INDIANAPOLIS -- Six times a driver has won the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard and gone on to win the Nextel Cup Series championship.
Jeff Gordon is hoping to make that seven.
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| At Indy, Jeff Gordon has four wins -- the most of any stock car driver. (Getty Images) |
But Gordon isn't putting too much pressure on himself to achieve the feat.
"It's just coincidence, but I do think the strong teams run well here," said Gordon. "Winning or losing this weekend does not mean you will win or lose the championship."
Winning at Indianapolis is something Gordon has done more than any other stock car driver. He's a four-time Brickyard winner, including the first in 1994, along with 1998, 2001 and 2004.
His overall record at Indy is impressive, with three poles, seven top fives, 10 top 10s and a record 433 laps led in 13 starts.
But it's the victory mark that puts Gordon in an elite group, joining legendary open-wheel drivers Al Unser, Rick Mears and A.J. Foyt -- all Indianapolis 500 champions -- for the most at the 2.5-mile track.
"I have four wins here -- four of the most amazing wins of my career," Gordon said. "Any time you win at Indy, whether it's your first win or your fourth, is incredible."
One more would put him ahead of the 500 contingent but only tie what Michael Schumacher did in the Formula One United States Grand Prix held at the track.
But Gordon doesn't think comparing the different accomplishments is fair.
"I witnessed Schumacher's fifth win and knew the comparisons would begin," he said. "But I don't even compare what we've done in a stock car to what Mears, Unser and Foyt did. Those guys are legends here."
Juan Pablo Montoya has a chance to enter the legend category. The Nextel Cup rookie could become the first driver to win both the Indianapolis 500 (2000) and Brickyard 400.
