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Insiders slam NASCAR fans questioning value of Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis, attendance

Brian Jones Profile Picby: Brian Jones07/28/25brianjones_93
Brickyard 400 Indianapolis
Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Two NASCAR insiders shared their thoughts on fans who dislike the racing at the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. On The Teardown podcast, Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic took on fans who said NASCAR drivers do not need to compete at Indy.

“I was just gobsmacked by some of the people on X just going, ‘Oh my gosh, they shouldn’t race here. Oh, take this somewhere else.’ I’m like how new of fans are you that you don’t know this is what the Brickyard is?” Gluck asked. “That’s crazy. The trade-off of racing here has always been this. This is the most prestigious oval on the planet. Period. This place is magical. This place is dripping with legacy and lore and just all the history. So that’s why you come here.”

Gluck also talked about fans complaining about the attendance at the Brickyard 400. “Was the attendance 250,000? No,” Gluck stated. “You know where you’re getting 250,000 for a NASCAR race these days? Nowhere. You could put 250,000 seats at Daytona for the 500, and you’re not getting it.”

The Brickyard 400 provides an ‘interesting storyline’ each year

Bianchi then weighed in on the attendance at the Brickyard 400. “This place is ginormous,” he said. “You could put 100,000 people here. You spread everybody out, it’s going to be like, ‘Oh man, why is there empty sections?’ It’s just the way it is.”

When it comes to the racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Bianchi said, “The Brickyard was never great racing. It’s never been that way. It’s always been a track position-heavy race. There have been moments, of course.” Bianchi later added that the Brickyard 400 is a “strategy-heavy race” and “you really see different things play out.” He also said, “What we do have in this race, on a yearly basis, is an interesting storyline emerge with the race itself or the winner.”

The storyline for the 2025 Brickyard 400 was Bubba Wallace winning the race. Wallace snapped a 100-race winless streak and became the first Black driver to win a race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s 2.5-mile oval.