Indianapolis ? Jeff Gordon hears the question every week: When are you going to win a race?

The four-time Winston Cup champion is mired in a 28-race winless streak, the longest he has gone without reaching victory lane since the first of his 58 career wins at Charlotte in 1994.

Defending Brickyard 400 champion Jeff Gordon, still looking for his first win this season, leaves his garage after practice Friday. Gordon's lap of 178.504 mph was the 27th fastest of the day.

It wouldn’t be surprising for Gordon to finally answer that frustrating question Sunday in the Brickyard 400, a race he has won three times in eight tries, including last August.

“If there was any place I could pick to get my first win of the year, I would love for it to be here. Who wouldn’t want that?” Gordon said. “Besides being special, a win here would create some real momentum for our team.”

That’s what the rest of NASCAR’s top stock car series is afraid of.

Even without a victory, Gordon is fourth in the standings, trailing leader Sterling Marlin by 188 points with 16 races left.

The defending series champion has six top-fives, 11 top-10s and has been running at the finish of all 20 races this season.

Asked if he’s tired of being asked about the winless streak, Gordon said, “It’s been a long time since we haven’t won three, four, five races in a season. It’s a story, I can appreciate that. It doesn’t change the way our team approaches this race.

“If we weren’t in the top five in the points, I would really be worried. This is a real good team. We just haven’t had all the pieces come together.”

He did not perform well Friday, turning in the 27th fastest lap at practice.

Winning at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is always special for Gordon, who spent his teenage years in nearby Pittsboro, Ind., and considers the speedway his home track.

He is often greeted at other tracks by a crescendo of boos in pre-race introductions, but enjoys a different reception here.

“It’s a double-edged sword,” Gordon said. “I’ve got so much support here and it’s great to hear all the cheers instead of boos. There’s also a lot of pressure on us to perform. The people here expect us to do well.”