When Dale Earnhardt was left “truly intimidated” by over 200,000 fans at the inaugural Brickyard 400

Former NASCAR driver Rick Mast reminisced about the time when Dale Earnhardt was "intimated" looking at the crowd during the Brickyard 400 in 1994. This was the first time the Cup Series raced at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS).

Indianapolis has played a monumental role in building and promoting motorsports. Sometimes dubbed as the "Greatest Race Course in The World," the track was constructed in 1909. The rectangular outer oval, marking exactly 2.5 miles in length, has remained the same ever since it was constructed.

While IMS was home to many races like the Indy 500, it wasn't until 1994 that NASCAR would step onto the track for stock car racing. Then called the Brickyard 400, the race featured 160 laps around the oval. Dale Earnhardt, who was a strong figure in racing at the time, was quite "intimidated" by the crowd, as his fellow racer recently disclosed.

Rick Mast had put himself up in pole position and Earnhardt was starting in P2. The two were surprised looking at over 200,000 fans in the stands. Mast recently revealed the conversation they shared at the time:

"We were riding around on the parade lap in Earnhardt and we came down the front stretch and Earnhardt looked at me and said, 'Rick can you believe all these friggin people here watch us?' Right. So he was intimidated, was truly intimidated," he said (at 6:55).

Earnhardt went on to finish the race in fifth place while Mast was down in P22. 1994 also marked Dale Earnhardt's seventh and final Cup Series championship win. The race recorded the highest number of attendees in a NASCAR race till date.

Indianapolis continues to be a fan favorite. Drivers, too, remain fascinated with the racing action this track provides. One of Earnhardt's oldest rivals, Jeff Gordon, has always been a fan of the 2.5-mile oval.

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Dale Earnhardt's former rival Jeff Gordon shares experience of racing in Indianapolis for the first time

The Brickyard 400 was especially exciting for Jeff Gordon, who was gaining fame during the 90s as a rising competitor. He idolized IMS during his youth, wishing to step onto the track as a racer. Being such a great fan, he made his way on the Cup Series grid in 1993, a year before IMS was added to the calendar.

While Rick Mast and Dale Earnhardt formed the front row for the start of the race, Jeff Gordon was right behind them in P3. He fought excellently throughout the race, even battling Mast for an early lead. Ultimately, he won the race. It was his second career win.

Speaking about the race on its 30th anniversary, he claimed that the addition of the track was a "game changer."

"Obviously, there’s a lot of history with this event if you go back 30 years," Gordon told NASCAR. "And to celebrate that inaugural event is pretty amazing and a lot to tell. I mean, I think that that day, if you look at NASCAR’s popularity and where it sort of went to from those mid-90s, in that time in ’94 further, it obviously was a game-changer — not just for me, my career and the drivers that were there that were part of it, but just for the whole industry and motorsports in general."

Talking about his experience of racing on the track, which he had loved since his early days, Gordon said that it was "special" to be a part of the event in 1994. He claimed that the event "exceeded the hype."

"Being a part of that day was really special. And I don’t know since then that I’ve seen that much hype, that much attention, media coverage, fan attendance and engagement, sponsors, teams, you name it. I mean, it was a hyped-up event, but it lived up to or exceeded the hype. And that just doesn’t happen very often."

Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt shared one of the greatest rivalries in the history of NASCAR throughout the 90s. Gordon was a rising star while the latter was trying to keep up with his experience. Despite the battles they shared on the track, Gordon had recently revealed that he had a lot of respect for Dale Earnhardt.