Tony Stewart dominated the Emory Healthcare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Labor Day weekend by leading 174 laps en route to his 38th career victory. Jeff Gordon was never a factor for the race lead and struggled with handling for the last 200 miles before finishing 13th.

Gordon has driven plenty of special paint schemes on the #24 Chevrolet during his NASCAR career. But Sunday night’s paint scheme at Atlanta Motor Speedway might have topped the list. The Jeff Gordon Children’s Foundation scheme was designed by his 3-year-old daughter Ella (with help from Sam Bass). The paint scheme highlight’s Gordon’s foundation during childhood cancer awareness month.

Gordon started 18th and moved up four spots in the opening 10 laps. He moved to 12th on lap 17 but a loose handling condition hindered his forward progress. Gordon fell to 14th on lap 30 and came in for a green flag pit stop on lap 52. He ran in 18th after the cycle of pit stops. Gordon moved up to 15th on lap 75. A green flag pit stop on lap 97 cycled through with Gordon holding 15th at the 100-lap mark.

The handling improved and Gordon took 12th on lap 114. The first caution waved on lap 133 for debris in turn 2 (ie. Dale Earnhardt Jr going a lap down). Pit stops followed with Gordon exiting in 11th place. Gordon entered the top-10 on lap 141 with a pass on Jamie McMurray on the restart. The second caution waved on lap 144 for Denny Hamlin’s blown engine. The leaders came to pit road with Gordon exiting in 6th place. One lap after the restart, Ryan Newman wrecked Greg Biffle in turn three. Biffle’s spinning car collected Elliott Sadler in the melee.

Gordon slipped to 7th on the restart when Kyle Busch passed. However, Gordon re-assumed the 6th position from Busch on lap 167. He moved into the top-5 with a move around Kasey Kahne on lap 169. Gordon passed Martin Truex for 4th on lap 184 as he closed in on Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson at the front of the field. The handling began going away as Kevin Harvick took a spot from Gordn on lap 194. A caution for David Ragan’s spin on lap 201 brought the leaders to pit road. Gordon picked up a spot on pit road and restarted in 4th on lap 209. However, almost like clockwork, he fell to 8th on the restart. However, unlike the previous restarts where Gordon’s car came to life during the run, he continued to fade through the field. He fell out of the top-10 on lap 223, and slipped to 12th on lap 226.

Gordon’s hopes for a victory faded on lap 230 when he dropped to 15th and complained of a complete lack of grip. Gordon came to pit road just before Kevin Harvick’s cut tire brought out the caution flag. Gordon rolled through pit road without stopping to stay on the lead lap. He came to pit road under caution for fuel, tires, and a chassis adjustment. He restarted in 20th place with 62 laps to go. Gordon stayed out during a caution period for Scott Speed’s blown engine and moved up to 2nd place. However, he was no match for the field on four tires and he faded to 7th within two laps of the restart. A caution for Brad Keselowski’s cut tire with 27 to go brought the lead lap cars to pit road. Gordon exited in 10th place.

A debris caution with 22 laps to go brought Gordon to pit road for adjustments. He restarted in 12th place with 19 laps to go. He dropped a spot in the final laps and came across the finish line in 13th. He remained 2nd in the series standings with one more race before the season-ending Chase for the Championship begins in mid-September.

Source: gordonline.com

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August 22 – - After Juan Pablo Montoya wrecked Jimmie Johnson at Bristol Motor Speedway, Kyle Busch was hardly challenged en route to his third win of the season and 19th of his career. Jeff Gordon was never a factor for the lead and battled handling issues for most of the night before finishing 11th.

Gordon started 26th and gained three spots by lap 5. His progress slowed while battling a loose handling condition. On lap 42, he took over 21st from Greg Biffle. The first caution waved on lap 56 after David Gilliland made contact with the wall. Pit stops followed with Gordon opting for a chassis adjustment. He restarted in 21st on lap 63 and made his way up to 17th within seven laps. By the 100 lap mark, Gordon advanced to 15th place. The second caution came on lap 126 when David Ragan spun and backed into the wall. After a pit stop, Gordon moved into the top-10 on lap 134 with a pass on Biffle. Two laps later, the caution waved for Regan Smith’s wall contact. Gordon took 8th from Matt Kenseth on lap 160 before a loose handling condition pushed him back to 9th on lap 180. The next caution came on lap 193 when Scott Speed cut a tire.

Gordon gained three spots shortly after the restart and ran 6th on lap 208. However, handling issues returned and Gordon ran 10th when Bobby Labonte hit the wall to bring out the caution on lap 254. He came to pit road for chassis adjustments and restarted in 15th place. The complexion of the race changed on the restart when Juan Pablo Montoya turned Jimmie Johnson on the straightaway. Johnson, who led more than 150 laps, spun and sustained damage to the front and left side of the car. Johnson went to the garage for repairs. Gordon moved back into the top-10 on lap 283, and took 8th from Dale Earnhardt Jr on lap 349. On lap 392, Gordon moved into the top-5 for the first time with a pass on Montoya. Gordon stayed out to lead a lap during a sequence of green flag pit stops. He came to pit road on lap 403 for tires. A caution flag on lap 408 resulted in just 11 cars remaining on the lead lap. Gordon came to the restart in 6th on lap 414. However, he slipped back on the low line and ran 11th on lap 428. He briefly entered the top-10 before fading back to 11th at the finish. It was the fifth consecutive race where Gordon failed to post a top-5 finish. However, the finish allowed him to officially clinch a spot in the Chase for the Championship.

source:gordonline.com

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August 16 – - For the first 300 miles of the Carfax 400 at Michigan Speedway, Jeff Gordon put himself in a perfect position to contend for a victory. However, a cut tire with 47 laps to tire ultimately sealed his fate on a day where he posted a 27th place finish. It marked the first time this season that Gordon has gone four consecutive races without posting a top-5 finish.

Gordon qualified 36th, which was his worst career qualifying effort at Michigan. However, he posted the 3rd fastest lap in Saturday’s final practice and started off the race with forward momentum. Gordon gained 8 positions in the first two laps to move up to 28th. By lap 5 he moved into 23rd as he was able to run the low line in the corner to gain spots. On lap 9, he passed David Ragan to move into the top-20. His forward march continued as he took 16th from Kyle Busch on lap 18. He took 14th from Kurt Busch on lap 20 by driving hard off turn 4. The first caution waved on lap 32 for Kurt Busch’s blown engine. Gordon came to pit road for fuel and tires. A slow pit stop sent him back out in 16th place. He dropped to 19th within 3 laps of the restart on lap 42 while complaining of loose handling. Light rain brought the caution on lap 60 with Gordon entrenched in 19th place. He lost a spot on pit road and restarted in 20th on lap 65.

Gordon began moving through traffic on the restart and ran 14th on lap 70. Four laps later he passed Matt Kenseth to take over the 11th position. He entered the top-10 on lap 72 with a pass on Jeff Burton. Gordon took 8th from Juan Pablo Montoya on lap 80. At the halfway point, Gordon passed Jimmie Johnson for the 6th position. He came to pit road for a green flag stop on lap 103. He cycled through the pit stop sequence in 7th place. On lap 109, Gordon took 6th from Kyle Busch. Five laps later he took 4th from Kasey Kahne. Gordon passed Tony Stewart for 3rd on lap 121. The handling tightened up later in the run which hindered his forward storm through the field. Gordon came to pit road on lap 140 and had a 13.5 second stop. He held 3rd through the pit stop sequence. A caution flag on lap 148 for Ryan Newman’s spin brought the field to pit road. Gordon opted for a two tire change and departed in 3rd place.

Gordon dropped to 7th within a lap of the restart, but drifted up the track in turn 3 with 47 laps to go after cutting a tire. Gordon dropped to the apron with a flat left front tire and damage on the right side of his car. Gordon limped around to pit road for a tire change and sledgehammer repairs to the right front. Gordon restarted 27th with 42 laps to go realizing that fuel mileage was his chance for a solid finish. He topped off the tank just before the green flag to ensure he could make it the rest of the way. Gordon advanced to 25th before a debris caution with 33 laps to go. Gordon came to pit road for two tires and restarted in 16th with 28 to go. He fell back in traffic and ran 21st on lap 180. Gordon soon fell to 27th — the last car on the lead lap. He remained second in the series standings but lacks bonus points for the Chase For The Championship, which begins on September 19 in Loudon, New Hampshire.

source: gordonline.com

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August 9 – - Juan Pablo Montoya dominated on the Watkins Glen road course en route to his second career victory. Montoya won by more than 5 seconds over Kurt Busch and Marcos Ambrose. Jeff Gordon was never a factor for the lead, but ran his best laps late in the race to salvage a 10th place finish.

Gordon started 14th and dropped a spot on the opening lap to Robby Gordon. On lap 15, he followed Robby Gordon past Jimmie Johnson to take 13th place. Two laps later he took 12th from Robby. The handling became looser as the green flag run continued and Gordon came to pit road for tires on lap 27. A caution for P.J. Jones slowed the field on lap 28. Gordon ran 12th at the caution flag. The second caution waved on lap 40 after Bobby Labonte stopped in the inner loop area of the track. Crew chief Steve Letarte elected to take track position and kept Gordon on the track during the caution period. The green flag waved at the halfway point — lap 45 — with Gordon losing a spot on track to Clint Bowyer. He ran in 15th on lap 48, nearly 2 miles per hour slower per lap than race leader Juan Pablo Montoya.

Gordon re-assumed the 14th spot from Bowyer on lap 57 and ran more than 20 seconds behind the leaders. He came to pit road for his final stop on lap 60. A slower stop due to the insertion of a spring rubber sent him back to 25th in the running order before a debris caution on lap 62 slowed the field. The next caution waved with 26 laps to go when Tony Stewart clipped the rear of Boris Said’s car sending the Red Bull Toyota into the turn two guardrail. Gordon moved up to 14th due to drivers pitting and the wreck in front of him. With 20 laps to go, Jimmie Johnson spun in turn 11 and collected Denny Hamlin in the melee. Gordon gained a spot and restarted in 13th with 16 laps to go. A lap after the restart, Gordon took 12th from Sam Hornish. With 10 laps go, Gordon took 11th from Ryan Newman. On the final lap, Gordon got around the slowing car of Kevin Harvick to take 10th on an otherwise forgettable afternoon in upstate New York.

source: gordonline.com

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August 2 – - For a period of time during the Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway it looked as if Jeff Gordon was on the verge of snapping his 50-race winless drought. Gordon led the late stages of the event, but opted for four tires during a pit stop with 30 laps to go. Several drivers took two tires and used the track position to their advantage. Gordon moved from 11th to 6th in the closing laps, but was unable to seriously challenge for the win when it mattered.

Gordon raced in the top-5 for the entire race — except the ending. He started 4th and took the lead on lap 3. Gordon’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson led the balance of the first half of the race, before Denny Hamlin took the lead after the halfway point. With 45 laps to go, Gordon took the lead off of a restart from Juan Pablo Montoya. Nine laps later, Kurt Busch and Elliott Sadler crashed on the backstretch to bring out a 25-minute red flag. The field came to pit road with Gordon opting for four tires. He came off pit road in 10th place after several drivers opted for fuel only or two tires. Gordon was in 11th due to Sam Hornish staying out with 30 laps to go. Light rain began falling and the field came to pit road for a red flag delay. After nearly 20 minutes, the engines re-fired and the cars came back on the track. The green flag waved with 21 laps to go.

Gordon lost a spot on the restart before a bump draft from Jimmie Johnson gave him forward momentum. With 17 laps to go, he moved into the 9th position. He passed Ryan Newman with 16 to go, but was passed on the outside by Denny Hamlin. Gordon took 8th from Martin Truex with 9 laps to go as Greg Biffle pulled away at the front of the field. With 5 laps to go, he passed Sam Hornish for 7th. One lap later he took 6th from Mark Martin. Biffle pulled away at the front of the field and snapped a 65-race winless streak. Gordon remained second in the series standings and is now 361 points clear of the Chase cutoff.

source: gordonline.com

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July 26 – - In the days preceding the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Jeff Gordon proclaimed that his team had “something up our sleeves for Indy.”  As it turned out, there were no magic tricks or anything up their sleeves.

Gordon started 8th and it took just a half lap for the first caution to wave.  Sam Hornish spun on the backstretch and the chain reaction collected Reed Sorensen, Kyle Busch, Elliott Sadler and David Reutimann.  On the restart on lap 8, Gordon dropped two spots and ran in 10th.  He moved to 9th on lap 10 when Ryan Newman pitted for a cut tire.  The second caution waved on lap 14 for Max Papis’ engine problem and Robby Gordon’s cut tire.  The leaders came to pit road with Gordon exiting in 7th place.  He struggled on the restart and fell to 9th by lap 25.  He slipped out of the top-10 on lap 35 when Jeff Burton went by. Gordon came to pit road on lap 49 for a green flag pit stop. Following the stops Gordon ran in 13th place. A debris caution on lap 66 brought the lead lap cars to pit road with Gordon exiting in 12th spot.

Gordon ran in 11th behind Jeff Burton for several laps before a green flag pit stop on lap 98.  With 50 laps to go, Gordon ran distantly behind the leaders in 14th place.  A debris caution with 44 laps to go resulted in pit stops with Gordon departing in 12th.  With 35 to go, Gordon began dropping positions as a right rear tire cut down.  He made an unscheduled pit stop and went a lap down.  A debris caution with 23 to go resulted in Gordon staying out for the wave around onto the lead lap.  He ran in 27th place before a caution with 16 to go when Juan Pablo Montoya, after dominating the day, hit the wall coming off turn four.  Montoya collected Dale Earnhardt Jr in the melee.  Gordon came to pit road to fix a broken splitter brace.  Gordon restarted 24th with 11 laps to go – and finished in 23rd position.  It was his worst finish at the Brickyard since he finished 33rd in 2000.  He remained second in the series points standings.

Source: gordonline.com

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July 11 – - Jeff Gordon came to Chicagoland Speedway with his focus on a different track. Ordinarily, that would be a problem. However, Gordon and crew chief Steve Letarte brought a new car to Chicago in the hopes of using the car at Kansas Speedway during the Chase for the Championship. Based on Gordon’s 3rd place finish at Chicago, the car may have earned a return engagement later this year. Unfortunately for Gordon it’s been 48 races since his last NASCAR victory — the longest winless drought of his Cup series career. Though he posted his fifth straight top-5 finish, the first time he’s done that since March-May 2007.
source: gordonline.com

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Jeff Gordon was thrilled to get his once-scintillating restrictor-plate stats back on the right track Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway in the Coke Zero 400, via his first top-five finish there in three years.

“Man, I’m just happy to survive one of these restrictor plate races — it’s been a while since we’ve done that,” Gordon said with a smile. “We had a pretty good night, car drove good — especially on the long runs — and we avoided the big [wrecks] and got ourselves in a good position to win the race.”

But he didn’t win, for the 47th consecutive time in a Cup race.

Gordon’s timely third-place finish behind race winner Kevin Harvick and equally-relieved runner-up Kasey Kahne only reinforced his urgency to find his way to Victory Lane.

Gordon moved into second in the championship, which has eight events to go in the Race to the Chase, when the playoff field is set following the Richmond round in September. When he got to his post-race media briefing, he didn’t even know that — but the fact that his winless streak extended continues to bemuse Gordon and crew chief Steve Letarte. And they’re focused on ending it.

“I’m excited that we’re second in points, but I’ll be honest with you, all I look at is where we are with wins right now,” Gordon said. “When you’re positioned well in the Chase, like we are currently, then it comes down to wins and being seeded for when that Chase comes around.”

Wins are worth 10 bonus points apiece for Chase “seeding,” when the 10-race championship round begins at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September. Gordon’s the only man in the top six in the standings who’s winless. Hendrick teammate and four-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin each have five wins — and 50 extra points when the standings are reset heading into the Chase.


Read the rest of the article here.

Source:  nascar.com by Dave Rodman

July 4 – - After dodging several close calls during the 400-mile event at Daytona International Speedway, Jeff Gordon found himself at the front of the field with 3 laps to go. However, a Richard Childress Racing freight train led by Kevin Harvick passed Gordon in the closing stages. Gordon rallied to finish 3rd and post his fourth consecutive top-5 finish

Gordon started 5th and worked his way up to 3rd on lap 9. A bump draft by Greg Biffle pushed Gordon alongside Kevin Harvick for the race lead on lap 11. Within three laps he fell to 13th after getting shuffled out of the draft. Gordon ran 14th when the competition caution slowed the field on lap 15. Gordon opted for four tires and restarted in 17th place. He was unable to make headway and dropped to 19th in the draft on lap 30. Gordon worked his way back into the top-10 on lap 46 as the handling seemed best on longer runs. He came to pit road for a green flag pit stop on lap 58. Gordon was on pit road when the caution waved for debris from J.J. Yeley’s cut tire. Based on his spot on the track, Gordon was 2nd at the time of the caution. On the restart, Gordon got a push from Brad Keselowski on the outside line to take the lead. Two laps later A.J. Allmendinger spun off turn four and made contact with the inside wall.

On the restart, Keselowski jumped in front of Gordon to take the race lead. Two laps later, Gordon received a drafting push from Denny Hamlin to re-take the lead. Shortly thereafter, Juan Pablo Montoya pulled to the inside to take the lead. Gordon was shuffled back to 4th in the high line behind Hamlin. Gordon slipped to 14th on lap 80 after taking the inside line. By lap 86, he dropped to 19th battling a loose handling condition. At lap 100, Gordon moved back up to 13th but was distantly behind the lead drafting pack. He came in for a green flag pit stop at lap 101 and changed four tires. On lap 103, the caution for Kyle Busch’s wall contact trapped Gordon a lap down. However, Gordon stayed on the track during the round of pit stops and received the wave around to get back on the lead lap. Gordon restarted in 5th with 50 laps to go. With 47 to go, Gordon moved to the high line and took the lead with drafting help from Jeff Burton. Two laps later Burton took the lead from Gordon who fell to 5th.

With 43 to go, David Ragan, Jamie McMurray, and Martin Truex made heavy contact in turn four to bring out the caution. Gordon came to pit road for tires and restarted in 8th place. He was running 7th when the caution waved with 25 laps to go for David Stremme’s wreck. Gordon came to the pits for tires and restarted in 5th place. With 11 laps to go, Gordon masterfully made his way through an 18-car melee in turn 3 which began when Kurt Busch and Jeff Burton made contact. A 20-minte red flag delay for track clean-up followed. Gordon came to pit road for four tires and restarted in 6th place. Gordon moved to 3rd behind Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick in a drafting line. With 4 to go, Gordon passed Harvick to take 2nd place behind Bowyer. He then dove low on the track to the take the lead with 3 to go. However, with 2 to go, Harvick gave Bowyer a drafting push down the backstretch to pass Gordon. He slipped back to 4th before a wreck involving Sam Hornish slowed the field just before the leaders took the white flag. On the green/white/checker restart, Gordon lined up behind Bowyer. Gordon gave Bowyer a push and then looked to the outside. Bowyer made contact with Gordon on the backstretch which broke his momentum. Gordon then lined up behind Kahne and tried to pass his future Hendrick Motorsports teammate ahead of Harvick. At the finish, Harvick held off Kahne and Gordon to take the victory.

With the 3rd place finish, Gordon moved up to 2nd in the points standings — though he trails by 50 Chase points to Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson. It was Gordon’s best finish at Daytona since winning in February 2005.

source: gordonline.com

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June 28 – - Jimmie Johnson paced the field in both practice sessions on Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. That turned out to be foreboding as Johnson made a late pass on Kurt Busch to win his 52nd career race on the 1-mile oval. Since New Hampshire in the first race in the Chase, make no mistake that Johnson will be the driver to beat — both at Loudon and for the title.

For Jeff Gordon, a solid 4th place finish should serve him well when the series returns to New Hampshire Motor Speedway in mid-September. Gordon started 16th and lost three spots before the tire pressures came up. Gordon then moved back into the 16th position on lap 7. One lap later he took 15th from David Ragan. On lap 14, he passed Paul Menard and Marcos Ambrose to move into the 13th spot. Gordon gained two more spots on lap 18 with passes on Jeff Burton and Brad Keselowski. He entered the top-10 on lap 22 by taking the low line in the corner to pass Joey Logano. Three laps later he took 9th from Sam Hornish. The caution flag waved on lap 35 for debris on the track. Gordon came to pit road for four tires and departed in 12th place due to several drivers opting for two tires. Gordon re-entered the top-10 on lap 40, and took 8th from Joey Logano on lap 43. However, his forward march stalled as Burton took 8th on lap 50. Ten laps later, Mark Martin pulled to the inside on the backstretch and allowed Gordon to move into 7th place. On lap 85, he got a strong run off turn two and took 6th from Kyle Busch. Gordon came in for a green flag pit stop on lap 108 and cycled through in 6th. On lap 121, he took 5th place from Tony Stewart.

At the halfpoint point, Gordon passed Juan Pablo Montoya for the 4th position. Gordon came to pit road for tires under green on lap 179 complaining of a loose handling condition. Following the cycle of stops, Gordon ran in 6th place. On lap 208, he took 5th from Kasey Kahne who was experiencing engine problems. Gordon fell back to 6th on lap 230 when Jimmie Johnson went by. However, he moved back into 5th when Tony Stewart pitted under green on lap 235. The caution waved on lap 236 when Kahne’s engine blew. Gordon came to pit road for tires and departed in 4th place. On lap 248, Montoya slid into Gordon in turn three and pushed him up the track — putting him back to 6th place. Gordon muscled his way around Montoya into 5th on lap 250. Kurt Busch eventually passed to put Gordon back in 6th. With 20 to go, Montoya wrecked in turn three after Reed Sorensen moved up the track. Gordon came to pit road and opted for two tires. He restarted in 4th with 13 to go. Johnson took the race lead from Burton and pulled away, while Gordon fell back to 5th. Two laps later he moved back to 4th when Burton and Kyle Busch spun in turn four to bring out a caution. Gordon moved to 3rd on the restart just before Kurt Busch nudged Johnson out of the lead. Stewart took the 3rd spot from Gordon with 6 to go with a strong move in turn two. With 2 to go, Johnson re-took the lead from Busch en route to the win.

source: gordonline.com

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