NASCAR Brickyard 400 Race Winners 2011-2015

Year Winner Avg MPH # of Cautions

2015
2014
2013
2012
2011

9 for 36 Laps
4 for 16 Laps
3 for 14 Laps
5 for 25 Laps
5 for 22 Laps

2012
Jimmie Johnson
Hendricks Motorsport

2011
Paul Menard
Richard Childress Racing

2013
Ryan Newman
Stewart-Haas Racing

2014
Jeff Gordon
Hendrick Motorsports

2015
Kyle Busch
Joe Gibbs Racing

Rundown: The Menard family had been chasing Brickyard victories for a
generation, but it was John Menard as an IndyCar team owner. The younger
Menard, nursing a low fuel tank, held off Jeff Gordon at the finish. Gordon was
in 16th place with 20 laps to go and zoomed by everyone else in his path.

Quote: "I've been coming here since I was a little kid. My dad has been
coming here for 35 years. This is for my dad," Menard said. "A lot of
emotions right now. I can't believe we won Indy."

Remembering his first: The win was Menard's first in Cup competition. "I
don't think there's anybody in this garage who appreciates a win here more
than Paul," said Gordon, who was pleased with his late dash to second. "I
was really clicking off some laps. I knew that we were not quite going to get
to Paul. I used it all up getting to him."

Rundown: Johnson's day started badly. The 6 a.m. cannon blast and the all
was forgiven. He led 99 laps and earned his fourth Brickyard win, tying
Jeff Gordon for the most in race history. Was there any competition? "You
talk about guys being in their own ZIP code," said Kyle Busch, who finished
second. "He was in his own country."

Quote: "Winning is great, but to go out there and put it on them is even
better," Johnson said. "To wear them out is the best."

But he didn't finish the job: Many in the garage area believed a Brickyard
win would propel Johnson to another Cup championship. He had won the Cup
the previous three times he won at Indy. But he finished third in points that
season, behind Brad Keselowski and Clint Bowyer.

Rundown: Ryan Newman — born in South Bend, educated at
Purdue and a veteran of numerous Indiana short tracks —
became the latest Hoosier race champ at Indy. Jimmie Johnson
led 73 laps, but a poor final pit stop of 17.2 seconds allowed
Newman to take the lead and earn his 17th Cup victory.

Quote: "I think it's a coincidence I was born in Indiana," the South
Bend native said. "I would have an appreciation for this racetrack
if I was born in Hawaii."

A little bittersweet: Newman had recently learned his spot on
Tony Stewart's race team was going away after the season
because Kevin Harvick had already secured enough financial
support for the 2014 season.

Learning from the best: Newman once slept on the floor of Jeff
Gordon's sprint car shop in Pittsboro … "With the race cars," he
said, because he spent all day preparing them to race.

Rundown: Of all the drivers who could own five wins at Indianapolis
Motor Speedway, few would be more fitting than Jeff Gordon, who
spent his teenage years in Pittsboro, tearing up the sprint car circuit.
He has loved Indianapolis Motor Speedway for decades, making this
win personal as well as historic.

Quote: "That sends a chill up your spine as a race car driver in a race
that is so important to you, to have so many fans out there supporting
you." - Jeff Gordon, upon seeing the fans cheer him as he approached
the finish line.

Teammates? Not at this point: Gordon overtook Hendrick Motor
sports teammate Kasey Kahne on a restart with 17 laps remaining.
Gordon hadn't had good restarts all day, so he changed things up a
bit and went to the outside. Kahne didn't appreciate the NASCAR
officiating there, but Gordon didn't care. "I'm here to win the race, you
know," Gordon said. "I treated him like a competitor at that point."

Rundown: After missing the first eleven races of the season due to
injury, Kyle Busch returned with a vengeance. He came to Indy having
just won the last three NASCAR races. Busch won the Lilly Diabetes
250 XFINITY race the day before with a last-lap pass of Ryan Blaney,
becoming the first driver to do that. He also gave Toyota it's first victory
at IMS.

Quote: "I guess Kyle's back," a disappointed Logano said after the race.

Stays at 5: Jeff Gordon had high hopes of winning the race in his final
year racing in NASCAR. On lap 50, Gordon checked up to avoid Clint
Bowyer's spinning car, and swerved into the wall in Turn 3, ending his day.