Paul Menard was a journeyman NASCAR driver who never won a NASCAR Cup Series Race after four full time season. That would change though at the 2011 Brickyard 400, and he would score his one and only NASCAR Cup Series victory!
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Video Credit: NASCAR, ESPN
31 Comments
My request for Ricky Rudd vs Kevin Harvick brawl at Richmond Night Race of Nascar Cup Series playoffs 2003 season.
I remeber being super excited for Menard! Not only did he play the fuel milage perfect, he had one of the GOAT's chasing him down. Good race! Great day for Menard!
Please do a vid on the Bubba Wallace/Kyle Larson Ordeal in the 2022 South Point 400 at Las Vegas as well as the exact same fiasco between Chase Elliott (Kyle Larson's Teammate) and Denny Hamlin (Bubba Wallace's Car Owner) 7 months later in the 2023 Coca-Cola 600
Teams liked to have Menard because he never tore up equipment plus he had his family sponsor him
The CoT skew always looked so funny to me. Looks like they are drifting out of the corners.
You should do a video either the 2008 brickyard 400, the 2021 indy rc race, or the 2022 coke 600
The man that never smiled can finally smile by winning a crown 👑 Jewel 💎. Do you want the oval back next season?
I was at that race
@Demise90 First, I'm so glad I found your channel. I adore your content. But I have to ask… why such low resolution videos? Dying for some higher resolution videos. At least 1080p, ya know? Is there some reason why you can't go any higher than 720p?
Thanks again for the awesome videos, keep on putting out great stuff, regardless of pixel counts.
I got to sit in this race car, it made some rounds at Menards in Omaha NE, I sat in it and they moved the car slightly, so I can say I sat in the car while it moved lol. I still have the diecast I bought from that day
Dang, with everyone doing videos about the Brickyard 400, and its possible return next year, that tells me you guys REALLY want it back
But let's just hope it's not a 2008 or 2020 Brickyard 400 situation
I don’t care how you describe Menard’s career. He will be forever known as a Brickyard 400 winner
Nice!
"30 Year Old Paul Menard, his Family with Such a Long Racing History in Indianapolis, They'll Kiss the Bricks Together Now !! Paul Menard, wins the Brickyard 400 !!" – Allen Bestwick
Menard was a bit notorious for running mid-pack. As mentioned, his three biggest qualities were the sponsorship money he brought, the fact he was well known to keep his cars in one piece, and that he would regularly get top fives and tens that often went unnoticed. His win here was nothing short of a massive upset, but just another reason that makes me feel like 2011 was one of the greatest NASCAR seasons of all time.
Looking back at comments from the time people thought this was a fluke win and Menar didn't desere it. He….absolutely, point blank, did. He won the race on merit an strategy, an held off a goat to do so
I always liked Paul. Always quietly performing, was certainly a much better driver than most people gave him credit for. He was just never given top class equipment nor was he one of the best. But if I was a team owner, I’d have picked him over 99% of drivers.
Paul Menard was a pay driver… but he was the one who could bring the car home in one piece, and not cause too much controversy while doing so. If all pay drivers were like him, they wouldn't be so frowned on. And he gave his dad a win at a track he had cars sponsored for years and a win his dad deserved too have.
This was a nice feel good win. As a Gordon fan I wasnt even complaining. Paul just went out and did his best every week for years and finally got his.
I was cheering for Menard and Gordon.. Happy Menard won but sad Jeff lost
A lot of thoughts on this video…I remembered watching Paul race Legends at Raceway Park, and Elko in MN when he was just starting out..
Plus geez, back in this era of NASCAR, look at the field of drivers ..Amazing.
This was fixed IMO. Whatever.
I was watching this race while on vacation with my folks in Canada. Paul wasn't a very good driver for the first year or so of his career, but he was one who learned from mistakes and got better over time. He had his family's money behind him for sure, which is likely why he stayed long enough to get better, but he went from pay driver to a solid points runner all the same. That win was a fun one, as I watched his dad's cars run at Indy when I was young.
Which fuel mileage win at Indy is better: Paul Menard or Alex Rossi?
Paul Menard is the greatest mediocre driver in NASCAR history.
watching this makes me want to have NSACAR go back to the quad oval and not the road course.
MAN that crowd is pretty massive! the empty grandstands kinda make it seem like its not lol
I Remember That Race! It Was My 2nd Full Time Season Of Watching NASCAR. Menard Was One Of 5 First Time Winners Of 2011, The Other 4 Were Trevor Bayne, Regan Smith, David Ragan, & Marcos Ambrose.
Not sure if you can but if you are able to would you be willing to cover Ambrose in V8SC in 2003-2004, he was an absolute beast and it set the stage for his NASCAR career very very well, but not a lot of people outside Australia knew how good he was. He took the AU Falcon, which was the far worse of the two cars, to performances it didn't deserve and when the BA Falcon came in he was at the right team but didn't utterly dominate every race of every round. Plus the 03-04 V8SC there is something magic about the beautiful paint schemes, the racing and the broadcasts, that intro and theme tune are timeless, plus it kept the late, great, Barry Sheene in with a clip of him as wellr
My mom’s cousin is Paul Menard
I always liked Paul. I remember one time while he was driving for DEI he made a random appearance at Robby Gordon's merch trailer at the Coke 600 when Robby was running his own #7 team and was sponsored by Menards. I used to work at a gas station in Cornelius, NC where a lot of driver's live, station was actually right by Michael Waltrip Racing, and Paul came in one time and bought a Full Throttle energy drink back when those were a thing lol. Say what you will about him; was he a pay driver? Absolutely, but that cash kept people employed and teams operating. And he was the best kind of pay driver you can ask for. Consistent, competent and didn't tear up equipment.