Jeff Gordon: "I like going out into every single race trying to win, trying to get the best finish that you possibly can, and that's the way we're going to approach these last 10 races." Credit: Autostock

As Chase leader, Gordon has sights set on fifth title

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Ray Evernham has been gone from Hendrick Motorsports for some time now, but his presence remains.

Evernham was a natural motivator, and he often used slogans to help encourage his crew members.

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The slogans are back.

Several members of Jeff Gordon's No. 24 team were spotted at Richmond International Raceway wearing "Drive for Five" t-shirts under their uniforms.

That's what Gordon and his team are calling their approach to the rest of the 2004 season as Gordon chases his fifth NASCAR championship. Should Gordon win the title this year, he'd be within two of NASCAR's all-time record of seven held by Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt.

But, Gordon said, first things first.

"I've always taken the approach or attitude, and I feel like this team has always taken the approach, that we really don't think about No. 7," Gordon said. "We think about the next one. You know, I'm amazed and blown away that we have four under our belts, and it's awesome right now for us to be talking about the Drive for Five, which is the motto that we have going around our shop and within DuPont.

Jeff Gordon

"We would love to get No. 5, but we can't think about No. 6 until we get No. 5, and we can't think about seven until we get to six."

As the Chase for the Nextel Cup begins, Gordon finds himself atop the points standings. He's been there plenty of times before, but this year is different. The 60-point lead he had on teammate Jimmie Johnson was wiped out, thanks to NASCAR's new system of determining the champion.

"I definitely wish we could have kept a big points lead over a lot of the guys," Gordon said. "I mean, we've been battling with two or three other guys for most of the season, or at least the last, say, 10, 15 races. We would have liked to have kept it narrowed down to just a few. Now we got to deal with nine or 10 other guys."

Gordon's lead was reset to five points over Johnson, dropping in five-point increments down to 10th-place Ryan Newman.

"Does that mean I get a trophy for that regular season?" Gordon wondered.

VIDEO Gordon in the Chase A look back at how Jeff Gordon made the Chase for the Nextel Cup

Uh, no. Doesn't work that way. The only trophy will be given out at the end of the season. It's a new trophy, by the way, and it's supposed to be quite nice. That's what the Drive for Five is all about.

"Right now I know we've got a great opportunity this year," Gordon said. "Hendrick Motorsports, their resources have provided us such awesome equipment this year. My race team's on top of their game. The communication, the chemistry, it's there. I think we've got a great opportunity to win another championship."

Gordon has taken a strange track to the points lead. While his 18 top-10 finishes lead all drivers, there have been several hiccups through the first 26 races. He's had four DNFs and was 30th at Lowe's Motor Speedway earlier this season.

Even when he took the points lead for the first time, at Michigan, it wasn't exactly Gordon-like. He finished seventh that day. Seventh.

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Yet here he is, among the favorites for winning the championship.

"The last 26 -- we don't think about those any more other than try to carry some momentum from the good runs that we've had and really stick it to them in these last 10," Gordon said. "We saved a lot. We were fortunate, we saved a lot of our tests for these last 10 tracks, the end of the season. We're going to be busy, hopefully learning a lot and being well-prepared when we get to every track in this last 10."

Once his team gets to the track, Gordon promised to go all out.

"I only know and I think this team only knows one way to race," Gordon said. "We have seen in the past where you get a 150- or 200- or 250-point lead and you do have to play conservative. There's a big difference. The way this points system is, it really doesn't allow that to happen. And I think that's good.

"I like going out into every single race trying to win, trying to get the best finish that you possibly can, and that's the way we're going to approach these last 10 races."

That's the Drive for Five.