Jeff Gordon knew he wasn't going to be able to pass Jimmie Johnson or Kevin Harvick. Credit: Autostock

Gordon serves notice to field for Coca-Cola 600

CONCORD, N.C. -- While most of the attention for the past two seasons has been focused on teammate Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon put a little pressure on his protégé Saturday night at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Nextel All-Star Challenge Unofficial Results Pos. Driver Make 1. Jimmie Johnson Chevy 2. Kevin Harvick Chevy 3. Jeff Gordon Chevy 4. Carl Edwards Ford 5. Ryan Newman Dodge 6. Bobby Labonte Dodge 7. Dale Jarrett Ford 8. Kyle Petty Dodge 9. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevy 10. Scott Riggs Dodge • Complete results, click here Victory LaneJimmie Johnson celebrates his All-Star Challenge win Final lapsJimmie Johnson holds off the field down the stretch Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

Gordon finished third behind Johnson and Kevin Harvick in the race for $1 million, and he benefited from the fact that several of his chief competitors were eliminated in one crash or another. But the fact that he was hanging around the leaders late in the Nextel All-Star Challenge should draw some attention from the rest of the field.

"I knew it [Saturday's race] was going to be a bit of survival, and it's a good test for the DuPont Chevrolet team for the 600 next week," Gordon said after his run. "We have a real good car for the long runs, so I am excited about next week."

Gordon, like many of the other drivers in Saturday's race, was on an eternal quest for balance between the hard Goodyear tires and the ultra-grippy surface of Lowe's Motor Speedway.

He finally found it about 10 laps into a run, but that was generally too late to do much of anything with Johnson or Harvick.

"I was moving pretty good and the car was better, but once we got to third and I got up behind Kevin, I got way too tight," Gordon said. "We had to tighten the car up a lot. I was losing so many positions at the beginning of a run, we were trying to make it all up there at the end."

The good news for Gordon supporters is that once the tires came in, he was golden.

"I am really proud of my team," Gordon said. "They did a great job. There were times when we had the best car on the track, but at the end third was the best we could come up with."