Jeff Gordon is trying to become the No. 1 driver for the fifth time in his career. Credit: Autostock

Chase tracks, experience put Gordon in position

'Drive for Five' could hit snag at last three sites where 24's winless

RICHMOND, Va. -- Jeff Gordon walked over to Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson late Saturday night, shook his head and patted him on the shoulder.

"We're in, that's good,'' Gordon said of qualifying for the Chase for the Nextel Cup.

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No, Gordon wasn't impressive at Richmond International Raceway, the final race of NASCAR's regular season. He was two laps down in 31st, dropping him from fourth to ninth in points heading into next week's Chase opener at New Hampshire International Speedway.

But at least he's in the Chase, something he couldn't say a year ago when his team was in disarray.

And that gives him a legitimate chance to win a fifth championship.

"That's the thing that's keeping me smiling right is that we're in it,'' Gordon said. "We know what it feels like to not be in it from last year. We've had to fight hard all year long, and we've really come together as a team.''

Saturday night didn't show that. Brake and handling problems led to Gordon's worst finish since 39th at Daytona in early July dropped him to 12th in points.

Since then he has a win, five top-fives and eight finishes of 16th or better.

He entered Saturday with three consecutive finishes of fifth or better. Few outside of points leader Matt Kenseth and the Barenaked Ladies during their pre-race news conference were on a better roll.

	Jeff Gordon has more wins than any other Chaser at three playoff tracks -- Kansas, Martinsville and Atlanta. Credit: Autostock
	Inside the Numbers Jeff Gordon at Chase tracks Site No. W T-5 T-10 DNF Loudon 23 3 9 12 2 Dover 27 4 12 16 5 Talladega 27 4 11 14 6 Kansas 5 2 3 4 0 Charlotte 27 4 13 15 7 Martinsville 27 7 15 21 0 Atlanta 28 4 12 17 5 Texas 11 0 4 4 2 Phoenix 15 0 6 12 1 Homestead 7 0 3 6 0 Mixed resultsJ. Gordon secures Chase spot despite 31st place finish at RIR Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

"The only team that has more momentum than us right now is the No. 17 [Kenseth],'' Gordon said before the race. "I feel really good about things.''

He still does, as he should.

Gordon's three wins on the 10 Chase tracks since the start of last season are second only to teammate Johnson's four. His 10 top-fives are fourth to Tony Stewart (12), Mark Martin (12) and Johnson (11).

And last year was a sub-par season.

"We've gained a lot of points over the last 10 or 12 races and our team is just getting better and better all the time,'' said Gordon, who this time a year ago was in the midst of changing from longtime crew chief Robbie Loomis to Steve Letarte. "I feel like our intermediate program has really stepped up.

"I feel we're going to be really strong at a lot of tracks these last 10.''

Again, he has reason to be optimistic. Thirty of his 75 career wins have come at the first seven Chase tracks -- New Hampshire, Dover, Kansas, Talladega, Charlotte, Martinsville and Atlanta.

He also has reason to be cautious. The only tracks where Gordon is winless are the final three -- Texas, Phoenix and Homestead -- of the Chase.

But Gordon has run better this season on similar tracks, ending his winless streak at Chicagoland earlier this year.

"Texas is one of the tracks I'm concerned about and I feel like we're going to be pretty decent when we go back there,'' said Gordon, who was 22nd in the first race at Texas. "New Hampshire is a track we have some concerns about.

"I feel good about the other tracks.''

But the biggest reason to feel good about Gordon is experience. Few if any have been more consistent since he entered the sport full time in 1993.

"He won't choke,'' team owner Rick Hendrick said. "He knows how to handle the pressure.''

That's not always enough. Gordon was in position to win the title in 2004, but a mistake in the pits on the final stop of the next-to-last race at Darlington cost him the championship.

"Experience helps you know that you've been through a lot of different situations and helps you to stay calm,'' Gordon said. "It's not about overreacting and not losing your composure and just being able to handle those pressure situations because you've been through them before.

"It can help you be more consistent and be a threat every weekend. If you have a bad race, it helps you bounce back.''

But the dynamics of the Chase make experience less important because it's more of a sprint than an endurance race. By this time during past championship runs it was down to Gordon and one or two other drivers.

Now the top 10 are separated by a mere 45 points.

"When you're dealing with 10 guys instead of just a couple of guys and it's just not about being consistent and you've got to push, the Chase is different,'' Gordon said. "When it comes to that, I don't feel like I've won any championships.''

That'll change in 10 weeks.

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.