It appears that Jeff Gordon is still searching for the solution to Texas Motor Speedway. Credit: Autostock

Gordon faces uphill climb after poor practice

Still looking for first Texas win, No. 24 Chevy 41st in final practice

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Everyone slowed down as temperatures shot up at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday, but no one slowed down more than Jeff Gordon.

Gordon endured a miserable Happy Hour session for Sunday's Samsung/Radio Shack 500 at Texas, running the 41st-quickest time at 181.020 mph. He had been 18th in the second practice at 186.098 mph.

	Jimmie Johnson led Saturday's final practice at Texas. Credit: Autostock
	Happy Hour Speeds Samsung/RadioShack 500 Pos. Driver Make 1. Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 2. Kasey Kahne Dodge 3. Carl Edwards Ford 4. Mark Martin Ford 5. Bill Elliott Dodge Complete Speeds, click here 2nd Practice Speeds, click here

Jimmie Johnson, Gordon's teammate, led the final session at 186.670 mph. Teammate Kyle Busch led Saturday's opening practice (188.501 mph) and was sixth in Happy Hour (185.491 mph).

Gordon and crew chief Robbie Loomis will be relying heavily on their feedback to make major changes for Sunday.

"It's nice to have teammates, especially when they are running good," Gordon said. "We'll try everything we can to figure it out by tomorrow."

"We'll look through everything and put our heads together," Loomis said. "We have got a lot of good teammates and come up with a good setup."

The practice struggles are equally maddening for Gordon because he carried major momentum into Texas after winning two of the first six races this season. Gordon won last weekend at Martinsville and is trying to win back-to-back races for the 22nd time in his career.

He has not hidden the fact that he badly wants to win at Texas, which is one of four tracks on the Nextel Cup circuit on which he's never won.

But Gordon simply has not been able to get his car neutralized at all. He got in a good qualifying lap on Friday, qualifying seventh, but he was still two-tenths of a second off of Ryan Newman's pole speed.

His Chevrolet woke up on Saturday and simply refused to behave, and it frustrated Gordon to no end.

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"We are definitely struggling. We can't get the balance or the comfort that we need," Gordon said. We're bouncing between loose and tight. We can't get the balance the way we need it."

Kasey Kahne and Carl Edwards, each of whom ran in the top five at the series' last visit to a 1.5-mile track (Atlanta), were each fast during Saturday's practices.

Edwards was fourth in the second practice and third in Happy Hour, and Kahne was fifth in the second practice and second in Happy Hour.

Mark Martin, gunning for his second win here, was fourth in Happy Hour (186.233) and ran more laps in the session (53) than anyone else except Jeff Burton, who also ran 53 laps but was only 33rd-quickest.