Gordon's win streak in danger with three to go
Loop: Texas, Homestead only two tracks he hasn't won
By Official Release
October 31, 2008
03:16 PM EDT
October 31, 2008
03:16 PM EDT
type size: + -
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Still winless through 33 races, Jeff Gordon has three more chances to continue a remarkable streak.
Gordon has won at least two races in each season since 1994, his second year in the Cup Series. The streak stands at 14 consecutive seasons.
Gordon usually wins early in the season, never waiting this long for his first win. In 11 of his 14 race-winning seasons, Gordon won prior to race No. 10. His longest winless stretch to open a season was 24 races in 2002.
Gordon's challenge becomes even more daunting when analyzing his success at the remaining three tracks. He has won at 20 of the 22 active Cup tracks. The two winless tracks: this weekend's venue, Texas Motor Speedway, and the season-ending site, Homestead-Miami Speedway. Plus, Gordon didn't nab his first Phoenix International Raceway win until last season.
Arguably, Texas presents his biggest challenge. Gordon has finished 43rd twice in his career -- both have occurred at Texas, including the spring race this season.
Since the inception of Loop Data in 2005, Gordon has scored a Driver Rating higher than 100.0 only once in seven Texas races. Below are his race-by-race Texas statistics since 2005:
Jeff Gordon at Texas Motor Speedway (past seven races)
| Date | Finish | Avg. Run. Pos. | Fast Laps Run | Pct. Laps / Top 15 | Driver Rating | Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2005 | 15 | 14.3 | 1 | 53.3 | 78.8 | 1 |
| Nov. 2005 | 14 | 17.2 | 1 | 26.9 | 78.4 | 0 |
| April 2006 | 22 | 19.8 | 11 | 22.8 | 69.7 | 0 |
| Nov. 2006 | 9 | 9.3 | 7 | 91.4 | 98.1 | 0 |
| April 2007 | 4 | 2.1 | 65 | 100 | 136.3 | 173 |
| Nov. 2007 | 7 | 10.1 | 5 | 91.9 | 98.6 | 20 |
| April 2008 | 43 | 39.7 | 0 | 0.0 | 35.7 | 0 |
| Totals | 16.3 | 16.1 | 90 | 55.2 | 85.1 | 194 |
Statistically, Gordon's best track of the remaining three is Phoenix. He has finished inside the top 10 in 12 of the past 14 Phoenix races and ranks third in Driver Rating (104.0). At Homestead, Gordon has finished in the top 10 in seven of his nine career races.
Below are his average Loop Data statistics at the two tracks:
Jeff Gordon at Phoenix and Homestead (with rank)
| Track | Driver Rating | Avg. Run Pos. | Fast Laps Run | Pct. Laps / Top 15 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix | 104.0 (3rd) | 8.8 (3rd) | 61 (12th) | 87.0 (2nd) |
| Homestead | 92.8 (6th) | 13.0 (8th) | 43 (8th) | 65.0 (8th) |
Head2Head
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Jeff Gordon
Career Stats by Year
| Year | No. | W | T-5 | T-10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1993 | 30 | 0 | 7 | 11 |
| 1994 | 31 | 2 | 7 | 14 |
| 1995 | 31 | 7 | 17 | 23 |
| 1996 | 31 | 10 | 21 | 24 |
| 1997 | 32 | 10 | 22 | 23 |
| 1998 | 33 | 13 | 26 | 28 |
| 1999 | 34 | 7 | 18 | 21 |
| 2000 | 34 | 3 | 11 | 22 |
| 2001 | 36 | 6 | 18 | 24 |
| 2002 | 36 | 3 | 13 | 20 |
| 2003 | 36 | 3 | 15 | 20 |
| 2004 | 36 | 5 | 16 | 25 |
| 2005 | 36 | 4 | 8 | 14 |
| 2006 | 36 | 2 | 14 | 18 |
| 2007 | 36 | 6 | 21 | 30 |
| 2008 | 33 | 0 | 11 | 17 |
| Totals | 542 | 81 | 245 | 334 |
Results of Final Three Tracks
| Texas | Phoenix | Homestead | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starts | 15 | 19 | 9 |
| Wins | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Top-5s | 5 | 8 | 4 |
| Top-10s | 7 | 15 | 7 |
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