Back in April at Martinsville, Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished third, Jeff Gordon sixth, and Kurt Busch 11th. Credit: Autostock

Gordon looking to cut into lead at Martinsville

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Halfway through the Chase for the Nextel Cup, we might be down to a three-man race.

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Kurt Busch leads Dale Earnhardt Jr. by 24 points, with Jeff Gordon 74 out of the lead. Those three are the only drivers within 100 points of the lead, as fourth-place Elliott Sadler is 157 behind Busch.

"It depends on whether any of us have trouble," Gordon said. "Right now, I'm 74 points off, and I feel like I'm a long way out. Busch and Junior are strong every week. They're out front leading laps and battling for wins. It only takes one slip or one mistake or accident.

"I'm not thinking about that a lot. I'm just trying to focus on what we need to do and try to finish ahead of these guys like we did (at Charlotte)."

Gordon trails leader Busch by 74 points and Earnhardt by 50. Credit: Autostock

Gordon made a remarkable rally at Lowe's Motor Speedway last weekend, coming back from a spin and a lost lap to finish second. Being able to overcome those kinds of obstacles is crucial to winning a championship, and this weekend's Subway 400 at Martinsville Speedway should bear that out.

Martinsville is a tight, flat half-mile, and piling 43 cars on its new surface for 500 laps makes for a long day. Bumping and banging is part of the routine at Martinsville, and one slip can send you around faster than you can say Martinsville Speedway.

"At Talladega, everybody talks about avoiding the 'Big One,'" Gordon said. "There, it's one big wreck that collects 17 cars. At Martinsville, it's 17 little wrecks that collect several cars."

Gordon has done well at avoiding those wrecks, as he's won five races at Martinsville. In 23 starts, he's posted 12 top-five and 17 top-10 finishes to go along with five poles.

Last year, Gordon won both poles and both races. He seemed to be on his way to another victory earlier this year after leading 180 of the first 272 laps.

But a chunk of concrete came up from the surface and slammed into Gordon's No. 24 Chevrolet.

"That was disappointing because we had such a great car," Gordon said. "It felt like I hit a cinder block."

That race was ruined, and Martinsville officials decided to do something about it. No, they couldn't help Gordon, but they could make sure it didn't happen again.

Credit: Autostock

The track was resurfaced with asphalt and concrete in July, meaning the Nextel Cup teams will have to adjust their setups for a faster race.

"The new racing surface is smooth with a lot of grip, but I wish they had waited to make the changes," Gordon said. "I thought we had a big edge on the competition under the old conditions."

Gordon and crew chief Robbie Loomis will look to regain that advantage this weekend. If they can perform like they did at Charlotte last weekend, the No. 24 team should be solid.

"It looked like we were going to lose a lot of points at Charlotte, maybe enough to take us out of the championship hunt," Gordon said. "But this team didn't give up and we fought back to finish second - probably the greatest comeback to second I've ever experienced.

"It definitely was a confidence booster heading into Martinsville."