Jeff Gordon, the all-time leader in Brickyard 400 wins, has explained why this crown jewel race has primarily featured champions taking the lift to the winner's circle.
"I've always felt like the best teams rise to this occasion as a whole," Gordon said last weekend after Kyle Larson's win.
NASCAR Cup Series teams have competed 28 times on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval. Eleven Cup Series champions have combined to win 23 of these races, a staggering 82%.
Gordon is someone who understands rising to the occasion when needed. He won the Brickyard 400 five times, and he won four Cup Series championships during his Hall of Fame career. Gordon's former teammate, Jimmie Johnson, won the prestigious race four times.
Larson is the newest champion to join the list of Brickyard 400 winners. He captured last weekend's race in double overtime after NASCAR threw the caution for Ryan Preece being stuck at the bottom of the track.
Larson already has one Cup Series championship on his resume, but Gordon sees the path to another. After all, he just watched the No. 5 team "rise to the occasion" at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
"I think the 5 team is very, very strong, one of the best teams out there obviously," Gordon said. "I think they -- now having this win under their belt -- it's really going to kind of set the tone for the rest of the season of who's the biggest threat for the championship.
"I know this is not Phoenix, but it's about momentum, confidence, being able to step up in the biggest moments. I think (Sunday) was one of those big moments for this team -- for everybody out here today."
Winning last weekend's Brickyard 400 doesn't guarantee that Larson and the No. 5 team will celebrate their second championship together in November, but it did put them back in line for some possible bonus points.
Larson entered the weekend second in the Cup standings behind teammate Chase Elliott. He left Indianapolis with the points lead. He is now 10 points ahead of Elliott and 15 points ahead of Tyler Reddick with four races remaining in the regular season.
If Larson maintains this advantage and wins the regular season, he will add another 15 playoff points to his total. This will set him up to move through the opening rounds and contend for a spot in the Championship 4 once again.
The last time Larson won the regular-season championship was in 2021, the same year he won his first Cup title.
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