NASCAR had ‌crown jewel event races like the Daytona 500, the Southern 500, and the Coca-Cola 600. But in 1994, NASCAR added another marquee event to its calendar, and that was none other than the Brickyard 400. The iconic oval of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, for the first time, opened its doors for the premier stock car series event. And, this race also set off Jeff Gordon’s career, who was just 23 at that time.

“The coolest thing about racing midgets in Indiana is it paid money to race,” said Gordon, who had deep ties to the region. His parents moved from California to Indiana so that he could pursue his dream of racing cars. And in 1994, his dream began to shape up, long before he became the NASCAR Hall of Famer and icon, Gordon clinched the title of the first-ever winner of the Brickyard 400.

A total of 86 drivers entered the first Brickyard 400, with 79 of them making the qualifying attempts. Talk about times when the charter system didn’t exist, and those who qualified had the shot at winning the race. Out of these entries, only 43 cars made the cut, and Rick Mast secured himself the pole position.

Now, Gordon had previously won a NASCAR Cup race that year at Charlotte Motor Speedway. And starting third, he was on the verge of a memorable victory. One of the key moments of the race came on Lap 100 when Geoff Bodine nudged his brother Brett and got him loose. In retaliation, Brett sent Geoff’s Ford spinning into the wall, and this chaos allowed Gordon to mount a charge.

Gordon was up against Erine Irvan. It was a classic Chevy vs. Ford battle, and both drivers were chasing history. In the final 25 laps, the lead changed hands four times, but they had to be wary of other drivers in the back who were looking to pounce at the right time. Call it luck or fate, Gordon’s rival Irvan suffered a big setback.

Despite leading on Lap 155, Irvan’s car suffered a tire failure and which allowed Gordon to take the lead for the final five laps. This allowed the HMS driver to etch his name in the history books. Finally, the Indiana boy achieved his lifelong dream of winning a race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. However, he couldn’t have predicted that this moment would come while racing in a stock car.

Emotions were pretty high at that moment, and Jeff Gordon recalled that feeling in an interview with Indystar. “The emotions at (my first career win in the 1994 Coke 600) were about a lot of accomplishment through a lot of hard work and feeling like I’d made it. (Winning) Indy was more of an accomplishment of a dream beyond belief and kinda, ‘Hey, I’ve not just made it. I’m taking things to the next level.”

But Jeff Gordon winning at Indy wasn’t just a big deal for him, but for NASCAR as a sport. This was the race that put him in the limelight, and Gordon believes this was the watershed moment that allowed NASCAR to go mainstream. “This win was the launching pad for myself, my team and the whole sport, and I definitely felt that. I’ve said for many, many years that that day changed my life.”

This win started a romance that Gordon continued for a long time. He won the Brickyard 400 a record five times during his career. After the triumph of 1994, the HMS star did it again in 1998, 2001, 2004, and 2014. His teammate, and seven-time NASCAR champion, Jimmie Johnson, is right behind him with 4 wins to his name.

It is worth noting that Johnson is still racing with his own team, Legacy Motor Club. So there’s something we should keep an eye out for; he just might draw level with his former teammate.