NASCAR first raced at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1994, when the inaugural Brickyard 400 was held on August 6. The event marked NASCAR’s debut at the famous Indianapolis oval and became one of the most important additions to the stock-car calendar.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway opened in 1909, and the Indianapolis 500 was first held there in 1911. For decades, the Indianapolis 500 was effectively the track’s defining annual event. NASCAR interest grew during the 1980s and early 1990s, leading Speedway officials and NASCAR to explore whether stock cars could compete successfully on the 2.5-mile circuit.
A testing session involving top NASCAR teams took place at Indy in June 1992, helping demonstrate that the cars were suitable for the track. NASCAR and Speedway president Tony George officially announced the Brickyard 400 in April 1993. Jeff Gordon won the inaugural race, giving Hendrick Motorsports the historic first NASCAR victory at the venue.
The 1994 event is sometimes confused with the earlier 1992 tire test. That test was not a race; the first official NASCAR race at Indianapolis was the 1994 Brickyard 400.