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Jeff Gordon has never left Texas Motor Speedway a winner.By the Numbers: Texas
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Jeff Gordon has finished third and seventh the past two races -- this following back-to-back victories -- and lost 59 points off his Chase lead.
Jimmie Johnson has won the past two races and eight overall. He trails his teammate at Hendrick Motorsports -- and the guy officially listed as the owner of the No. 48 Chevrolet that Johnson drives -- by nine points.
The only way it seems for Gordon to fend off Johnson is to win. Yet Gordon has never done that at Texas Motor Speedway. It's one of only two tracks (Homestead) at which Gordon has not visited Victory Lane. That's the bad news.
The good news is Gordon came into this season having not won at three tracks. But he erased Phoenix from that list in April, and looks to do the same to Texas in November.
Gordon finished ninth at Texas last November and was fourth this past April, his fifth top-five in 13 starts there but first since a string of four consecutive races from 2001-04.
Johnson also has never won at Texas, but only once in eight starts finished worse than 11th. That was in April, when he crashed and finished 38th. It's one of four DNFs due to crashes for Johnson this year, and one of five times he has finished 37th or worse.
But Johnson also has won back-to-back races three times this season. The last driver to win three consecutive races was ... yep, Johnson: Charlotte, Martinsville and Atlanta in Oct. 2004.
Interesting Fact
1Drivers to win more than once in the 13-race history at Texas Motor Speedway, the last track on the Cup circuit to have a repeat winner. Jeff Burton won the inaugural race in 1997 and most recently this past April.
Fun Fact
43Career wins by Texas natives Terry and Bobby Labonte. Terry has one more victory than his brother and his win at Texas Motor Speedway in 1999 was the next-to-last of his career.
All the Facts (Top 20 at Texas, April '07)
1Jeff Burton led only one lap. Since the track received a second date, in 2005, Burton -- who won his first career Cup race at Texas -- has finished 30th and 38th in two November races. Average finish (13 starts): 17.8.
2Matt Kenseth has three top-fives in the past four races at Texas. He finished third in the first November race at TMS, in 2005, but was 12th last October. Average finish (10 starts): 11.1.
3Mark Martin posted his fifth top-five at Texas, and seventh top-10 in 13 starts there. Average finish: 13.4.
4Jeff Gordon has an average finish of 15.8 at Texas, second-worst of any track at which he has raced: Charlotte-Lowe's (16.8).
5Jamie McMurray posted his first top-10 at Texas since he had three in a row there in his first three races at the track. Average finish (seven starts): 14.4.
6Greg Biffle posted just his second top-10 at Texas. Biffle has a win in seven starts at TMS, but otherwise has never finished better than 20th with three DNFs. Average finish: 23.3.
7Martin Truex Jr. has never finished worse than 15th in four starts at Texas. He has two top-10s, both in the spring races. Average finish: 11.0.
8Juan Montoya scored the second of his six top-10s this season at Texas. Average finish: 8.0.
9Denny Hamlin has never finished outside the top 10 in four starts at Texas. Average finish: 7.5.
10David Stremme posted his first Cup top-10, and one of three this season, in his third career start at Texas. Average finish: 18.3.
11Kurt Busch led 42 laps, most in his career at Texas, and has six top-10s, including both November races, in nine starts there. Average finish: 12.4.
12Carl Edwards won the first November race at Texas. It represents his lone top-10 in five starts there. Average finish: 16.6.
13Tony Raines posted his best finish in four starts at Texas. Average finish: 24.5.
14Brian Vickers posted his second top-15 finish in six races at Texas, and best since finishing 12th in his first start there. Average finish: 24.8.
15Paul Menard has only one finish better in 2007 (12th at Michigan, in June), and his Texas result is the fourth-best of his Cup career. His first start at Texas, last November, was cut short due to engine failure. Average finish: 28.0.
16Clint Bowyer has finished in the top 20 in all three of his starts at Texas. His lone top-10 was last November when he finished fifth. Average finish: 13.3.
17Elliott Sadler has three top-10s, including a victory, at Texas, the only times in 11 starts he has finished on the lead lap there. He finished 37th last November in his first start at TMS in the No. 19 Dodge. Average finish: 22.5.
18Joe Nemechek finished 18th for the second consecutive time at Texas. Average finish (12 starts): 25.5.
19David Gilliland has finished 21st and 19th in two starts at Texas. Average finish: 20.0.
20Kasey Kahne finished a race at Texas for just the third time in six starts, although the first two resulted in a runner-up finish and a victory. The three DNFs were all engine failures. Average finish: 22.2.
All the Facts (Notables at Texas, April '07)
25Tony Stewart had his worst finish at Texas that wasn't a DNF, and just his fourth non-top-10 in 11 starts there. Average finish: 13.7.
29Kevin Harvick posted his worst finish in nine career starts at Texas. Average finish: 14.0.
36Dale Earnhardt Jr. led 96 laps before engine failure sent him to the garage for his second DNF in 10 starts at Texas. He has seven top-10s there including his first career victory, in 2000.
37Kyle Busch has one top-10 in five starts at Texas; he was fourth last November. Average finish: 23.4.
38Jimmie Johnson has led only three laps at Texas, all in the November races. Average finish (eight starts): 10.2.
Texas Motor Speedway
Track Winners
| Year | Driver | Make | Start | Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Jeff Burton | Ford | 5 | 60 |
| 1998 | Mark Martin | Ford | 7 | 37 |
| 1999 | Terry Labonte | Chevrolet | 4 | 124 |
| 2000 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Chevrolet | 4 | 106 |
| 2001 | Dale Jarrett | Ford | 3 | 122 |
| 2002 | Matt Kenseth | Ford | 31 | 84 |
| 2003 | Ryan Newman | Dodge | 3 | 77 |
| 2004 | Elliott Sadler | Ford | 19 | 48 |
| 2005 | Greg Biffle | Ford | 5 | 219 |
| Carl Edwards | Ford | 30 | 82 | |
| 2006 | Kasey Kahne | Dodge | 1 | 63 |
| Tony Stewart | Chevrolet | 8 | 278 | |
| 2007 | Jeff Burton | Chevrolet | 2 | 1 |
• Texas: Shop Talk | Race History
2007 Chase drivers at Texas
| Pos. | Driver | No. | W | T-5 | T-10 | Avg. Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | J. Gordon | 13 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 15.8 |
| 2. | J. Johnson | 8 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 10.3 |
| 3. | C. Bowyer | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 13.3 |
| 4. | C. Edwards | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 16.6 |
| 5. | T. Stewart | 11 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 13.7 |
| 6. | Ky. Busch | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 19.5 |
| 7. | K. Harvick | 9 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 14.0 |
| 8. | J. Burton | 13 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 17.8 |
| 9. | Ku. Busch | 9 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 12.4 |
| 10. | D. Hamlin | 4 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 7.5 |
| 11. | M. Kenseth | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 11.1 |
| 12. | M. Truex Jr. | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 11.0 |
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