Gordon going for historic three-peat at Kansas

Kevin Harvick tried to do it this season at Chicagoland Speedway. Tony Stewart tried to do it at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2001.

	Credit: Autostock

Now, Jeff Gordon will try to do what those two guys couldn't: win the first three NASCAR Winston Cup races at a particular track. Gordon has won the only two times Winston Cup cars have run the Kansas Speedway, and he'll try to go 3-for-Kansas in this weekend's Banquet 400.

If Gordon should somehow find his way to Victory Lane, he would top Harvick, Stewart and every other driver in Winston Cup history: No one has won the first three races at a NASCAR track.

Clearly, he and his Hendrick Motorsports team have their work cut out for them.

	Ryan Newman has finished second in both previous Winston Cup races at Kansas. Credit: Autostock

"Winning the first two races was not easy though, especially here at Kansas," Gordon said. "Our team would love to get our second win of the season and our third win here. First, we have to focus on the challenges for this weekend's race. This is a great track, but it's difficult to pass here. With such a competitive field, you never know who your biggest challenge will be."

If history means anything, Gordon's biggest challenger should be Ryan Newman. Both times Gordon won at the 1.5-mile tri-oval, Newman finished second. In 2001, Jason Leffler won the pole, but Rusty Wallace led the most laps. Wallace, though was penalized for speeding on pit road, allowing Gordon to take over and hold off Newman.

Last year, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the pole, but Gordon led the most laps and beat Newman on a late restart. Wallace, after rallying to finish fourth in 2001, finished third last year, so he should be a contender, too.

	Jeff Gordon celebrates in Victory Lane after his 2002 victory at Kansas. Credit: Autostock

But Gordon knows the first step isn't to focus on beating Newman and Wallace. The first step is to get the No. 24 Chevrolet fast in qualifying trim, because track position, as is the case at most tracks, is critical.

Gordon started second in 2001 and 10th in 2002, and he ended up leading a total of 169 laps in the two races.

"We know coming here that track position is crucial," crew chief Robbie Loomis said. "The focus will be on the pit crew, good pit stops and pit strategy. You can win or lose this race in the pits."

Most passes for position might have to be made on pit road, because Kansas is still a one-groove racetrack. New tracks usually are because the pavement is so good and has so much grip. Drivers go for the fast way around, and that's the bottom lane.

"Since this is a fairly new track, there is only one groove and right now it's around the bottom," Gordon said. "As more races are held here, that groove will eventually widen. It's like a fine wine. It just gets better with age.

"Until then, there's not going to be a whole lot of passing, unless you're a whole lot faster than the driver in front of you or if they make a mistake or get loose. This will probably be a race that's won on pit road. We're going to rely a lot on our pit crews."

KING OF THE HILL?  With three victories in his last six races, Brian Vickers has climbed to the top of the Busch Series standings heading into Kansas. But can he stay there?  •  Complete story, click here

Gordon's crew has been solid the last two weeks, helping him finish fifth at Dover and Talladega. That helped right a ship that was sinking, as Gordon had finished 19th or worse in seven of the previous nine races, slipping from second in the points to sixth.

"We've done well here in the past but we can't focus on the past for this race," Gordon said. "The No. 24 team has to approach this race with a renewed focus. Fortunately, our team has had some strong finishes over the past few weekends, and I hope we can carry that momentum to a track where we really enjoy racing."