Few races have changed NASCAR quite like the inaugural Brickyard 400.
When the NASCAR Cup Series visited the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time on Aug. 6, 1994, it wasn’t simply another stop on the schedule. It was a defining moment that brought stock car racing to one of the most iconic venues in motorsports and helped launch a young Jeff Gordon into superstardom.
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More than three decades later, the Brickyard 400 remains one of NASCAR’s crown-jewel events, and it all began with Gordon taking the checkered flag in front of more than 250,000 fans.
Jeff Gordon dominated the inaugural Brickyard 400
Gordon entered the inaugural Brickyard 400 as one of NASCAR’s brightest young stars, but he was still only in his second full Cup Series season.
The event itself carried enormous significance. Indianapolis Motor Speedway had never hosted a NASCAR Cup Series race before, and anticipation had been building for years. A record 86 drivers attempted to qualify for the 43-car field, while a then-record purse of $3.2 million underscored just how massive the event had become before a single green flag lap was completed.
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When race day arrived, Gordon proved he belonged on the sport’s biggest stage.
Starting third in the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, the 23-year-old led 93 of the race’s 160 laps and controlled much of the afternoon. While several contenders challenged throughout the race, Gordon consistently found himself at the front when it mattered most.
The final laps turned into a memorable duel between Gordon and Ernie Irvan after both drivers quickly worked their way past Rusty Wallace following the final restart with 26 laps remaining.
Rather than one driver pulling away, the lead changed hands multiple times as clean air became a major advantage. Whoever led often found his car becoming loose, allowing the trailing driver to mount another charge.
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In the end, Gordon reclaimed the lead for good after Irvan suffered a tire failure with fewer than 10 laps remaining, securing one of the most significant victories in NASCAR history.
Behind Gordon, Brett Bodine finished second, followed by Bill Elliott, Rusty Wallace and Dale Earnhardt, who recovered from an early setback to complete the top five.
The victory transformed Jeff Gordon’s career and NASCAR
The Brickyard 400 was only Gordon’s second career Cup Series victory. His first had come just over two months earlier in the Coca-Cola 600.
But Gordon later admitted the Indianapolis victory changed everything.
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The massive attention surrounding NASCAR’s first race at Indianapolis immediately elevated his profile well beyond the garage.
“I was whipped and starving and I’m like, ‘What’s the fastest, best thing we can get. Let’s get pizza,’” Gordon recalled years later while reflecting on the day.
After placing the order, he learned traffic around Indianapolis Motor Speedway would likely delay the delivery by hours. That’s when he decided to reveal who he was.
“‘Would it make any difference if I told you I won that race?’ And they kind of paused and said, ‘Wait, who are you?’ I said, ‘Jeff Gordon.’ ‘The Jeff Gordon that just won the race?’ I was like, ‘Yes.’”
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The strategy worked.
They called me him back and said, ‘Hey, did you by any chance order a pizza?’ And I said, ‘Yes!’ They said, ‘Well, Pizza Hut called to verify it was you.’ … I’m telling you, the pizza was there in 20 minutes. It was awesome.”
While the pizza story has become one of Gordon’s favorite memories from that day, he believes the bigger impact was what happened afterward.
“Off the track, that was a life changer,” Gordon said. “It just seemed like everybody was really marketing and advertising that race. I think the next day or maybe Monday, Chevrolet had a full-page ad and they put that up on a billboard and I’m doing big-time interviews, we’re going to Disney World. That had never occurred up until that point.
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“And I think it never really went down after that. It just kind of elevated and stayed there because then the sport kept growing and luckily, we were growing with it because we were champions the next year.”
He added: “Even though I’d won the 600 and the 600 was a big deal, it wasn’t what the Brickyard was. And my life, career, persona, marketability, all those things were almost an overnight change.”
The victory also became a launching point for one of NASCAR’s greatest careers. Gordon went on to win four Cup Series championships, collect 93 career victories and become one of the defining stars of NASCAR’s modern era.
Looking back, it’s difficult to separate Gordon’s rise from NASCAR’s arrival at Indianapolis. The inaugural Brickyard 400 wasn’t just another race on the calendar. It became a landmark moment for both the driver and the sport itself, setting the standard for one of NASCAR’s premier events for decades to come.
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