Phoenix is one of four tracks on the Nextel Cup circuit where Jeff Gordon has not won. Credit: Autostock

Nighttime may be the right time for Gordon

AVONDALE, Ariz. -- No track has done a better job of keeping Jeff Gordon out of Victory Lane better than Phoenix International Raceway.

Even the weekend schedule conspires to hurt him here, where Gordon is 0-for-14.

NASCAR scheduled qualifying to begin at 5:40 p.m. local time, giving a huge advantage to the drivers lucky enough to secure a late draw. Gordon wasn't one of those -- he drew 18th.

	Stats at a Glance Jeff Gordon at Phoenix Year St. Fin. Laps Status 1993 9 35 195 handling 1994 14 4 311 running 1995 3 5 312 running 1996 19 5 312 running 1997 12 17 310 running 1998 12 7 257 running 1999 2 10 312 running 2000 24 7 312 running 2001 14 6 312 running 2002 4 3 312 running 2003 4 7 312 running 2004 8 3 315 running 2005 1 12 312 running 2005 10 3 312 running

And it showed. Despite running seventh in practice, he slipped to 19th in qualifying.

"I always question when NASCAR puts a qualifying session the way that they do here," said Gordon, who is winless in 2006. "You basically give a huge advantage to the luck of the draw."

It seems as if Gordon gets closer to victory at PIR with each passing visit. Until 2004, he had only led 65 career laps at Phoenix, but he's led 126 laps in the last three races, and finished third in three of the last five.

"It's a tricky track," said Gordon. "This is definitely a place that challenges everyone. We have been close. Some of it is me and trying to learn some things."

Gordon prefers night racing, and this weekend's Subway Fresh 500 marks the first Nextel Cup race under the lights in 2006. It is a welcome change for the drivers, especially because of the searing heat.

"It is not a very demanding track physically, but it's hot," said Gordon. "I am pretty glad to have a night race. That certainly helps."

What didn't help Gordon was his lackluster performance at Texas two weeks ago. Gordon was admittedly lacking on the 1.5-mile tracks this year, and he had hoped to see a remarkable improvement on the downforce tracks with new crew chief Steve LeTarte.

So far, the major improvement on the downforce tracks has been elusive. Gordon finished a fine fourth at Atlanta in March, but he was nowhere near that competitive at Texas.

Gordon has managed to avoid the bad luck that plagued him in 2005, but he knows his team has work to do to catch the dominant programs of Kasey Kahne and Tony Stewart.

"We are lacking speed on the faster tracks," said Gordon. "I have been saying since the beginning of the year that Texas is our real test, and we went there and were about a tenth-place car. That is not good enough."

With the series hitting Phoenix and Talladega in back-to-back weeks, teams will have a little bit of time to work on its downforce programs, but with limited testing, Gordon knows it will be tough.

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"We have some room to go to catch guys like [Kahne, Stewart]," said Gordon. "I don't even think its horsepower; a lot of it is the attitude of the car, which has a lot to do with aero."

Despite the poor run at Texas (Gordon wound up 22nd), he is still eighth in the points and has avoided questions as to whether he will miss the Chase for the second straight year.

"We are running a lot better. The team has improved in a lot of areas, so we are definitely having more fun," said Gordon. "Things are going our way a little bit better than we were last year. We know that we are behind in some areas that we have got to get better at."