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INDIANAPOLIS -- Its Tony Stewarts final Brickyard 400, and retired four-time Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon was a late addition to the entry list at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.?Can they make a difference to NASCARs fastest falling event??Lets be honest: No. Two of modern stock car racings biggest stars have strong ties to the state of Indiana, but thats not likely to create a noticeable boost in attendance for the race that serves as the most dramatic example of NASCARs fall from grace over the last decade.?Only 20 years ago, when stock car racing was still relatively new and novel at IMS and the Indianapolis 500 was starting to show the effects of the Indy car civil war between CART and the Indy Racing League, I called the Brickyard 400 the Speedways premier race.?That is emphatically no longer the case. With Indy car racing reunified as the Verizon IndyCar Series, the Indianapolis 500 has slowly rallied over the last decade. This year, with the additional buzz surrounding the 100th running of Americas most famous auto race, the 500 was a sellout for the first time since the CART/IRL split in 1996.?Meanwhile, the Brickyard, despite being contested at arguably the best-known oval circuit in the world, has become just another race on the NASCAR schedule.?The drivers can hype it up and say how much it means to race at Indy, but the Brickyard 400, as an event, has lost its luster with fans.?The sellout crowds were already starting to thin when the Goodyear tire debacle occurred in 2008, and that, combined with the resurgence in interest in the Indianapolis 500 when Indy car racing came back together, burst the Brickyard attendance balloon.?The event never really recovered, to the point where attendance has slipped to an estimated 75,000 on race day, about a quarter of what it was during the peak years in the 1990s.?The Brickyard 400 is still a profitable race for IMS, but it cannot be denied that those vast expanses of bare aluminum grandstands are a black eye to the famous venues image.?The Brickyard 400 is the third largest attended sporting event in the state of Indiana every year, IMS president Doug Boles said. So while its not the Indianapolis 500, it still is a massive event and there still are a lot of people here. Economically it makes sense for us, it makes sense for this community and it makes sense for NASCAR.?Would we love to have more people? Boles asked. Absolutely, and we continue to try to do that every day. But is there any way you can say its not a success? Absolutely not.?Assuming the Brickyard draws 75,000, that still puts the event comfortably in the top 10 in terms of attendance among all NASCAR events.?That glass-half-full spin ignores the fact that the Brickyard used to be the sports undisputed No. 1 draw and that the weekend is a shadow of its former self. Promoting the presence of Stewart and Gordon for one last go-round certainly isnt going to make a noticeable difference in attendance -- or the widespread perception that the Brickyard is an event that jumped the shark.?Gordon, who spent the first half of the season in the media working for Fox Sports, understands that his two-race (for now) comeback is big news -- especially in central Indiana, where he attended high school while starting his career in USAC racing.?Absolutely, we are looking for big stories because you know that when they come along it creates a lot of buzz and interest and gives you a lot to talk about, Gordon said.?So Im sure the folks at NBC are going to have plenty to talk about here on Sunday.? ?Boles said that when the news about Gordon broke, it did make a positive difference. I know our ticketing team is excited, he said. Our phones started ringing in a way that they havent been ringing in quite some time, just because there is so much momentum behind Jeff Gordon.?When youre here in Indiana and you have the opportunity for Jeff Gordon to run at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway -- especially after hes retired from racing -- its pretty exciting to have him here.?In addition to his Indiana homecoming, Gordon adds another storyline (and potentially, some ticket sales) to next weeks race at Pocono Raceway. But Pocono president Brandon Igdalsky is realistic about the effect Gordons presence -- and by extension, Dale Earnhardt Jr.s absence -- will have on walk-up numbers at the gate.?Im sure we saw a little spike from it, but youd rather have the most popular driver in the sport [Earnhardt] racing, Igdalsky said. The fans last year who may have missed the chance to see Jeff run, there you go, hes going to come back and run a few races and fill in.?Heck, Ill take any extra ticket sales we can get.?With Hoosier heroes Gordon and Stewart (and to a lesser extent, South Bend native Ryan Newman) to promote, this years Brickyard certainly isnt hurting for storylines. ?But the biggest story is still likely to be the shocking lack of fan interest in the event -- and looking forward, there is no logical answer in sight in terms of how to rekindle it.?Suggestions range from running the Indianapolis race on the IMS road course, to making it a Chase race later in the year when the weather is more pleasant (this weekends forecast calls for high humidity with a heat index above 100 degrees).?Clearly some kind of shake-up needs to happen, because 23 years in, the novelty of NASCAR racing at Indianapolis has truly worn off. It was neat at first, but once youve sat through a couple hot, boring stock car races at IMS, theres really no compelling reason to go back and do it again.?The Speedway is an awesome place to behold, especially when it is filled to capacity like it was in the first half of the Brickyards history, or for this years Indy 500. But truth be told, with its poor sight lines and lack of modern amenities, its not the greatest place to actually watch a car race.?Improvements are being made to the infrastructure at IMS, but the grand old track is still light years behind venues like Daytona and Texas when it comes to giving fans a comfortable spectating experience.?Next year, of course -- barring another personal request from Rick Hendrick -- there wont be Gordon and Stewart as part of the draw.?Its certainly important to build that next generation of race car driver, because thats whats going to sell tickets in the future, Boles said. The best-case scenario for us in Indy is if Tony Stewart or Jeff Gordon wins, but people are already asking who is that next generation driver who is going to win and create new fans and sell tickets going forward A lot of NASCARs messaging in the last couple years has been about the new drivers. They know they have to invest in that, and so do we.?But were not going to turn Jeff Gordon down, no matter who else you need to build the fan base going forward.Adidas NMD Heren Sale . After the whistle, Thornton skated the length of the ice, pulled Orpik to the ice from behind and punched him in the face several times. Adidas Falcon Goedkoop . Now tied for second in the league in shootout goals, the 24-year-old likes to see what the opposing goaltender has in store before he ultimately lands on a move. http://www.nmdbelgie.com/kopen-adidas-zx-flux-sale.html . Its 1987 and a Brazilian playmaker, known as Mirandinha, is being paraded around St James Park to the passionate Newcastle fans. Adidas NMD R1 Dames .C. -- Rodney Hood connected from all over the court while freshman Jabari Parker was busy swatting shots and scoring in transition. Adidas NMD R2 Heren . 31, the CFL club announced Monday. The team also has yet to decide on the future of Doug Berry, who began the season as a consultant to the head coach but took over the offensive co-ordinators duties in July.OKLAHOMA CITY -- With a rebound midway through the fourth quarter, Russell Westbrook notched his seventh consecutive triple-double, the longest such streak since Michael Jordan?had seven in a row in 1989.But as one streak continued, another ended, as the Houston Rockets?won 102-99 to snap the Oklahoma City Thunders six-game winning streak. Westbrook finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists and sparked a 13-point comeback, but the Thunder fell short, with Westbrook and Anthony Morrow both airballing potential go-ahead 3-pointers in the final 30 seconds.Afterward, Westbrook was in no mood to discuss the achievement, flashing only a cold glare coupled with awkward silence when he was asked about it.Westbrook got deep into the paint twice in the closing minutes with a chance to put the Thunder ahead but missed two left-handed layups. He also set up Victor Oladipo on a three-on-two fast break with 29 seconds left, but Oladipo was unable to finish the layup.Just missing, Westbrook said. Missing easy layups.After picking up the triple-double, his 12th of the season and 49th of his career, Westbrook didnt have another rebound or assist for the final 7:41 of the game. He did score 12 of the Thunders final 18 points.Westbrook was just 8-of-25 from the floor and turned it over eight times while being hounded by nemesis Patrick Beverley, although he?was unwilling to credit Beverleys defense on him.I missed a lot of easy shots, man. Honestly, brother, Westbrook said. I havent made no shots in the last month. S---, so, just gotta get my mind right.Beverley, though, had no problem praising Weestbrook.ddddddddddddHes a really good, Beverley said, pausing. Hes a really, really, really, really, really, really, really good player.You got to think I got all my friends telling me, Dont let him get a triple-double. Dont let him get a triple-double, Beverley said. Like I said, hes one of the best players in the league. Im just happy we were fortunate to get a win today.According to research by ESPN Stats & Information, Westbrook is now 4-of-27 in his career on potential go-ahead shots in the final 10 seconds of the fourth quarter and overtime. He has missed 10 of his past 11 such attempts.I thought we got the ball where we wanted to, Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. The last two possessions, in particular the underneath, out-of-bounds play with 16 seconds left, I think we got the ball where we wanted to for Russell. ... I felt like we got Russell the ball in a pretty good spot for himself where he can play and create and make things happen. Unfortunately, he lost control of the ball a little bit, but I think we had him right where we wanted him to catch it.The Thunder are now 9-3 this season when Westbrook has a triple-double, with the three losses coming by a combined nine points.Westbrook is one of only four players to register at least seven consecutive triple-doubles, joining Jordan, Oscar Robertson and Wilt Chamberlain. He can pass Jordan on Sunday against the Boston Celtics?and move within one of the longest streak ever, set by Chamberlain in 1968. ' ' '