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When you watch interviews with NASCAR Sprint Cup series drivers about the 16th running of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, they seem to get . little misty, as if the mystique of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway isn'… bit lost on them. Perhaps we need to give NASCAR drivers more credit…

The Brickyard 400 is after all the most challenging of NASCAR events. Reports from today'. practice sessions suggest last year'. tire issues are resolved, but this is still . tough track for stock cars designed to go fast and rub fenders, and the race is 160 laps. The turns at Indy are flat, rather than banked. And the groove on the racing line (grippy part of the track) makes it tough to run side by side. Successful cars need to show some handling ability here. And their drivers need to show some skill — you know, car control.

Ex-midget racers tend to do well here, and last year'. Brickyard winner, Jimmie Johnson, started out racing 50cc motorcycles at age 5. Brickyard winners also have . high probability of going on to win the whole Cup. Johnson did it in 2006 and 2008; Tony Stewart did it in 2005; Jeff Gordon did it in 1998 and 2001; Bobby Labonte did it in 2000; and Dale Jarrett did it in 1999.

Now that Tony George is no longer in charge at Indianapolis, some think that priority (and subsidies) at IMS might naturally shift from IRL to NASCAR. Time will tell.

For now, though, you can watch watch Brickyard qualifying at 10 …. eastern time Saturday on ESPN2. Practice continues at 2….. EST on Speed and at 3:30….. EST on ESPN2.

Race coverage begins at 1./spy shots… EST Sunday on ESPN, with the race start at 2 p.. EST.

ESPN also has “live” blog coverage for the Brickyard 400.

Official site: Allstate 400 at the Brickyard