What does kiss the bricks mean?

The tradition of “kissing the bricks” was started by NASCAR champion Dale Jarrett. After his Brickyard 400 victory in 1996, Jarrett and crew chief Todd Parrott decided to walk out to the start-finish line, kneel and kiss the Yard of Bricks to pay tribute to the fabled history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Who started kissing the bricks?

driver Dale Jarrett
It was started by driver Dale Jarrett in 1996. After Jarrett won the Brickyard 400 race, he and his crew walked out to the finish line, knelt and kissed the yard-length section of bricks on the track. Since then, winners of the Indianapolis 500, the Brickyard 400 and other races have done the same.

When were the bricks removed from Indianapolis Motor Speedway?

October 1961
In October 1961, the final remaining brick sections of the track were paved over with asphalt, with the exception of a distinct three-foot-wide line of bricks at the start-finish line. The “Brickyard” thus became known for its “Yard of Bricks”.

When was the Indianapolis Motor Speedway paved with asphalt?

1961
The track was fully paved with asphalt by 1961, but a three-foot brick strip — at the start/finish line — remains, as does the speedway’s nickname: the Brickyard.

Why is it called a Brickyard?

The term “Brickyard” is a reference to the nickname historically used for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. When the race course opened in August 1909, the track surface was crushed stone and tar. From 2005 to 2009, the race was known as the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard under a naming rights arrangement with Allstate.

Who was the first person to win the Indianapolis 500 4 times?

A.J. Foyt
A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears, the first race car drivers to win the Indianapolis 500 four times, have been photographed together many times over the years, including a famous session for the cover of the event’s official program in 2013.

Why is IMS called Brickyard?

Who Refused milk at Indy 500?

Who drank orange juice at the Indy 500? The tradition of drinking milk was almost ended in 1993 by Emerson Fittipaldi. Following Fittipaldi’s victory, he broke tradition by chugging a bottle of orange juice as several fans booed.

Why do they drink milk at the Indy 500?

It’s largely thanks to Louis Meyer back in the 1930s. Via Indianapolis Motor Speedway: Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Louis Meyer regularly drank buttermilk to refresh himself on a hot day and happened to drink some in Victory Lane as a matter of habit after winning the 1936 race.

What Quartet have won at the Brickyard the most?

Jeff Gordon The Inaugural Brickyard 400 champion in 1994 has won three other times at Indy as well. His four career wins in not only first all-time in the Brickyard 400, but also ties him for most all time in Indianapolis Motor Speedway history.

Who was the driver that kissed the bricks?

IndyCar Series driver Takuma Sato kisses the Yard of Bricks after winning the 2017 Indianapolis 500.

When did Ryan Newman win the Brickyard 400?

Nascar driver Ryan Newman celebrates after winning with his wife Krissie Newman and daughters by kissing the bricks at the Brickyard 400 Presented By Big Machine Label Group at Indianapolis Motorspeedway on July 28, 2013, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Ryan Newman comes from a family with a long love of racing.

When did they cover the bricks at Kissing the bricks?

More from IMS: In October 1961, the remaining bricks on the front straightaway were covered with asphalt. A 36-inch strip of the original bricks was kept intact at the start/finish line, where it remains today as the fabled Yard of Bricks.

Why do they kiss the bricks at Indy?

The tradition of kissing the Yard of Bricks after winning a race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is one of the most famous rituals in motor sports. But given the track’s history with the IndyCar Series – although once a year NASCAR drivers drop by – racing fans might assume kissing the bricks originated with the open-wheeled style of racing. Not so.