Labonte

As a kid growing up in South Texas, I always idolized A.J. Foyt. And anyone who paid any attention to A.J.'s career also had to know what a special place Indianapolis Motor Speedway was.

Today, as my Kellogg's/got milk? Racing Team prepares for the 10th running of the Brickyard 400, things really aren't that much different. I still admire A.J. -- as the driver he was and the man he is. And yes, Indianapolis Motor Speedway still is a very special place.

If you grow up wanting to be a baseball player, then you dream of playing in Yankee Stadium. If football's your game, it might be Notre Dame or Lambeau Field in Green Bay, two shrines of the sport. Growing up in Corpus Christi, Texas, I always wondered what it would be like to race at Indianapolis and worried that I might never get the chance.

When I was a teenager, thinking about a career in stock car racing, I knew that Indy cars -- not stock cars -- raced at the "Brickyard." I never thought we'd see the day NASCAR would compete at Indy. That all changed 10 years ago, and the arrival of our sport at Indianapolis probably had as much to do with NASCAR's tremendous growth over the last decade as anything else.

Today, I would put the Brickyard 400 behind only the Daytona 500 in terms of prestige. Everyone comes to Indy a little hungrier, knowing that the prize is much bigger than almost anywhere else we race. Every team hopes to be the one that kneels down to kiss that yard of bricks when we're done Sunday afternoon.

I'd visited the speedway many times before we started racing there. But the track -- with all those seats and all those memories -- still impresses me. There's a golf course on the infield and now, even a world-class Formula One circuit.

The original facility was built in 1911 and from the minute you drive through one of those infield tunnels today, you can feel the history. It'll grab you and pull you along ... toward the museum at the south end of the grounds, with all those old photographs and vintage race cars ... the Marmon "Wasp" ... Tony Hulman ... the old Pagoda ... riding mechanics?

	Labonte's best Brickyard 400 finish was a third-place in 1996.

I'm still amazed at the quality of equipment they raced all those years ago. And I can't forget A.J.'s four wins. In fact, his last Indy victory came in 1977 -- one year before I drove in my first NASCAR race!

Indy is the biggest, cleanest, most impressive track we compete on. And how about those tunnels? There are four of them and they put them along the straightaways, not in the turns. Other speedways always seem to put those tunnels in the corners, where the track settles and upsets the race cars.

Not Indy.

The paddock and garage are unlike any other on the circuit, with a separate area to park the haulers and Gasoline Alley where the teams actually work on the cars. Most other tracks have both areas built into one common space.

Not Indy.

The city of Indianapolis and outlying areas eat, sleep and breathe racing. It doesn't matter whether it's open wheel or NASCAR, the fans are as knowledgeable and passionate as any group in the country. So many of the new tracks being built now are located far from the heart of the nearest big city.

Not Indy.

If anyone wonders what defines a "racing city," visit this town sometime during the month of May or August, and you'll find out.

This is a racing city.

So what's in store for us at the Brickyard 400 this year? No one has a crystal ball, but you can bet it'll be exciting, dramatic and memorable. Anything less would be ... well ...

Not Indy.

Terry Labonte drives the No. 5 Kellogg's/got milk? Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. He is providing a biweekly diary to ESPN.com throughout the 2003 NASCAR season. Labonte's personal Web site can be found at www.terrylabonte.net or go to www.hendrickmotorsports.com for team information.