If any event is Jeff Gordon's, it's this one.

After celebrating his 23rd birthday by winning the inaugural Brickyard 400 in 1994, Gordon's name has become synonymous with NASCAR's annual trek to Indianapolis. And though Gordon has since increased his win total to 62, along with winning two Daytona 500s and four Winston Cup championships, that first victory in that first Brickyard 400 still ranks at the top of Gordon's list of achievements.

"It's an honor to have won at Indianapolis, especially that inaugural 400 in '94," said Gordon, who has a total of three Brickyard 400 victories. "That was by far the biggest I think win I'll ever have. I don't think I'll ever top that. ... 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."

	Gordon won the the inaugural Brickyard 400 in 1994.

Though the Indy 500 is still first and foremost at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, NASCAR's growing popularity has vaulted the Brickyard 400 into a prominence in Indianapolis. And while names like Foyt, Mears, Unser and Rutherford carry the most weight at the Speedway, three Brickyard wins have helped to begin building Gordon's own Indy legend.

But to Gordon, a California native who spent time growing up in Pittsboro, Ind., the Indy 500 and the Brickyard 400 -- well, it's apples and oranges.

"I don't compare that in any way. To me, you separate the Indy 500, the Formula One race and the Brickyard 400. I don't think there's any way to compare a three- or four-time Brickyard 400 winner with a three- or four-time Indy 500 winner. I don't even think of it that way. ... 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.

"I'm a huge Rick Mears fan and an A.J. Foyt fan, and as far as I'm concerned, what they accomplished is a whole lot different than anything I'll accomplish there. I might compare it more to what other stock car drivers have done there. And to have three (wins) there is huge -- a big deal."

A bigger deal than any other NASCAR driver at the track. Dale Jarrett (two wins) is the only other multiple Brickyard 400 winner. Gordon has also won three poles in the nine runnings of the race.

And in those nine years, the event has not only transformed the open wheel stronghold that is Indianapolis into a hotbed of NASCAR fans, but the Brickyard has also added a very different legacy and legitimacy to a sport which had previously anchored itself in its Southeastern roots. The transformation has been so rapid and dramatic that many drivers and fans consider the Brickyard 400 to be the second-biggest race on the Winston Cup schedule, only behind the season-opening Daytona 500.

"I think it's been big. I think it's been great for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but I think it's been tremendous for NASCAR and Winston Cup racing," said Gordon. "We were sort of the first thing to break in there where there wasn't an open wheel race and the first race other than the Indy 500 to be there. I think that it was an awesome move by everybody. Whoever made that happen -- I want to thank him every day because it's really cool for all of us to be able to go there and I think we all appreciate it very much."

The irony in the growth of the race is that it's not necessarily among the more exciting events for fans to watch or for drivers to compete in. The lack of banking on the 2½-mile rectangle leads to a race with a greater focus on track position and pit strategy rather than passing and side-by-side racing. And though attendance numbers and race revenue might make it tempting for NASCAR to stretch out the weekend with some sort of Bud Shootout-esque exhibition race, Gordon doesn't see the point.

"No reason to. You're talking to someone who doesn't want to be in Daytona for 10 days. I'm all about shortening the schedule instead of lengthening the schedule."

Aside from scheduling concerns, Indy just doesn't provide for the same mutli-car battles that can be seen at places such as Daytona or Charlotte.

"I think, yes, the Brickyard does hold the prestige and the history where you could get away with that. But also, Indianapolis when we're there is all about the Speedway. But it's not about the racetrack we race on as far as competition.

	"	It's an honor to have won at Indianapolis, especially that inaugural 400 in '94. That was by far the biggest I think win I'll ever have. I don't think I'll ever top that. "
		— Jeff Gordon

"It's a very difficult track for us to put a race on. I don't think we'd put (on) a very good Bud Shootout, I don't think we'd put a good Winston on there. We need a high-banked racetrack to put on that type of an event, a fans event. Indianapolis is one we all want to win, but it's mainly because it's Indianapolis.The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has done so much for motorsports for so many years."

As for Sunday's main event, there are more immediate concerns than staking a claim to Brickyard history. After all, it's still just one event on the 36-race Winston Cup schedule and there are points at stake -- especially for Gordon and his No. 24 team, which has failed to finish in the top-20 for two consecutive weeks and has fallen into third in the Cup standings, 308 points behind first-place driver Matt Kenseth.

"Right now we need to concentrate on leading laps and finishing in the top five," Gordon said. "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."

And with a record better than anyone else's in this race, Sunday's Brickyard 400 is a good place to start.

"We can't erase that deficit in one race, but a strong run can start the process."

Gordon is focused on quickly righting his ship and competing not only for a fourth Brickyard 400 win but also a fifth Winston Cup championship -- accomplishments which surely would cement Gordon's place, if there remains any doubt -- as one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history.

But Gordon's not concerned with records or stature. At least not yet.

"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."

Another trip to Victory Lane at Indy, and one of those days he looks back on proudly could be Sunday.

Jonathan Baum is an RPM editor at ESPN.com.