, Paul told him that after 35 years of trying, this one was for him. Both father and son mirrored the significance of the day’s triumph.
Known to be a little quiet, the last 10 laps Paul was silent on the radio. When he finally spoke, he said, “That was the checkered, right?”
He acknowledged he is not overemotional. “I’ve always been a low-key guy, but it doesn’t make it any less special,” the driver said.
Growing up in Wisconsin, Paul’s opportunities for racing were in the form of stock cars and not Indy cars. His experience came in late models on the short tracks of his home state. He eventually made his way into the NASCAR circuit.
In 2004 and 2005, Paul competed in just one event each year. Those two years he ran Watkins Glen, finishing 29th and 27th, respectively. His full-time foray into Cup competition was in 2007, when he finished 34th in points but garnered a 12th-place finish at Michigan.
Last season, however, Menard began to have some success. With six top-10 finishes and a season-best second at Kansas, he finished 23rd in the points standings.
This is the first time that the winner of the Brickyard 400 was a first-time winner, but what makes the win even more special for the team is that they are a new team this season. By winning Sunday, Menard moves to 14th in the series points standing with an opportunity to make the Chase for the very first time.
Auto Racing
Family: Menard’s team won IRL title
- Auto Racing
-
-
Carpenter arrives as Indy 500 threat
And the crowd went wild.
Not only did Ed Carpenter win the pole for the 97th running of the Indianapolis 500, he is the hometown son. Carpenter, the stepson of Tony George, completed his rookie orientation in 2004 and has spent the last several years, proving he deserved to be the IZOD IndyCar Series. There is no questioning his credentials now. -
Carpenter wins Indy 500 pole
Ed Carpenter is on the pole for the 97th running of the Indianapolis 500.
The native of Marshall, Ill., earned the No. 1 spot for the May 26 race with a strong run in the Fast Nine competition at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday. He is the first American driver on the pole since 2006. -
TRACKSIDE: Rain still a pain for Wabash Valley racing organizers
Soggy weather conditions, which have rightfully drawn the ire of Wabash Valley race fans and crews in recent days, continue to plague promoters where it hurts the most — their pocketbooks.
-
TRACKSIDE: Tough to rise from sprint-car racing, especially in challenging financial times
Open-wheel sprint-car racing, whether it be at the national or local level, has earned a reputation over the years of generating its share of thrills and excitement for its fans and a valuable training ground for drivers seeking to hone their skills that someday might elevate them to the “major leagues” of their sport.
-
METRO ROUNDUP: Rose baseball wins another thriller
Rose-Hulman earned its third victory in its last at-bat in the last five days with a 6-5 win over Franklin in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference baseball Tuesday night at Art Nehf Field.
-
East gets jump at SUMAR Classic
In his relatively brief but successful racing career, young Bobby East has at times unfairly been labeled as a driver who could master the pavement ovals but one who was still a work in progress on the dirt.
-
Hurtubise, Sumar races on Action Track slate this weekend
Championship racing is scheduled this weekend at the Terre Haute Action Track with U.S. Auto Club features set for today and Saturday.
One USAC championship will be decided and the spread in the other division could widen or tighten up as a result of the races.
The Jim Hurtubise Classic for sprint cars is today. Only 26 points separate three drivers in the point totals. -
TRACKSIDE: Chase Stockon hopes momentum stays with him in Terre Haute
Momentum, an element that can be as elusive to a race driver as that perfect setup, can spell the difference in winning or running at the rear of the pack.
It’s a force difficult to achieve and maybe even harder to maintain. One learns quickly to make the most of the opportunity when it comes his way.
It’s something Chase Stockon will carry with him coming into today’s Jim Hurtubise Classic at the Terre Haute Action Track.
Only days following the biggest victory of his young and promising career, the $10,000-to-win USAC feature at Lawrenceburg, Stockon followed that up with another rich payday this past weekend at Tri-State Speedway. -
IndyCar celebrates return to Pocono
IndyCar driver Ed Carpenter had the chance to take a drive around Pocono Raceway, and promptly handed the car keys to racing great Mario Andretti.
-
METRO ROUNDUP: Rain forces postponement of Jim Hurtubise Classic
Rain and the chance of inclement weather forced postponement of the Jim Hurtubise Classic scheduled for Saturday evening at the Terre Haute Action Track.
-
METRO ROUNDUP: USAC points leader Levi Jones out for season
Levi Jones, the five-time and reigning United States Auto Club (USAC) National Sprint Car champion, will undergo season-ending surgery on Tuesday to repair two herniated discs in his neck. While a full recovery is expected, the 12-week rehabilitation period will not allow for Jones to finish out the 2012 season, where he has competed in the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car and TRAXXAS Silver Crown divisions for Tony Stewart Racing (TSR).
-
TRACKSIDE: Stockon takes giant step forward in USAC
One of the more impressive and welcomed storylines of the recently completed Indiana Sprint Week was the emergence of area driver Chase Stockon on the national sprint car scene.
-
JJ joins hero Mears among four-time winners of Brickyard
Love him or hate him, there is no denying that Jimmie Johnson is a master at the Brickyard.
-
Hamlin wins Brickyard 400 pole position
Denny Hamlin captured his first ever pole for the Curtiss Shaver 400 at the Brickyard at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday.
-
Keselowski gives Penske first stock-car win at IMS
Brad Keselowski made history Saturday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as he took the checkered flag at the inaugural Indy 250 NASCAR Nationwide race.
-
Bordais, Popow take checkered flag after downpour
While it never rained a drop during the month of May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Super Weekend at the Brickyard certainly saw its share Friday as both the inaugural Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge and the Rolex Sports Car Series met with the wet stuff.
-
TRACKSIDE: Indiana Sprint Week rises above heat, rain, poor economy
The 25th annual version of Indiana Sprint Week is now officially in the record books and the latest chapter will go down as one of the most successful in recent years.
-
Red-hot Hunter-Reay goes for fourth straight at Edmonton
Ryan Hunter-Reay goes for his fourth straight victory Sunday in IZOD IndyCar Series action in Canada.
-
Clayton wins at Don Smith Classic
They call Daron Clayton, “The Modern Day Cowboy.”
-
The King of Speed
Born in Terre Haute, Roger Curtis grew up on Franklin Street, moved to Riley with his family when he was in sixth grade and attended Thornton Elementary School and Honey Creek Junior High before graduating from Terre Haute South High School in 1985.
-
Jones occupies driver’s seat: Six-time THAT winner leads Sprint Week series
When you think of USAC’s Indiana Sprint Week, thoughts of Levi Jones shouldn’t be far behind.
-
TRACKSIDE: Late models may have no long-term future in Indiana
Reflecting on what was billed as the biggest week of the summer for dirt-track stock-car racing … while preparing to shift gears for the busiest week of the year for non-wing sprint-car racing in the Wabash Valley.
-
Kenny Wallace realizes Action Track dream
Kenny Wallace won the UMP modified feature, leading flag-to-flag for the victory on Thursday night at the Terre Haute Action Track.
Wallace, a NASCAR Sprint Cup driver from 1990-2008, couldn’t have more thrilled to become part of a racing revival at the venerable dirt oval. -
TRACKSIDE: Summer heat has made this ‘The Hell Tour’
It is fittingly billed as “The Hell Tour” for many of the Midwest’s leading late model stock car drivers and their crews.
-
Franchitti mired in post-Indy 500 slump
Dario Franchitti hopes to get back on track in IndyCar Series action Sunday in Canada.
-
TRACKSIDE: Retired driver LaJoie spreads the word of safety
In his roles as past driving champion and television analyst, Randy LaJoie has rightfully earned the reputation as a major contributor to the sport of auto racing.
-
Trackside: Stanbrough on track at midseason
When veteran driver Jon Stanbrough ushered in a new season in Florida back in February, he found himself facing a pair of unfamiliar challenges.
-
Atchison, Virgilio win weekend races at Crossroads Dragway
Troy Atchison and Tony Virgilio won feature races in weekend racing at Crossroads Dragway.
-
TRACKSIDE: Clauson bucks the IndyCar trend
On the surface, the distance from the dirt oval at Lincoln Park Speedway to the massive, paved Indianapolis Motor Speedway may appear only a few miles apart.
-
Stewart Racing driver hangs on in final laps
Tony Stewart Racing’s Levi Jones passed Robert Ballou with 11 laps to go and held off a charging Jon Stanbrough to take the Hoosier Tire Midwest Sprint Car Series’ 25-lap feature Tuesday at the Terre Haute Action Track.
- More Auto Racing Headlines
-
Carpenter arrives as Indy 500 threat
Raw: Tornado on the Ground in Oklahoma
Raw: Rescue Workers Search Oklahoma School
Raw: Aftermath of Massive Tornado in Oklahoma
Raw: Walking in a Flattened Okla. Neighborhood
Raw: Witness Describes Scene After Okla. Tornado
Raw: House Burns After Massive Oklahoma Tornado
Oklahoma Gov: 'Hearts Are Broken' After Tornado
Raw: Suspects Butt Dial 911, Lead to Arrest
Raw: Rescuers Pull Tornado Survivors to Safety
Huge Tornado Kills Dozens Near Oklahoma City
Split-second Choice Ended With NY Student Dead
White House Backs 'Shield Law' for Media
Raw: Swarm of Tornadoes Slams Plains
RAW: TV Staff Take Cover From Tornado
Tornadoes, Storms Strike Midwest
Raw: Massive Funnel Clouds in Oklahoma
Active Search for Utah Missing Mom Ends
Pug Life on Display at Wisconsin Festival
Voters Could Elect LA's First Female Mayor
Analyst: Tumblr Fills Void in Yahoo's Offerings
IWitness Look at Moore, OK Tornado
Trailer: 'The Last Stand' Available on Blu-ray Disc, DVD, Digital Download
Pickler's Dance Moves Cause A Stir
Okla. tornado survivor finds dog buried alive under rubble
RAW: Moore, OK tornado touches down near school
Sneak Peek: 'Modern Family' Says Good Bye
Robert Pattinson Moves Out
RAW: Russian dash cam catches car 20 feet in the air
Oklahoma tornado survivor: "Everything is gone"
Khloe Lashes Out at Kim Kardashian's Critics
Couple Argues As Woman's Lover Crawls Out Window
RAW: Brad Paisley Forgets Lyrics To His Own Song
Justin Bieber Gets Booed
New 'Anchorman 2' Trailer, Drake Joins List of Rumored Cameos
Eva Longoria's Wardrobe Malfunction
Heat Star Dwyane Wade Surprises Coral Gables Teen At Prom
Steak n' Shake waitress scores huge tip
Singer Miguel Accidentally Lands on Fan At Billboard Music Awards
Celebs Celebrate the Rise of the Side Butt
