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Gordon Wins 5th Brickyard 400

Jeff Gordon crosses the bricks, picking up a historic fifth Brickyard 400 victory. [Mark Walczak Photo]

 

20 YEARS AFTER HIS FIRST JEFF GORDON GETS 5TH BRICKYARD 400 WIN

            Speedway, IN., July 27—Historically, one would be hard pressed to name a sports figure who not only competes in a major sporting event 20 years after their first attempt, but then actually goes out and wins it.

But that’s exactly what Jeff Gordon did Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as he drove to his record-setting fifth victory in the Crown Royal Presents the John Wayne Walding 400 at the Brickard, commonly known as the Brickyard 400.

“I don’t think there’s a greater feeling as a race car driver or a race team, I finally made the restart of my life when it mattered most, “Gordon said from victory lane after racing to the lead with an outside pass in turn one of Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kasey Kahne following a lap 143 restart, “I cannot believe this just happened.”

“I was trying so hard with ten laps to go not to focus on the crowd and was trying not to let it all get to me,” continued Gordon, one of only two drivers to have competed in every edition of the Brickyard 400, “This one is for all those fans throughout the years and all weekend long who said, ‘go get number five.”

Once out front, Gordon steadily pulled away leading the final 17 laps and taking the checkered flag 2.325 seconds ahead of the Joe Gibbs Racing contingent of Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, and Matt Kenseth in second through fourth place respectively.

“I don’t think anybody had anything for the 24 (Gordon) and it seemed like anybody that he got behind he was able to pass those guys, “Busch stated afterward, “I mean, the 24 was in a league of his own and guys that could make passes like that have the best cars here, there was no doubt he should have been the winner.”

In a strategically themed race, Hamlin’s team opted on a conventional pit strategy of racing to a complete fuel run instead of pitting early and it nearly paid off save for a miscue in fueling the car on the second last pit stop, resulting in the third place finish.

“If it all worked out, we were going to have a fifteen second lead with enough fuel to make it,” Hamlin said, “We were sitting really, really pretty to win this race and just didn’t get it full on that second to last stop. We made an extra stop and that put us back and we just battled our way back to the top three, we had a fast car that was capable of winning.”

Kenseth started behind Gordon on the final restart and had a front row seat for the winning pass before racing to a fourth place finish, his seventh top career top five result at Indianapolis.

“I was kind of picking on Jeff’s (Gordon) restarts all day because he just couldn’t get going on the outside,” Kenseth said, “I was behind and I was like ‘Man this is going to be bad’ but he got into turn one and kind of carried Kasey (Kahne) and Kasey must have got loose. And then Denny (Hamlin) gave me a break and I got in front of him and we were both able to pass Kasey before Denny got us three wide and once it singled out we were able to get away a little bit.”

Joey Logano drove the top finishing Ford for car owner Roger Penske, who has yet to win the Brickyard 400, to a fifth place finish.

“The restarts are the only time you can ever pass anyone so you’ve got to go and push hard and take that chance,” Logano stated, “It’s a chance to wreck your car, but it’s the Brickyard, right? I think everyone’s got the attitude of checkers or wreckers out there and you just have to be perfect all day and Jeff Gordon was today.”

Despite leading a race high 70 laps, Kahne fell to sixth place after the final restart and he remained in that position when the checkered flag fell.

“Looking back, I probably should have chosen the top lane,” Kahne told ESPN afterwards, “They pretty much let Jeff (Gordon) control that restart. I took off and never spun a tire and on the inside there had been more grip throughout the race, so I thought the inside was the right decision.”

Kyle Larson was the highest finishing rookie with his seventh place result while pole-sitter Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished in eighth and ninth respectively. Austin Dillon, another rookie, rounded out the top ten finishers in tenth.

“It was fun and cool to finish in the top ten at the Brickyard and to see Jeff Gordon win is pretty special,” Larson said, “It was a really good day for everybody and all the fans too, so I’m happy about it.”

Gordon’s fifth Brickyard 400 victory ties him with Michael Schumacher, who won the Formula One United States Grand Prix five times, for the most wins overall at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The Brickyard 400 was slowed under the caution flag a total of four times for sixteen laps, with the only incident of the race occurring on lap 98 when Trevor Bayne cut a tire and spun into the inside rail in turn three.

The race featured fifteen lead changes among nine drivers and was completed in two hours thirty nine minutes at an average speed of 150.297 miles per hour.

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