Statistically Speaking: Gordon vs. Johnson
In a sport that revels in rivalries, the best head-to-head match up of our era might just be one that lacks animosity and is occurring between teammates who also are close friends.
There is no doubt that Jeff Gordon is one of the best drivers in the history of NASCAR. In 15 short years he has amassed 81 victories – sixth on the all time winners list – and there is a very real possibility that he will have the third-most victories before the end of 2008, surpassing Cale Yarborough's 83, Darrell Waltrip's 84 and Bobby Allison's 85 in rapid succession.
In only six years, Jimmie Johnson has totaled 33 victories, second-best among full-time active drivers. He also has two championships.
So, at this stage of their careers, who's better?
Gordon got his first Cup start in the 1992 season finale at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He ran 164 laps and crashed before finishing 31st. Johnson got his first start at the sister track Lowe's Motor Speedway in 2001; he ran 192 laps and crashed to finish 39th.
Their careers have been eerily similar ever since.
In their first 50 races, Jeff Gordon earned two victories compared to three for Johnson. Gordon, though, recorded 12 top-five finishes to Johnson's seven. However, Johnson earned more top-10s (26 to 20).
At 100 races, Johnson had amassed 10 victories, while Gordon had 12. But the next 100 events would separate the driver of the No. 24 from his teammate. From the 1996 Goody's Headache Powder 500 at Martinsville Speedway through the 1999 Pontiac Excitement 400 at Richmond International Raceway, Gordon racked up 33 victories, or one in every third start. When he missed victory lane, it wasn't by much, finishing in the top 10 a remarkable 77 times.
At the end of his first 200 races, Gordon was well on his way to superstardom. He already had 45 wins, which placed him one spot behind the legendary Buck Baker and only four victories away from catching Herb Thomas.
By the end of the 2007 season, Johnson had 219 starts under his belt. Here's how he compares to Gordon after the same number of starts:
Gordon holds the edge in all of the stats that matter most. He has three championships to Johnson's two; 49 victories to Johnson's 33; and 118 top-fives to Johnson's 86.
But the gap is slowly closing.
Johnson has only eight fewer top 10s, and in terms of average finish, Gordon's is 11.4 compared to Johnson's 11.9.
Only time will tell if Johnson and Jeff Gordon end their careers with similar records, but for the now it's difficult telling them apart.
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