What ever happened to ... DNQs of the '94 Brickyard?

Much has been written about the inaugural Brickyard 400: Rick Mast the improbable pole-winner, the incident involving the Bodine brothers, the stirring battle between eventual winner Jeff Gordon and Ernie Irvan, who subsequently had tire issues. But what about the drivers who failed to qualify?

It may be hard to believe now, but in 1994, NASCAR officials were somewhat unsure what kind of a car count they might have for a stock car race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In order to ensure a full field, they added the Brickyard 400 to the Winston West schedule. They needn't have worried, as an amazing 86 cars were entered.

Indianapolis 500 winners A.J. Foyt and Danny Sullivan made the show, along with Geoff Brabham, son of the man who kicked off the rear-engine revolution at Indy in 1960. And Winston West regular Mike Chase was able to race his way into the field. But the list of those drivers who didn't make it is perhaps more fascinating than those who did.

Here's a rundown, in order of their 1994 qualifying speeds:

Joe Ruttman

Joe Ruttman
The younger brother of 1950 Indy 500 winner Troy Ruttman made his NASCAR debut at 18, running the Riverside road course. He never won a Cup race in 225 starts over 20 years, but finished 12th in the 1983 standings and made his last Cup start at 59. Showing that life does begin at 50, Ruttman moved to the fledgling Truck Series in 1995 and was runner-up to champion Mike Skinner. He went on to win 13 times and record three third-place finishes in the standings, still racing up until 2007.

Dick Trickle
A Wisconsin short-track legend and Cup rookie at 47, Trickle was 52 when he attempted to make the Indianapolis field. Trickle returned and made the field three of the next four races, scoring finishes of 18th in both 1995 and 1998. He was still running full time until 1998 and made his last Cup start in 2002 at the age of 60. Unofficially listed as having won more than 1,000 feature races, Trickle still races occasionally in his home state.

Randy LaJoie
The New Englander ran only a limited Cup schedule over a 12-year span, but won the 1996 and 1997 Busch Series championships, recording a total of 15 wins. He retired from full-time racing in 2006 and started his own business, manufacturing custom-made racing seats for other drivers. The Joie of Seating builds seats for everything from NASCAR's three national series down to local bullrings and youth go-karts.

Jim Sauter
Sauter was another veteran driver who made the leap from Wisconsin short tracks to NASCAR in the early '80s, running mainly a part-time schedule from the time he made his Cup debut in 1980 at age 37. His best Cup finishes were a pair of ninths, accomplished in the 1987 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte and equaled two years later at Watkins Glen. Sauter is perhaps best known for helping prepare setups for the International Race of Champions series. His sons -- Tim, Jay and Johnny -- all made it to NASCAR's highest level.

Steve Grissom
Alabama's Grissom, the 1993 Busch Series champion, was stepping up full time to the Cup Series in 1994, finishing second to Jeff Burton for rookie of the year honors. Grissom returned to Indianapolis the following season and finished 30th. He also wound up 26th in 1997 and 23rd in 1998. He made his final Cup start in 2002, but continues to be active as a driver, having made one Nationwide Series start in each of the last three seasons. With Grissom acting as spotter, son Kyle scored his first late model victory at Hickory Motor Speedway in 2007.

Davy Jones
The Chicago native made five career Indianapolis 500 starts, including finishing second to Buddy Lazier in 1996. He tried to make the transition to stock cars in 1995, running seven races with D.K. Ulrich but failed to qualify four times and posted a best finish of 20th at Darlington. He suffered serious neck injuries in a practice crash at Walt Disney World Speedway in 1997 and briefly retired from racing. He has since participated in some sports car events.

Rick Carelli
Colorado's Carelli, "The High Plains Drifter," parlayed seven victories into the 1993 Winston West championship. He made a total of nine Cup starts over a three-year period, all in Chevrolets owned by Marshall Chesrown, and mainly on the West Coast. His best finishes were a pair of 21st, at Sonoma and Phoenix. He won four times in trucks, beginning in 1996, but was seriously injured in an accident at Memphis in 1999. However, he returned the following year to post another victory at Richmond. He's currently the team manager for Kevin Harvick Inc.

John Krebs
Son of a Pacific Coast Late Model driver, Krebs was 16 when he passed his rookie test at Riverside Raceway. All 19 of his Cup starts were companion events with Winston West, where he was a regular. The Roseville, Calif., native won three times on that circuit, including 1992 victories at Texas World Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway. He finished third in the 1994 Winston West points, then retired as a full-time driver. His last start came at Madera in 2003. As of 2008, Krebs was crew chief for teenager Johnathan Hale in Chevrolets owned by Jack Sellers. (Continued)