Truth of NASCAR Brickyard 400 attendance as empty – Sports News
The stands at Indianapolis Motor Speedway appeared to show swathes of empty seats (Image: GETTY)
Fans have been involved about attendance on the Brickyard 400 after seeing empty stands — however numbers show the occasion stays among the many hottest on the schedule.
On Sunday within the Brickyard 300 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Heim — driving the part-time No. 67 entry for Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin’s 23XI Racing — crossed the road to clinch victory. He pulled off an spectacular transfer to overhaul the No. 11, then held off the remaining of the sector en path to his second NASCAR Cup Series victory.
There was a lot debate final week about whether or not the Brickyard 400, the one annual NASCAR Cup Series race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, ought to be thought-about a crown jewel. Then, whereas the race was ongoing, followers flocked to social media to focus on the empty seats on show.
Given that the 2026 Indianapolis 500 within the IndyAutomobile Series was bought out, followers online have been involved in regards to the Brickyard attendance. “Is the Brickyard 400 an actual NASCAR race? Or is it an exhibition race? There are soooo many empty seats. There is no one there. What the heck?” one person requested.
The 2026 Brickyard 400 featured a host of empty seats, and the Indy Motor Speedway closed off seating round Turn 3. In all, the 225,000-seater stadium was full of simply 70,000 for the marquee NASCAR occasion, up barely from just below 70,000 for Bubba Wallace’s 2025 win.
Corey Heim gained the Brickyard 400 to seal a second NASCAR Cup Series win of his profession (Image: GETTY)
This stays one of the most important crowds of the season, however the sheer measurement of the stands dropped at life an concept that was not truly an subject. Even earlier than the race, in a drivers’ assembly, Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Boles instructed racers that the gang compares to an NFL Stadium crowd.
The crowd’s issues and common concern over attendance come amid dialogue in regards to the Brickyard 400’s place amongst NASCAR’s crown jewel races. NASCAR’s 4 premier crown jewel races are the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, Southern 500, and the Brickyard 400, and these occasions carry the very best degree of historic status, distinctive lengths or places, and most profession significance exterior of successful the championship.
Wallace, who gained the 2025 Brickyard 400, defended the occasion as a crown jewel when requested at a press convention about Kyle Petty’s disparaging feedback in regards to the occasion on the Gluckcast podcast. Petty stated: “There are three crown jewels. Okay. There’s Daytona, Darlington, and the Coca-Cola 600.
“You can’t buy a crown jewel. And that was my argument. If you go back and read the stuff, I don’t give a rat’s rear end whether Indy paid $20 million. You’re not gonna buy your way to a crown jewel.
“It’s the history and the tradition of the place. 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. You don’t come along in the 90s and become a crown jewel. You know what I mean?”
Chase Briscoe, although, disagreed: “I would put this race over the Daytona 500 or any other race. If I could have one Brickyard 400 win, I’d be happy and content.”
The NASCAR season continues with the Iowa Corn 350 at Iowa Speedway on Sunday, August 9.
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