Twenty years after his victory in the inaugural Brickyard 400, Jeff Gordon won a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a record fifth time.
Gordon, a four-time series champion and the current points leader, passed Kasey Kahne, his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, following a restart with 17 laps to go. He then held off Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth in the closing laps to win Sunday's 400-mile race at this historic 2.5-mile track.
NASCAR has been competing at Indy since 1994, with Gordon taking the checkered flag here that year. Gordon, who grew up in nearby Pittsboro, Indiana, also won the Brickyard 400 in 1998, 2001 and '04. He won the series title in '98 and '01.
Busch finished 2.3 second behind Gordon in the runner-up spot, while Hamlin placed third and Kenseth fourth. Joey Logano was fifth.
Kahne, who led the most laps with 70, ended up finishing sixth.
With his second win this season and the points lead, Gordon clinched a spot in this year's Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. Six races remain before the playoffs in NASCAR's top series begin.
Gordon also tied Formula One legend Michael Schumacher for most race wins at this track. Schumacher scored five victories in the United States Grand Prix.
[SportsNetwork.com]
