NASCAR: Gordon hoping for parity despite streak
Although he secured his second victory of the season at Talladega last Sunday, Jeff Gordon is hoping simply to be competitive as NASCAR's Nextel Cup moves on to Richmond International Raceway this weekend.
source: crash.net
Jeff Gordon's history at Richmond shows two wins, four poles, ten top fives and 16 top tens in 28 starts, but he and the #24 DuPont Chevrolet team have been less than pleased by recent performance at the 0.75 mile Virginia track - something they hope to turn around this weekend in the Crown Royal presents the Jim Stewart 400.
"I enjoy racing at Richmond because it offers us the opportunity to race side-by-side, lap after lap, through the corners," said Jeff Gordon, who has not finished better than 30th in his last four races at RIR. "It's a great event that's run under the lights, so it's exciting for the fans and the drivers. But it hasn't been much fun for us the past few years. We've struggled here recently and we definitely want to turn that around."
Nine events into the season, Jeff Gordon leads the series in poles, top fives, top tens and races led, and has the best average start and finishing positions, but he does not lead the series in wins, and that could be crucial should he secure a berth in the Chase as, earlier this year, NASCAR introduced a seeding system for the top twelve qualifiers, with scores reset and each driver receiving ten additional points for each win accrued.
In three previous races with the 'Car of Tomorrow', Jeff Gordon has posted finishes of third, second and first - at Bristol, Martinsville and Phoenix respectively - and is hoping that using the new addition to the Hendrick Motorsport stable will turn his Richmond luck around.
"We tested here a couple weeks ago with the new Impala SS, and I was pleased with the results," he said, "But we need to be sure to carry that over to this weekend.
"We're always trying to win but, this year, there's more of a premium on wins. More wins mean more bonus points when the Chase starts so, if you look at it that way, we're still ten points down to Jimmie Johnson, who has three wins right now.
"But there are still plenty of races left before then. We've had an amazing start to the year, but a lot can happen before September. I'm sure we'll face some obstacles before the season ends, and it's important to deal with those situations in the correct manner."
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