Before Jimmie Johnson came along, Jeff Gordon was the king of the NASCAR Cup Series champion.
And now that NASCAR is finally catching up to Johnson - he actually surrendered the Sprint Cup Championship in 2011 and 2012 before winning his sixth in 2013 - it's Gordon who is making another run to recapture NASCAR supremacy.
Gordon took a big step toward that end on Sunday, winning an unprecedented fifth championship at the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In racing lore, he surpassed the likes of A.J. Foyt, Al Unser Sr. and Rick Mears for victories at IMS - they each won four Indy 500s - and tied Formula One driver Michael Schumacher.
Schumacher won five U.S. Grand Prix races at IMS (which has since switched to the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
Gordon won the Inaugural Brickyard 400 at age 23 in 1994 and won at IMS for the first time since 2004.
"This is for all those fans through all the years who have said you can get No. 5," Gordon said, according to The Sporting News. "We got No. 5 today. I don't think there is a greater feeling for a racecar driver and a race team. I can't believe this just happened."
Gordon leads the Spring Cup standings as he searches for his fifth Cup championship, which would put him just one behind Johnson.
And then the debate over the current greatest NASCAR driver would resume. Gordon has 90 career victories to Johnson's 68, but Johnson had an unprecedented run from 2006-10, winning five straight NASCAR titles.
The debate is akin to the Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal debate in tennis.
Gordon knows he still has some work to do this year and had to keep his emotions in check to capture the checkered flag at the Brickyard.
"I was trying so hard with 10 laps to go not to focus on the crowd," he said, as The Sporting News reported. "I could see everyone when I glanced up there, see the reaction. I was trying not to let it get to me and not think about it too much. But you can't help it. It's just a big race and such an important victory and a crucial moment in the season and championship and those emotions take over."
If Jeff Gordon wins the Sprint Cup championship this year, does he become the best current driver on the NASCAR circuit? Comment below or tell us @SportsWN.
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