GORDON TO MAKE 350TH WINSTON CUP START IN BRICKYARD 400

    SPEEDWAY, Ind. - Jeff Gordon will be driving ‘four' history in this 
Sunday's Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
    With a win in his 350th NASCAR Winston Cup start, Gordon would become 
only the fourth driver to notch four victories in Indianapolis Motor Speedway's 
93-year history. Al Unser, Sr., Rick Mears and A.J. Foyt each won the 
Indianapolis 500 four times.
    Gordon, the only three-time Brickyard 400 winner, grew up in the shadows 
of The Brickyard in nearby Pittsboro dreaming of racing on the 2.5-mile track. 
As with many kids who grew up in the area, he knows all about the tradition 
of the famed speedway. He also knows what the number ‘four' represents in 
speedway lore. 
    "A.J. was the only four-time winner when I first understood the magnitude 
of winning here," said Gordon, driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet. "Every 
May, we all wondered if anyone would ever match that feat. It was great seeing 
Al Unser, Sr., and Rick Mears tie the mark, especially Rick since I was a 
huge fan of his and was lucky enough to get his autograph.
    "It seemed like we drove by the speedway every other day when I was 
growing up. It's just a great racing facility with so much history and tradition. 
Just to win here once is very special.
    "I'm excited that we have a chance to win a fourth Brickyard 400 and tie 
those guys, but I really don't think you can put us in the same category if we 
win. It's difficult to compare the two series and I think you need to keep 
their impressive accomplishment separate."
    Along with three victories, Gordon has three poles, five top-fives and 
seven top-10's in nine Brickyard 400's. He has also led 306 laps of the 1,440 
laps (21 percent) run in the annual event, 120 more than any other driver.
    "Track position is crucial here and there's no better place to be than 
out front," said Gordon, who started 27th en route to his 2001 victory. "In 
2001, the car was awful when we were deep in traffic. My crew chief Robbie Loomis 
made some great calls in the pits to give us track position and the difference 
was like night and day. The car was great in clean air."
    In his 11th year on the circuit, Gordon has already captured four NASCAR 
Winston Cup championships, 62 victories and 43 poles. He has accumulated 167 
top-fives (48 percent), 220 top-10's (63 percent) and has led 14,913 laps – 
only 87 shy of 15,000 – in 349 races.
    "I'm not the type of person to get caught up in all the stats and 
records," Gordon said. "I'm sure one day I'll sit on a porch and look back at what 
we've accomplished as a team, but right now we need to concentrate on leading 
laps and finishing in the top five.
    "We've lost a lot of points the past few weekends and, with our past 
success here, we can get back on track. This DuPont team doesn't give up and we're 
not out of the championship hunt just yet. We've dug ourselves a hole, so now 
we need to begin climbing out.
    "We can't erase that deficit in one race, but a strong run can start the 
process."