Gordon, whose No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet had fallen 190 points off the championship lead in fifth place coming into this race, was .618 seconds ahead of Newman at the finish.

That duplicated last year's finish in the inaugural event on the 1.5-mile oval.

After being involved in an accident last week at Dover International Speedway, Gordon knew a big performance at Kansas was necessary if he hoped to defend his Winston Cup championship -- which would be his fifth crown. More