Where Ed Hinton Hits the Nail on the Head

I've been critical in this space of Ed Hinton in years past (May of 2009 and 2010 spring to mind), but it's only fair to post something when Mr. Hinton gets it right (in my humble opinion).

In his latest article in the run up to the Brickyard 400, Hinton discusses the possibility that Jeff Gordon could pick up his fifth win at IMS, eclipsing A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears as four-time winners (and join Michael Schumacher with five victories on the fabled grounds).

But Gordon takes exception, as Hinton writes:

The apples, to which nothing else compares in Gordon's eyes, are the four wins apiece in the Indianapolis 500 by A.J. Foyt, Al Unser Sr. and Rick Mears.

"That is one statistic that I will fight everybody on," Gordon said recently. "I mean, they've been having the Indy 500 since 1911 or 1912 or something [it was 1911]. You can't compare the history of the Indy 500 to the Brickyard 400, which has been there since 1994.

"So I'm proud to have four wins there, but you look at how few guys have won four in an Indy car there, [and] I'm guessing it must be harder in an Indy car than it is in a stock car."

Anyone with a broad view of motor racing would agree with him. But for NASCAR partisans, the case might need spelling out.   

The full article is here.  But this four paragraph stretch pretty well illustrates how much the Indianapolis 500 still towers over auto racing, no matter the format.