Gordon, HMS show no signs of slowing down
Can Jeff Gordon be stopped? Not only is he running away with the Nextel Cup Series all of a sudden, but he's putting away wins weekly and eyeing a serious move up NASCAR's all-time winner list.
When Jeff Gordon said he'd like to improve his pace in the victory category, he apparently wasn't kidding.
Throughout this season, Jeff Gordon has been on championship pace. He's finished no worse than 12th in the opening nine races, finishing fourth or better over the last five. He's won two in a row and is heading to a slate of tracks where he traditionally runs well. And he's competing as part of a Hendrick Motorsports arsenal that is showing multi-car dominance not seen in recent seasons.
But at 35, Jeff Gordon says his career won't continue another decade. A driver with the finish line in sight just might find himself gunning even harder for those wins and championships, especially when he's on the verge of parenthood and in the midst of a career year.
He's passed Dale Earnhardt on the all-time win list and is closing in on Cale Yarborough in fifth (83 wins) and Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip (tied for third with 84).
Jeff Gordon admits David Pearson's 105 wins are out of reach, but how long will it be before Jeff Gordon sits third on that all-time list?
And how strong has his Hendrick Motorsports team, and the organization, really become?
Team owner Rick Hendrick downplays the streak that has seen his team win seven of the season's first 10 Nextel Cup races, but he doesn't back down from lauding Jeff Gordon himself.
"It's been a heck of a year and you enjoy it while you can because you know a lot of these races we probably shouldn't have won," Hendrick says. "But we did. If we can be competitive, hopefully breaks will go our way. I just kind of wish we had the momentum in the last 10 rather than the first 10."
Who says they won't? With Jeff Gordon at the wheel, anything is possible. Hendrick says he knew Jeff Gordon's talent the first time he laid eyes on him. He knew this driver could win a lot of races.
He might not have expected, though, for Gordon's impact to run so much deeper. Not only has he won four championships and 77 races, but Jeff Gordon has also become a leader in the sport and at Hendrick Motorsports. Although it is teammate Jimmie Johnson who is the sport's defending champion, Jeff Gordon is the driver the organization turns to for advice and the one sought out for his opinion on issues.
His talent is undisputable, but his role in NASCAR extends well beyond what we see on the track week to week.
"When you look at all the wins, it doesn't seem like it was that long ago to put that many wins together, but I think he's done a lot to change the sport," Hendrick says. "I know one thing he's done a lot is build our organization, so we're very thankful to have him in the car."
So are crew chief Steve Letarte and Jeff Gordon's Hendrick teammates.
As they watch Jeff Gordon reemerge as a top contender, they wonder just how far this run can go. While Jeff Gordon himself laughs off talk about his potential, he also recognizes that his life will play a role in the record-setting runs from here on out.
He's averaged 3.5 wins per season over his career. That's a mark that should easily be surpassed this year, but one that would push him into racing for eight more years if he wanted to take second on the all-time win list.
"I guarantee I won't be passing David Pearson with 105 wins," Jeff Gordon says. "No, I hope that I can get above my average and win some more races; I'd love to do that. But I know I don't plan on racing until I'm 45. I've had a great career and I want to keep going as long as I'm healthy and having a good time with a competitive team.
"But as this sport is changing and with fatherhood around the corner, I don't think I'm going to want to be at that competitive level — or be out there and not be competitive — at that age."
Perhaps that comes as good news to the men competing against him week to week. Yet it's also a sign of how each of these victories, each of these career marks like another championship or another slot up the all-time list, could be taking on additional meaning.
Immediately after passing Earnhardt at Talladega, Jeff Gordon struggled to put into words just what this meant.
"I want to appreciate it and enjoy it and I also want to keep it going," he said with a laugh.
But as he thought about it more, it became clear that Jeff Gordon felt the emotion of moving past a man he respected and admired so much.
Now, others are eyeing his record as one of those unreachable career marks.
With Jeff Gordon still climbing, can anyone racing now dream of the day when he will pass Jeff Gordon the way he just passed his own mentor?
"That's such a huge number," Johnson says. "If you look back at the years that Jeff had 13 wins and 10 and eight, it's so tough to do that today. ... The things that I couldn't be more proud of Jeff for is the fact that he's been able to work through different crew chiefs and different types of cars, through different eras of racing and everything that comes with it.
"And he's still winning on all disciplines of race track. I think that says a lot for himself and his ability to lead his team."
For Jeff Gordon, his mark will be felt beyond the records and the championships. He's put his personal work ethic into the Hendrick organization, and according to Hendrick, brought the other teams up to his level.
Now, he's also hit another career mark.
As he tried to evaluate his emotions, as what he'd done began to set in, Jeff Gordon found himself looking forward to the time when he could truly reflect on both hitting the mark and on starting the season on such a high note.
"To me, one of the things I look forward to the most in my life is that day where I can reflect on everything that's happened because it's been an incredible life," he said. "... Now it's starting to sink in a little bit more."
Rea White is a writer for NASCAR Scene, which is published weekly, 50 weeks per year.
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