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THROWBACK: Jeff Gordon Clinches His Fifth Brickyard 400 Victory

Published 08/14/2021, 7:31 PM EDT

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Ever since it made its debut in 1994, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been an iconic venue in the world of motorsports. At the inaugural race, Jeff Gordon had the honor of being the first-ever race winner. Since then, he has gone on to become the king of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway; he has racked up five Brickyard 400 victories, a feat that nobody has toppled, to this day.

Two decades later, Gordon went on to seize his fifth win at the race track. The Hendrick Motorsports driver started in second place behind pole-sitter Kevin Harvick, who set the track record. When the race began, Harvick only kept the lead until lap two, but the caution soon came out due to overnight downpours. After the round of pit stops, Kevin Harvick got the lead back, before Gordon snatched it once again.

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How did Jeff Gordon win the race?

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As with most NASCAR races, there were a few accidents, and that brought out plenty of cautions. Nevertheless, Jeff Gordon weathered the storm and took the lead from Kasey Kahne on lap 127. With 31 laps left on the scoreboard, Gordon dove into the pits for his final stop.

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On the final restart, Gordon inherited the lead for good and took his 90th career victory. As a result, the #24 driver automatically booked a spot in the playoffs that year. Other drivers who joined him were Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, and Joey Logano. Meanwhile, Kahne used up too much fuel on the final lap and had to settle for sixth.

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Naturally, Jeff Gordon was thrilled to win because he did it in front of his family. He also confessed that he was trying hard not to get distracted by the crowd.

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Written by:

Dhruv George

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Dhruv George is a senior Formula One and NASCAR analyst for EssentiallySports, having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR, Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1 driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino.
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