Fontana success makes Gordon tough to beat

FONTANA, Calif. -- Though it's been just 17 races since Jeff Gordon last won a Winston Cup Series event, folks nationwide are scratching their heads in confusion, wondering "what's wrong" over in the 24 camp.

What's wrong? 90 percent of Gordon's competitors would say nothing. Most guys go 70 races between wins, if they ever get one at all. Hence, it's a problem the vast majority of drivers wouldn't mind having.

This does not comfort Gordon in the least. He is less than thrilled by his current drought, which happens to be the longest of his career and one he's determined to end this weekend in the NAPA 500 at California Speedway.

"When something like this happens we try not to dwell on the 'what ifs'," Gordon said. "What we've learned from these races (so far this year) is that we are just as competitive as we were a year ago.

"It's just a matter of putting it all together."

He's been plenty put together at California during his career. In five career starts on the two-mile oval, Gordon has two wins -- in 1997 and '99 -- and a runner-up effort last year. Qualifying hasn't been much of an issue, either. He's qualified in the top five in three times in five tries, including the Bud Pole in 1998.

Not too shabby.

California Speedway has played host to the Winston Cup Series since 1997. Credit: ASP

"I can't pinpoint exactly why we've been so dominant there," Gordon said. "This track is like a carbon copy of Michigan where we've also had a lot of success. It's really wide and very fast but it can be tough to pass on."

The passing issue hasn't been so tough for Gordon. He's led a series-high 329 laps at California, 135 laps more than second-ranked Mark Martin. This weekend, running up front will be crucial in the quest for Victory Lane. So today's Bud Pole Qualifying session (8 p.m., ET, tape-delayed on FX) is important.

Despite California's wide layout, track position is key. The first three Winston Cup races at California were won from a top-five starting position. Mayfield was the first to break that trend, in 2000, when he started 24th in winning the NAPA 500. Wallace started 19th last year en route to victory.

"You keep hearing about clean air," Gordon explained. "With the springs and the shocks that we run these days, we get the car stuck down to the ground so well. Aerodynamics is so important and when you get behind one or two cars, your car just starts buffeting around and it just doesn't handle the same. You get out in clean air and it's just, 'see ya' later'."

Gordon's road to victory will go through Rusty Wallace's No. 2 camp this weekend. Wallace is the defending race-winner here, and is in the midst of his own frustrating drought. He hasn't won since this race a year ago.

"We're bringing the same car, a super little hot rod that we call 'Mad Max,' out to California hoping for a carbon copy of last year's race when we were dominant and won the thing," said Wallace, the third-ranked driver in the current point standings. "We have a lot of momentum and confidence coming in, knowing that we've won it before and carrying such good consistency with us."

Wallace's former teammate, Jeremy Mayfield, will also be strong Sunday. He's posted three top-fives in five starts, including a win in 2000 and a runner-up effort in 1998. Though no driver has ever garnered his first career win at Fontana, it could easily happen this weekend. Jimmie Johnson is itching to win in front of the home folk.

"It's great that we're heading back to California, and I'll be on my home turf," Johnson said. "We're using the same car that we finished sixth with in Las Vegas. Jeff (Gordon) drove it to a win in Las Vegas last season, so I know that race car is capable of running well."

Sunday's race falls one day before Dale Earnhardt's birthday, so his namesake has added incentive to follow up last weekend's win in Talladega with another solid effort. With last week's win, Dale Earnhardt Jr. shot to fifth in the point standings. He finished third here a year ago, and hopes to win one in memory of his father Sunday.

"I'm ready for another good run," Dale Jr. said. "The race is the day before my dad's birthday, so it has some special meaning to me. I'm not that great with dates, but I will always remember April 29. It means so much to me -- and I hope we can win one in his honor."

Gordon wouldn't mind a win himself. He currently ranks seventh in the Winston Cup points race with five top-10 finishes in nine starts. He finished a season-best second at Texas and is coming off his another top-five effort at Talladega.

At this point last season, he was second in the points, 145 behind leader Dale Jarrett. This year, he is 201 behind leader Sterling Marlin, but trails second-place Matt Kenseth by only 92 points. Once again, not a tough problem to have.

"Given our past success in the upcoming events, I think we can really make a move up the point standings," Gordon said. "Even though we haven't won yet this season, we've been in contention and just had some bad luck fall our way. It's just a matter of time before we visit victory lane again and I like our chances for this weekend."