Throughout the last 27 years, the Brickyard 400 has been considered one of the most prestigious motor races. The rapid NASCAR boom of the 90s had led to the arrival of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval Cup Series, joining the Indianapolis 500. Only these two events ruled the racing capital of the world. But by time, the NASCAR Cup drivers have lost their thrill for the Indianapolis Road Course Race. A serious technical fault has acted as a driving factor behind this decaying popularity.
The Cause
For over a decade, the Brickyard 400 had witnessed the largest viewer attendance in NASCAR, occasionally including the largest hike in the Cup Series also. The ill-fated 2008 running at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was marred by numerous tire failures. Both NASCAR and the Goodyear tires failed to predict the tire loads beforehand at the Indianapolis Speedway. As a result, eventually, race control was forced to competition cautions every 10-12 laps or an average of just 9 green flag laps per run. The Brickyard 400 never fully recovered from the debacle.
The Current Scenario
During that time, over 200,000 fans attended the race, but the controversy led by the series of tire faults actually marked the start of the current decade-long declining popularity. Recent races were attended by only fewer than 50,000 viewers, seriously damaging the entertainment value of the sport. Roger Penske has purchased the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2019. He immediately has charted a new course for 2021, making a bold decision of contesting the Cup Series event on his infield road course. The decision was aided by a thrilling NASCAR Xfinity Series race, which took place last season on the newly set road course as a kind of test run.
The Reactions
While 2013 Brickyard 400 winner Ryan Newman are okay with the race, Cup driver Denny Hamlin doesn’t at all consider the transition having the similar challenge and aura of the Brickyard 400. Though personally preferring big track over the road course, Newman feels every race at the Speedway is somehow special. On contrary, for Hamlin, the road course has taken away a ‘crown jewel’, which can’t be replaced.
Mercedes reveals electric luxury models for the upcoming show in Munich
Mercedes is all set for the Munich transportation show happening the following week. It unveiled the electric cars it will be showcasing in the show and gave out details for the same. For now, Mercedes plans on including two SUV concepts; the two SUV concepts include one rugged off-roader and another an ultra-luxury model and one high-performance sedan. Let’s take a look at what’s in store.
The Mercedes-Benz EQG
The Mercedes-Benz EQG concept SUV is the electric version of the Mercedes G-class SUV. Along with the same boxy shape of the G-class, Benz EQG concept SUV also has the same jutting door handle – engineers have even managed to recreate the same thunk sound made by the former when the door closes. The only difference – the tagtail that had a spare tire mounted on it in G-class is replaced by a storage box for the charging cable. However, Mercedes is not planning to limit it to a concept car – it announced the plans of manufacturing vehicles based on the concept. It also added that the electric car would go through the Austrian mountain off-road course test in the same place where the G-class model was tested. Every wheel in the EQG comes with its own electric motor to allow maximum control.
Mercedes-Maybach EQS
The details of the luxury SUV were also revealed, and they are quite fascinating. Mercedes-Maybach EQS is designed mostly for on-road use. Like the EQS sedan – the Maybach SUV comes with a glass panel with length and breadth of the entire dashboard. The glass panel looks like a single touchscreen. Like every Maybach model – it has a two-tone paint job. The doors in the electric Maybach can open automatically as the driver approaches a feature similar to the electric sedan. Mercedes has also announced starting production of the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV by 2022.
The Mercedes-AMG EQS
The Mercedes-AMG EQS will be the very first completely electric AMG production model. It features two high-performance electric motors, and designers also created sounds to make sure the driving experience is not a silent one.