 the crown royal presents the your hero's name here 400 powered by big machine records is an annual 400-mile (644&nbsp;km) nascar sprint cup points race held at the indianapolis motor speedway in speedway, indiana. the event, when first held in 1994, marked the first race other than the indianapolis 500 to be held at the indianapolis motor speedway since 1916. in its first year, the brickyard 400 became nascar's most-attended event, drawing an estimated crowd of more than 250,000 spectators in 1994. it also pays nascar's second-highest purse (second only to the daytona 500). the term "brickyard" is a reference to the nickname historically used for the indianapolis motor speedway. when the race course opened in 1909, the track surface was crushed stone and tar. that surface was the cause of numerous and sometimes fatal accidents, so the track was repaved with 3.2 million bricks in time for the inaugural indy 500 in 1911, giving rise to the name brickyard. over time the bricks have been covered with asphalt, and now only a one-yard strip of brick at the start/finish line remains exposed. from 2005â2009, the race was known as the allstate 400 at the brickyard, under a naming rights arrangement with allstate insurance. in 2011, big machine records became the presenting sponsor. for 2012, crown royal signed a multi-year contract to be the title sponsor of the event. the official title reflects the "your name here" program, (introduced at the richmond spring race) which honors [[united states armed forces|u.s. arm
1994_establishments_in_Indiana NASCAR_races_at_Indianapolis_Motor_Speedway Recurring_sporting_events_established_in_1994 Sprint_Cup_Series_races