NASCAR racing at Brickyard a season highlight

INDIANAPOLIS -- Drivers say there's something magical about Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the opportunity for NASCAR to race there opened the door for one of Jeff Gordon's most treasured victories.

It was a race Tony Stewart initially opposed.

Stewart, a die-hard open-wheel driver at the time of the inaugural Brickyard 400 in 1994, was one of many loyalists who believed NASCAR did not belong on the hallowed grounds of the speedway. The Indiana native grew up dreaming of one day winning the Indy 500. Until 1994, it was the only big race.

"I was one of them that absolutely thought it was a crime," Stewart said. "I'm a purist. I'm old-school. It's always been sacred ground to me."

He wasn't in Indy when NASCAR made his debut, and had to watch the race later on a replay.

Stewart's mind was instantly changed.

"There were other people that I knew that were dead against it that went just to see what it was going to be like, and they came back and felt the same way," he said. "I think everybody changed their mind and their opinion after they saw that first one."

The 20th anniversary of NASCAR's first race at Indy is Sunday, when Gordon will go for his fifth Brickyard win.

A California native, Gordon moved to Indiana before high school to race in the Midwest. Like Stewart, he was enamored with Indy but his path into NASCAR made him believe he'd never get a shot to race at the speedway, which has been home to the Indy 500 since 1911.

Then the speedway opened its gates to NASCAR, and a 23-year-old Gordon won the inaugural event. It was only his second career victory, but remains one of the biggest in a career of 89 wins and four championships.

"My love for Indianapolis and the Indianapolis 500 goes way back to when I was racing in California, and I was racing open wheel cars on an oval," he said. "Sprint cars were what I looked up to and what I loved to watch as a kid. The drivers were my heroes. The (Indy 500) was one that I always put on the calendar that I was going to watch. I always wanted to race there, and to get that opportunity, especially an opportunity to win, it just is a way to live out a childhood dream."

Gordon also won the Brickyard in 1998, 2001 and 2004.

Gordon recalled the excitement surrounding his first race at Indy, which sold out in less than 24 hours.

"Most of the things that stand out to me was really about just the madness and craziness of how big that event was, how popular it was among fans, not just traditional NASCAR fans but new fans to the sport," Gordon said.

"So many fans and you just couldn't walk anywhere without getting mobbed. That just showed you the impact and significance of that inaugural event."

Stewart, a two-time Brickyard winner, never got his victory in the Indianapolis 500. But he treasures his two NASCAR wins and looks forward to returning to his home track every year. He won the race as Ryan Newman's car owner last year.

"When you grow up 45 minutes from Indy -- that is sacred ground to me. It always has been, always will be," Stewart said. "I don't care how many times you win there, it's never enough."

Change in schedule changes

Just a few weeks after saying there would be a "robust discussion" about the 2015 Sprint Cup schedule, NASCAR Chairman Brian France has now stated nothing drastic will be done to next year's schedule.

France made his initial comments about the schedule at Daytona International Speedway in a midseason state of the sport question and answer session. But he downplayed his earlier remarks this week in an interview on SiriusXM NASCAR.

"There's not going to be a dramatic change, but there may be some things that are a little different -- that's not unusual," he said. "You come back to moving dates around ... we don't do a lot of it, but we do a little of it from time to time and this will be one of those moments."

France said the schedule will be released in September.

Fans have been clamoring for change, and there was an expectation that there could be as NBC Sports Network replaces ESPN for the final 20 races of the season beginning next season.