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Johnson, Kenseth among drivers with strong Kansas history still seeking first win
Editor’s note: The following drivers are ranked according to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings. Driver Reports includes the top 16 in the points standings and drivers currently in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field.
1. Jeff Gordon (No. 24)
Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
Standing: Gordon leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings with 347 points.
Past five races: 39th at Talladega, 2nd at Richmond, 7th at Darlington, 2nd at Texas, 12th at Martinsville.
Season stats: 4 top-fives, 7 top-10s.
Track history: At Kansas, Gordon’s average finish is 12.5 and his average running position is 9.8 over the past nine years. In 16 career starts at Kansas, he has two wins, nine top-fives and 11 top-10s.
Quick hit: Gordon’s success at this 1.5-mile oval came before the 2012 repave. The veteran won the first two Cup races here, and had a string of five consecutive top-fives from 2007-2011. In his last five races at the track, though, he has two top-10s and two finishes outside the top 20.
2. Matt Kenseth (No. 20)
Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota
Standing: Kenseth is second in the standings with 344 points.
Past five races: 37th at Talladega, 5th at Richmond, 4th at Darlington, 7th at Texas, 6th at Martinsville.
Season stats: 3 top-fives, 7 top-10s, 1 pole.
Track history: At Kansas, Kenseth’s average finish is 11.8 and his average running position is 9.6 over the past nine years. In 16 career starts at Kansas, he has two wins, six top-fives, nine top-10s and two poles.
Quick hit: Kenseth is one of four drivers to have an average running position of less than 10.0 over the past nine years at Kansas. He earned back-to-back wins in the fall of 2012 and spring of 2013. Kenseth’s 11th-place finish last fall ended a string of six consecutive top-10s (four of which were top-fives).
3. Kyle Busch (No. 18)
Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota
Standing: Busch is third in the standings with 343 points.
Past five races: 12th at Talladega, 3rd at Richmond, 6th at Darlington, 3rd at Texas, 14th at Martinsville.
Season stats: 1 win, 3 top-fives, 5 top-10s, 1 pole.
Track history: At Kansas, Busch’s average finish is 22.2 and his average running position is 18.8 over the past nine years. In 13 career starts at Kansas, he has two top-10s.
Quick hit: Busch’s average running position over the past nine years is 18th in the series, and he’s said for years that this is among his worst tracks. The results bear that out — he’s finished outside of the top 30 in three consecutive races. The last time out, he wrecked his primary car during practice and his backup car in the race.
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88)
Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
Standing: Earnhardt Jr. is fourth in the standings with 328 points.
Past five races: 26th at Talladega, 7th at Richmond, 2nd at Darlington, 43rd at Texas, 3rd at Martinsville.
Season stats: 1 win, 5 top-fives, 6 top-10s.
Track history: At Kansas, Earnhardt Jr.’s average finish is 15.6 and his average running position is 15.1 over the past nine years. In 15 career starts at Kansas, he has one top-five, seven top-10s and one pole.
Quick hit: Junior has been uneven at this 1.5-mile track over his career, but his average finish since joining Hendrick Motorsports is 14.8 compared to an average finish of 17.1 before. Plus he has a runner-up finish on a mile-and-a-half oval already this year (Las Vegas), so consider the No. 88 team to have top-five potential.
5. Carl Edwards (No. 99)
Roush Fenway Racing, Ford
Standing: Edwards is fifth in the standings with 328 points.
Past five races: 30th at Talladega, 9th at Richmond, 13th at Darlington, 14th at Texas, 13th at Martinsville.
Season stats: 1 win, 2 top-fives, 5 top-10s, 1 pole.
Track history: At Kansas, Edwards’ average finish is 9.9 and his average running position is 12.3 over the past nine years. In 13 career starts at Kansas, he has five top-fives and nine top-10s.
Quick hit: Edwards is one of three drivers with an average finish of less than 10.0 in the loop data era — the others are Jimmie Johnson and teammate Greg Biffle. This is one of Roush Fenway Racing’s best tracks, with three wins here over the past 10 races. Edwards is one of the favorites to win Saturday night.
6. Joey Logano (No. 22)
Team Penske, Ford
Standing: Logano is sixth in the standings with 305 points.
Past five races: 32nd at Talladega, 1st at Richmond, 35th at Darlington, 1st at Texas, 4th at Martinsville.
Season stats: 2 wins, 5 top-fives, 5 top-10s, 1 pole.
Track history: At Kansas, Logano’s average finish is 23.7 and his average running position is 22.2 over the past nine years. In nine career starts at Kansas, he has one top-five and one top-10.
Quick hit: Do you believe Joey Logano has turned a career corner? If you do, ignore his first eight races at this track in which he recorded four finishes outside the top 25 and zero finishes inside the top 10. Instead, focus on last year’s fourth-place run and his dominance on 1.5-miles this year (fourth at Las Vegas, first at Texas).
7. Jimmie Johnson (No. 48)
Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
Standing: Johnson is seventh in the standings with 304 points.
Past five races: 23rd at Talladega, 32nd at Richmond, 3rd at Darlington, 25th at Texas, 2nd at Martinsville.
Season stats: 3 top-fives, 5 top-10s.
Track history: At Kansas, Johnson’s average finish is 5.3 and his average running position is 7.4 over the past nine years. In 15 career starts at Kansas, he has two wins, six top-fives, 13 top-10s and three poles.
Quick hit: Johnson ranks first on the circuit in average finish and average running position here over the past nine years. He’s finished in the top 10 for 10 consecutive races. He has three top-fives, including a win, in the past five races here. He’s not only the pre-race favorite, he’s a must-play for your Fantasy Live lineup.
8. Greg Biffle (No. 16)
Roush Fenway Racing, Ford
Standing: Biffle is eighth in the standings with 300 points.
Past five races: 2nd at Talladega, 15th at Richmond, 5th at Darlington, 6th at Texas, 18th at Martinsville.
Season stats: 2 top-fives, 4 top-10s.
Track history: At Kansas, Biffle’s average finish is 8.7 and his average running position is 9.1 over the past nine years. In 15 career starts at Kansas, he has two wins, seven top-fives, nine top-10s and one pole.
Quick hit: Biffle was agonizingly close to his first win of the season at Talladega, and now comes to one of his best tracks. He ranks second in the past nine years in average place and average finish, behind only Jimmie Johnson, so expect the veteran to run up front all night. A win would be the fifth at the track for team owner Jack Roush, which put him above Rick Hendrick (who has four).
9. Ryan Newman (No. 31)
Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet
Standing: Newman is ninth in the standings with 299 points.
Past five races: 18th at Talladega, 8th at Richmond, 10th at Darlington, 16th at Texas, 20th at Martinsville.
Season stats: 4 top-10s.
Track history: At Kansas, Newman’s average finish is 22.4 and his average running position is 21.4 over the past nine years. In 16 career starts at Kansas, he has one win, three top-fives and four top-10s.
Quick hit: This is one of just two tracks on the circuit in which Newman has a win, but not a pole. (Daytona is the other.) Newman finished second, second and first in the first three races at the track. Since then, he has one top-10 in 13 starts. Perhaps having new equipment in his first year with Richard Childress Racing will be the spur Newman needs to improve here.
10. Brian Vickers (No. 55)
Michael Waltrip Racing, Toyota
Standing: Vickers is 10th in the standings with 297 points.
Past five races: 4th at Talladega, 12th at Richmond, 26th at Darlington, 4th at Texas, 16th at Martinsville.
Season stats: 2 top-fives, 4 top-10s.
Track history: At Kansas, Vickers’ average finish is 21.1 and his average running position is 20.1 over the past nine years. In nine career starts at Kansas, he has one top-10.
Quick hit: Vickers finished outside the top 30 in both Kansas races last year in his part-time role with Michael Waltrip Racing. How much does that matter? Hard to say. You can’t ignore his spotty history here, but he’s also outperforming expectations this season as a full-time Sprint Cup driver.
11. Brad Keselowski (No. 2)
Team Penske, Ford
Standing: Keselowski is 11th in the standings with 294 points.
Past five races: 38th at Talladega, 4th at Richmond, 17th at Darlington, 15th at Texas, 38th at Martinsville.
Season stats: 1 win, 4 top-fives, 4 top-10s.
Track history: At Kansas, Keselowski’s average finish is 10.3 and his average running position is 14.2 over the past nine years. In eight career starts at Kansas, he has one win, two top-fives and four top-10s.
Quick hit: This is one of Keselowski’s best tracks — exactly half his starts here have resulted in top-10s, and he’s finished in the top 20 in seven of eight races. With his average finish in the loop data era ranking fourth among 48 drivers, Keselowski is a favorite to claim his second win and all but clinch his spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup — provided no one tries to take revenge from the Talladega wreck last week.
12. Denny Hamlin (No. 11)
Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota
Standing: Hamlin is 12th in the standings with 292 points.
Past five races: 1st at Talladega, 22nd at Richmond, 19th at Darlington, 13th at Texas, 19th at Martinsville.
Season stats: 1 win, 2 top-fives, 3 top-10s, 1 pole.
Track history: At Kansas, Hamlin’s average finish is 14.8 and his average running position is 14.1 over the past nine years. In 11 career starts at Kansas, he has one win, three top-fives and three top-10s.
Quick hit: With his first win of the season last week, Hamlin emphatically snapped his four-race slump since missing the Auto Club event. Now that getting the all-important win is behind him, expect the 33-year-old to challenge for the win under the lights.
13. Kyle Larson (No. 42)
Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, Chevrolet
Standing: Larson is 13th in the standings with 286 points.
Past five races: 9th at Talladega, 16th at Richmond, 8th at Darlington, 5th at Texas, 27th at Martinsville.
Season stats: 2 top-fives, 5 top-10s.
Track history: Larson has zero Sprint Cup Series starts at Kansas. In one Nationwide Series start, he finished 30th in 2013.
Quick hit: Fifth at Texas. Eighth at Darlington. Ninth at Talladega. What can’t Kyle Larson do? The Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender is thriving at tracks in which he previously had no Cup starts. He’s another terrific play in Fantasy Live this week.
14. Austin Dillon (No. 3)
Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet
Standing: Dillon is 14th in the standings with 281 points.
Past five races: 15th at Talladega, 27th at Richmond, 11th at Darlington, 21st at Texas, 15th at Martinsville.
Season stats: 1 top-10, 1 pole.
Track history: At Kansas, Dillon’s average finish is 26.0 and his average running position is 28.5 over the past nine years. In one career start at Kansas, he finished 26th in 2011.
Quick hit: Richard Childress earned his first win as a team owner at the track last year when Kevin Harvick drove the No. 29 — the same equipment Dillon is using — to victory. The organization’s superspeedway cars have been better than its mile-and-a-half program this year, though. Dillon finished 16th and 21st at the previous two races this year on 1.5-milers.
15. AJ Allmendinger (No. 47)
JTG Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet
Standing: Allmendinger is 15th in the standings with 279 points.
Past five races: 5th at Talladega, 6th at Richmond, 15th at Darlington, 23rd at Texas, 11th at Martinsville.
Season stats: 1 top-five, 3 top-10s.
Track history: At Kansas, Allmendinger’s average finish is 21.9 and his average running position is 22.2 over the past nine years. In eight career starts at Kansas, he has two top-10s and one pole.
Quick hit: Through 10 races, Allmendinger has the look of a driver intent on being a Chase spoiler. His two best finishes of the year have come over the past two races. To continue that trend at Kansas, he’ll need his best-ever finish at the track — his ninth-place effort in 2008 remains his best performance here.
16. Marcos Ambrose (No. 9)
Richard Petty Motorsports, Ford
Standing: Ambrose is 16th in the standings with 268 points.
Past five races: 19th at Talladega, 18th at Richmond, 14th at Darlington, 20th at Texas, 5th at Martinsville.
Season stats: 2 top-fives, 2 top-10s.
Track history: At Kansas, Ambrose’s average finish is 19.6 and his average running position is 21.1 over the past nine years. In nine career starts at Kansas, he has two top-10s.
Quick hit: Ambrose has had two ninth-place finishes, matching his car number, in six starts here for Richard Petty Motorsports. While road courses are still his forte, the Australian has performed better at Kansas than most since the track’s repave.
19. Kevin Harvick (No. 4)
Stewart-Haas Racing, Chevrolet
Standing: Harvick is 19th in the standings with 258 points.
Past five races: 7th at Talladega, 11th at Richmond, 1st at Darlington, 42nd at Texas, 7th at Martinsville.
Season stats: 2 wins, 2 top-fives, 4 top-10s, 1 pole.
Track history: At Kansas, Harvick’s average finish is 10.4 and his average running position is 12.2 over the past nine years. In 16 career starts at Kansas, he has one win, two top-fives, seven top-10s and one pole.
Quick hit: Harvick won last fall’s Kansas race from the pole, something he also accomplished at Darlington this year. The last three races have been his most consistent of the year, with finally no spell of car trouble. Consider him among the favorites.
27. Kurt Busch (No. 41)
Stewart-Haas Racing, Chevrolet
Standing: Busch is 27th in the standings with 196 points.
Past five races: 33rd at Talladega, 23rd at Richmond, 31st at Darlington, 39th at Texas, 1st at Martinsville.
Season stats: 1 win, 2 top-fives, 2 top-10s.
Track history: At Kansas, Busch’s average finish is 15.4 and his average running position is 14.7 over the past nine years. In 16 career starts at Kansas, he has one top-five, four top-10s and one pole.
Quick hit: Since his Martinsville win, Busch has finished outside the top 30 in three of four races, and his non top-30 was a 23rd. Wins are more valuable with the new Chase format, and no one is more grateful for that than Busch. Still, if he doesn’t start collecting top-10s — or at least top-20s — beginning Saturday in Kansas, his spot in the top 30 of the points standings will no longer be assured.
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Renee Bartels: ‘We said as long as Kyle (Petty) would do it we would support it’
AUSTIN, Texas — Only 10 individuals have ridden in all 20 of Kyle Petty’s charity motorcycle rides across the continent. The most unlikely members of that group are David and Renee Bartels, a married couple from San Jose, California.
They aren’t big NASCAR fans. In the beginning, they didn’t know Richard Petty from Richard Gere. But they had a tiny connection that changed their lives, which introduced the couple to a culture foreign to them and launched them on a journey of thousands of miles.
When Kyle Petty and others cranked up the first Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America in 1995, they needed trucks to transport many of the motorcycles to the ride’s starting point. Petty contacted executives at Mayflower, then a NASCAR sponsor, and they agreed to supply trucks for the cross-country trip.
Day 5 recap
Started: Austin, Texas.
Finished: Beaumont, Texas.
Miles traveled: 247.6.
The Bartels own a Mayflower agency in San Jose. The first ride started near San Francisco, and Mayflower’s corporate office asked them to accompany the riders on the first leg of the trip to represent the company.
"They called us because they knew we rode bikes," Renee said. "We didn’t know anybody. We just showed up. We took off down Highway 101 and got to LA."
The end of that day’s first ride segment was supposed to be the end of the ride for the Bartels. Twenty years later, they still haven’t taken the exit ramp.
"We decided at the LA stop that we were having too much fun, so we decided to go on to the next step in Las Vegas," she said. "Then we said we’ll do one more — to Phoenix. Got to Phoenix and said, ‘Call the office and tell them we’re going all the way.’ "
They didn’t bring any changes of clothes or supplies, so they had to make some purchases along the way, but they were hooked.
Beginning with the second ride, the Bartels have provided the trucks to transport the bikes, and they have been along for every mile.
Before the ride became a vehicle to raise money for the Petty family’s Victory Junction Gang Camp, it raised funds for children’s hospitals, and the ride stopped at hospitals along the route.
"Here was a group of people taking their vacation time to go out and raise money and go into these hospitals and give it to those families," Renee said. "We went in with them and saw these big, burly guys praying with these families. It just touched us.
"We said that if they can take time out of what they do and spend their money in ways we saw as honorable, we said as long as Kyle would do it we would support it."
Joining the ride quickly put the Bartels in touch with Richard Petty.
"He rode with us the first year," Renee said. "After a 700-mile ride into Odessa, Texas, we stopped at a closed gas station. Somebody went to get some pizzas. We were sitting on the pavement there eating.
"A transient walked over and sat down next to Richard. He didn’t know who he was talking to. He said, ‘That looks like good pizza.’ Richard handed him his piece and said, ‘Here, have a piece.’ I thought right there, ‘Wow.’
"The compassion everybody gives to this is really what keeps you going."
Kyle Petty called the Bartels "a mainstay of the ride from the very, very beginning. Everybody loves them. They’re really quiet people, but they’re a core couple for us. We did a talent show on the ride one year, and they came out as Sonny and Cher — David as Cher and Renee as Sonny. It was hilarious because it was so out of character for them."
So was the ride. Until the first day back in ’95.
Day 5 recap
Started: Austin, Texas.
Finished: Beaumont, Texas.
Miles traveled: 247.6.
Notes: Wednesday’s breakfast was the most anticipated of the ride. It happened at a Krispy Kreme restaurant in Austin. Krispy Kreme was the ride sponsor for the day. Number of doughnuts consumed — incalculable. … Richard Petty is riding a three-wheel motorcycle on the ride because, as he said, his daughters told him he was not allowed on a standard two-wheeler. Many of the ride bikes are carrying a decal in memory of Richard’s wife, Lynda, who died in March after a long battle with cancer.
Thursday’s route: Beaumont, Texas, to Broussard, Louisiana; to New Orleans.
Donate: The Kyle Petty Charity Ride raises money for the Victory Junction Gang Camp, a summer camp for chronically ill children. To donate, victoryjunction.org.
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Host of smaller teams have chance to make Chase this season
RELATED: Play NASCAR Fantasy Live | Sign up for RaceView today
We are living in the age of the underdog.
At least from a NASCAR perspective, and the era to date has been bookended by a pair of surprising outcomes at the same track — Talladega Superspeedway, where an unknown Brad Keselowski driving for underfunded Phoenix Racing literally crashed the party in 2009, and where David Ragan and his Front Row Motorsports team pulled a similar upset four years later. There was no such shocker at the big Alabama track this past Sunday, but the potential for one continues to brew, like those first storm clouds forming out on the horizon.
Make no mistake, though — it’s coming, and when it hits the impact will be bigger than ever, given that a race victory now very likely translates into a berth to the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. This past weekend Ragan guaranteed it, saying some smaller team would "absolutely" steal a playoff bid. That’s not hubris or optimism speaking — he has recent history on his side. Had this current Chase system existed the past few years, a host of smaller teams might have had their destinies altered by unexpected runs at the title.
And there’s plenty of reason to believe it will happen for real this year, some lesser light seizing a surprise victory that ultimately leaves a more decorated driver on the outside looking in. Yes, Sunday at Talladega may in retrospect seem a missed opportunity, given that drivers like AJ Allmendinger, Josh Wise and Landon Cassill were all in the thick of it in the final laps. But the capricious high banks of the 2.66-mile track is hardly the only place where underdogs can bite.
Just look at the past four years, a span where rule changes have helped to level the competitive playing field, and where smaller teams struck with surprising regularity. There was Keselowski at Talladega in 2009, scoring what would go down as the lone victory of owner James Finch’s tenure. There was Trevor Bayne and the Wood Brothers stunning the world in the Daytona 500, Regan Smith making a gamble pay off for Furniture Row Racing at Darlington, and Marcos Ambrose breaking through for Richard Petty Motorsports at Watkins Glen — all in 2011 alone.
Ambrose repeated the feat at the same track in 2012. And 2013 saw Ragan’s jaw-dropper at Talladega, not to mention Kurt Busch making history by carrying single-car Furniture Row into the Chase for the first time, and doing it the hard way — on points. To put all that in the proper context, consider that before Keselowski’s stunner in 2009, you had to go back five more years to find another race winner that qualified as a real surprise. And Joe Nemechek had full-season sponsorship on the hood of his MB2 Motorsports car which won unexpectedly in 2004 at Kansas, the same track the circuit visits this week.
That was a different time, and the definition of a surprise winner was different as well. What else qualified as a shocker in 2004? Jeremy Mayfield winning the regular-season finale in a fully-funded Ray Evernham car. In 2005, it was Dale Jarrett winning at Talladega when there were TV commercials about him about driving the UPS truck — instead of his classic No. 88. In 2006, it was Brian Vickers in Hendrick Motorsports equipment accidently taking out the leaders at Talladega. In 2007, it was Casey Mears winning a fuel-mileage race at Charlotte in Hendrick’s fourth car, or Juan Pablo Montoya taking Sonoma in a fully-sponsored Ganassi machine. In 2008, it was Dale Earnhardt Jr. breaking a long winless streak at Michigan.
Today, the notion that any of those triumphs could be classified as surprises seems downright laughable. The dynamic has completely changed, to the point where some drivers who missed races back in the flush days of the middle 2000s — like Todd Bodine, Kenny Wallace and Kyle Petty — would today probably harbor hopes of stealing a victory somewhere along the way. When it comes down to who can win the title, the status quo will likely remain. But rule changes have added so much more depth to the competitive field, leading more teams to believe they can make the Chase.
Allmendinger stands as a textbook case. "Right now, it’s a week-to-week thing," the JTG Daugherty Racing driver said after finishing fifth Sunday at Talladega. "We only have four or five primary race cars right now. The guys keep doing a good job and I’m doing everything I can to make sure I bring them home in one piece each weekend. We’re slowly getting there."
Allmendinger said his No. 47 team has 35 employees — compare that to the several hundreds who work at the powerhouse shops — and yet here he is, 15th in Sprint Cup points and completely capable of picking off a race victory. No question, the former open-wheel driver has helped elevate the organization on his own since taking over the seat from Bobby Labonte prior to this year. An alliance with Richard Childress Racing has also certainly played a large part. JTG is trying to do what Furniture Row did last year, and ride a driver upgrade and an RCR technical alliance to a surprise berth in NASCAR’s postseason.
It could very well be in position, given that two road course races still loom on the schedule this summer, and Allmendinger has a pair of road-course victories in the Nationwide Series.
Then there’s Ambrose, who is showing vastly improved results for RPM and will be a favorite the moment the gates open at Sonoma and Watkins Glen. There’s Mears, whose No. 13 car has been hanging around all season. There’s Furniture Row, which has a very capable driver in Martin Truex Jr. if it can get a few things to go right. There’s Ragan, who lurks deep in the points, but could absolutely be a factor when the circuit returns to Daytona and the restrictor plates are bolted back into place.
All those drivers, and certainly more, are convinced they can win and potentially secure a Chase bid given the right set of circumstances. And why shouldn’t they? Over the past decade the definition of an upset has been completely altered, to the point where Smith or Ragan would certainly laugh at the idea of victories by Mayfield or Vickers being uttered in the same sentence. Those latter drivers were only considered underdogs because no true underdogs were around.
Well, now they are, and there’s a pack of them. And sooner or later, one is going to bite.
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Gordon joins Mark Martin as a driver to lead points standings 20 years after first win
RELATED: Gordon expected more from Keselowski | 20 years later, still battling the No. 2
It’s pretty exceptional in NASCAR when a driver commemorating the 20th anniversary of his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win is marking the moment while also serving as the current championship leader.
But then again, four-time Cup champ Jeff Gordon has long proved himself extraordinary in any decade.
With 87 more victories since his maiden win in the 1994 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Gordon is third on NASCAR’s all-time wins list behind only a pair of Hall of Famers, "The King" Richard Petty (200 wins) and David Pearson (105).
On Wednesday, as Gordon, 42, looked over the NASCAR Hall of Fame exhibit that includes his original winning car, he reflected on the past and spoke encouragingly of the present — recalling some details of that career-changing night at Charlotte and sharing expectations for 2014.
"I can barely remember how we won Martinsville last year,” Gordon said with a laugh, noting the 20 years since he hoisted the original trophy.
"That’s why I love this event (at the Hall of Fame) that I just did. They showed video from that day and some crucial moments. It really makes me want to go back and get the whole video and watch the race because it was such a special day.
"I remember I started on the front row, that we had a good car. We led quite a few laps, but Rusty (Wallace) was the car to beat. (Crew chief) Ray (Evernham) made that great call.
"Even watching (video of) me coming down pit road for that final pit stop made me chuckle because they didn’t measure pit road speed the same way we do now so it looked like I was speeding, but they didn’t have a way to measure other than by a stopwatch."
For as much as the sport has changed during Gordon’s two decades — championship formats, the cars, the drivers and as he noted Wednesday, pit-road speed enforcement — one thing has stayed the same, and that’s the hard-nosed racing he still experiences at every stop.
Gordon said he’s actually equal parts surprised and relieved he retained the Sprint Cup championship points lead for the fourth consecutive week after a rough Sunday afternoon at Talladega Superspeedway, when he was caught up in a "Big One" triggered by fellow Cup champ Brad Keselowski.
Six laps down at the time, Keselowski was trying to get his laps back at the front of the field and made a driving error that collected 14 other cars including Gordon’s No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet.
"I admire him (Keselowski) for wanting to try that, but I just don’t think that it was the smartest decision to make because I just don’t think he was going to really accomplish what he had set out to do,” Gordon said. "If he was two or three laps down, I get it, but when you’re six laps down or more, it just really doesn’t make sense to put yourself in that position and then wreck 14 cars in the process.”
Competing as a champion has always been as important as winning the championship to Gordon, who helped usher in a new era in NASCAR as he started reeling off wins against the old guard like Wallace, Darrell Waltrip and seven-time champ Dale Earnhardt and as he has continued to do with a new crop of mega-talented youngsters who remind many others of a young Gordon.
He has spoken often of his desire to win a Sprint Cup Series trophy to add to his case of Cup trophies because his last came with another series sponsor in 2001.
But while he hears the rumors his career is closing out or the doubters that question if he’s got another Cup trophy in him, Gordon has the ultimate trump card.
He’s Jeff Gordon. And he’s leading the points standings.
With two runner-up finishes in the last four races, he firmly believes he’s on the verge of getting that win that earns him essentially an automatic playoff position in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. If not, a top position in the rankings earns him a spot as well.
"I know that time is running short,” Gordon told reporters Wednesday in a teleconference with the national media. "I can’t say I’m sitting here concerned about it. I’ve had an amazing career. I’ve accomplished more than I ever thought that I would. Then this year my focus is on what a great racecar and race team that we have.
"I think it’s just part of my personality or maybe part of a race car driver’s personality that I don’t look too far ahead. I worry about the things that I can control. Right now the things I can control is that race car on the weekends, working as hard as I can with the team to get the best results."
Gordon is a two-time winner at Kansas Speedway, the site of Saturday night’s 5-hour Energy 400. Only his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. and two-time 2014 winner Joey Logano have more top-fives (five) this year.
He’s proof of what you get when longevity is combined with superb talent and a competitive spirit.
Even Gordon conceded he has a hard time believing he scored his first win 20 years ago in a year when gas had just topped $1 a gallon at the pump, NFL great O.J. Simpson was arrested on murder charges and Lisa Marie Presley married Michael Jackson.
Sure his resume and current points lead is a source of pride, but it’s not enough. Gordon is convinced it’s a matter of when, not if, he will visit Victory Lane again.
"We’re off to a great start," he said. "Right now I’m healthy. I’m in good shape. I’m having a lot of fun. We’re very competitive out there. That’s taking all of my attention. Besides the time I spend with my family, that’s where my focus is.
"(I’m) not really thinking of anything else other than maybe the urgency of how important it is to win this season if you’re going to win the championship."
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Following ‘Dega wreck with Keselowski, four-time series champion ready to move on
RELATED: 20 years later, Gordon still battling No. 2 car
As far as Jeff Gordon is concerned, NASCAR champions should naturally be held to a higher standard.
Three days after being collected in a multicar accident at Talladega Superspeedway triggered by a six-laps-down 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski, four-time Cup champion Gordon was still perplexed by Keselowski’s thinking. And driving.
In a Wednesday interview on ESPN’s "SportsCenter," Gordon said you tend to expect more from a champion than racing the field so hard when you’re already several laps down. Gordon, who is celebrating the 20th anniversary of his first Cup win (in the 1994 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway), said he remembers going through a learning curve as well and making mistakes early on.
But, "I think the difference is Brad is not a rookie," Gordon said. "He’s not new. He’s a champion, and I think with champions, you expect a little bit more out of them. He’s aggressive, and that’s part of the reason why he’s been successful. But I think there’s a fine line between being aggressive and being smart or not being smart.
"And in this case, you know, you’re six laps down. Unless you get in front of the leader and get multiple cautions, and then you have to do it again and again to get six laps back, it’s very, very challenging and difficult to do."
Keselowski took a lot of heat from fellow drivers in the immediate aftermath Sunday.
However, he also assumed responsibility for the accident, which damaged 14 cars — including fellow Cup champs Gordon, Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart — even as he explained he had every right to try to and get his laps back.
While testing a NASCAR Nationwide Series car at Iowa Speedway on Tuesday, Keselowski conceded the situation at Talladega won’t go down a shining career moment.
"Last weekend wasn’t much fun," Keselowski said of Talladega. "Windshield and bug.
"We’ve had some good weekends this year. Last weekend was probably our worst one. I don’t think anybody would argue that. Getting back on the track, getting back in a rhythm is never a bad thing even if you just had a good week so I’m certainly still learning."
Gordon said the two drivers haven’t communicated since Sunday, and he didn’t necessarily expect a long conversation and review.
"That’s just Brad," Gordon said. "I don’t have a problem with Brad. That race in Talladega is a wild, crazy race. I don’t agree with what he did. I hope he thinks twice about it.
"If I see him, I’m sure we will talk about it, but I’m just ready to go on to Kansas."
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Could breakthrough for No. 51 team come in the Midwest?
Crew chief Steve Addington was bent over, peering under the hood of the No. 51 HScott Motorsports Chevrolet, dissecting the remains of a car that came to life late only to get caught up in a race-ending incident at Talladega Superspeedway.
"We had a problem there the first three-quarters of the race," Addington said of the team and driver Justin Allgaier, "and finally got all that fixed. We had an issue with some ductwork there, got it pulled back tight and he was good to go. Really fast but disappointed in the finish."
Allgaier was running ninth with 18 laps remaining in Sunday’s Aaron’s 499, but the Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate finished 27th after contact while coming to the white flag knocked the front end off his car.
"It all got blocked up front; he got a good run, tried to get to the bottom and somebody just got in the left-rear quarter panel," Addington said. "Not the way our day needed to end.
"We’re headed in the right direction with this race team and I’m just real proud of all the guys that have been working their butts off."
Allgaier, 28th in points and searching for his first top-15 finish in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, said heating issues prevented him from staying in the draft for much of the race. Once fixed, he said, "I think within 15 laps … we drove from 30-something all the way up. I don’t think we technically ever led a lap, but we were in the lead on the middle of the back straightaway, three-wide with the front row.
"We definitely had a strong car. … Unfortunately we got caught four-wide there and got shuffled back. Trying to make our way back through … and got turned coming to the white. They say ‘that’s Talladega for you,’ but it still doesn’t make it feel any better."
Today will find Allgaier in Springfield, Illinois, home of primary sponsor Brandt. He is scheduled compete in a dirt modified race tonight at Jacksonville (Illinois) Speedway before heading to Kansas Speedway, site of this weekend’s 5-hour Energy 400.
It will mark just the 15th career Sprint Cup start for Allgaier, and it comes on a track layout that hasn’t been the team’s strong suit.
"We felt like (the 1.5-mile program) was our biggest hurdle," he said. "We’ve unloaded at a lot of the short tracks and even though the finishes don’t necessarily show it, we’ve run really, really good on the short tracks. Our mile-and-a-half stuff has just been not that great. We know that. That would be our main area of focus, I would say, going forward.
"It’s been a couple of weeks or more since we’ve had a mile-and-a-half; this is our next shot to kind of hit the reset button and see where we stack up."
For Allgaier, going from a contender in the NASCAR Nationwide Series — where he won three total races and finished sixth or higher in points for five consecutive years — to struggling in Cup has been an unsettling transition.
"It’s hard to go out and not run well," he said. "Definitely a huge change from one series to the other."
While Allgaier has tried to adapt to the numerous changes in the two series, Addington has gone from a top-flight, three-team organization contending for wins on a weekly basis to a single-car outfit scrambling to build a foundation.
Improvement means more than just the results on the track, he said.
"Just getting more parts and pieces and cars; we get support from Hendrick Motorsports — they’ve been a big help to us," said Addington, who landed at HScott after being jettisoned by Stewart-Haas Racing at the close of 2013.
A winner of 20 Sprint Cup races as a crew chief (12 with Kyle Busch and four with Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart), Addington also serves as the competition director for the organization. Before making the move to Sprint Cup, he won 11 times in the Nationwide Series while atop the pit box, with drivers Jason Keller and Mike Bliss.
He has enjoyed success; he’d like to once again.
"The pit crew and all that, they’ve been doing a good job for us," Addington said of his team’s current situation. "It’s just getting all the pieces together.
"It’s taken some time and I’ve had to calm myself down. I get my frustration from it not happening overnight. But I know we’re only eight or nine weeks into this deal and it started from scratch. We threw everything away that was there and started over. Now we’re getting cars, really good race cars, to bring to the track and the team’s coming together and I’m really happy about that."
Allgaier agrees.
"There’s no doubt we’ve improved," he said. "From the time we unloaded at Daytona (for the season-opening race) to where we are at right now is not even close to being the same."
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What if every driver were available in a draft? Our staff picks
One of the biggest differences between NASCAR and the stick-and-ball sports is the implication of the word "draft."
On the NASCAR circuit, it’s a term — and a strategic concept — that means finding speed in two-car packs, slicing through the field as a single unit by cutting down on dirty air. But in an organization like the National Football League, it’s an event — and an opportunity to select incoming players from college and own their rights for several years.
The NFL draft begins Thursday after months of coverage and fanfare and will finally answer some pressing questions. Will a team trade up for star defensive end Jadeveon Clowney? Will Johnny Manziel be the first quarterback selected?
That got us at NASCAR.com thinking. What if drivers in all three national series were suddenly released from their contracts and available for teams to draft? How would NASCAR teams balance picking between drivers in their prime — or past it — and drivers with less experience, but loaded with potential? Would you rather pick Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, or the next Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon?
What might a NASCAR "draft board" look like?
It was that last question that led to 12 editorial staff members ranking 40 NASCAR drivers in order of who would be most draftable to a team owner.
We combined those results and pared that 40-driver list down to 25 below for the ultimate NASCAR draft board, with the No. 1 ranked driver being the guy we collectively would pick No. 1 overall.
Use the comments feature to share with us your own personal top five (or top 25), and let us know what we got right — and wrong.
25. Jeb Burton
Highest vote: 11th
Lowest vote: 37th
Why Burton: The son of five-time Cup winner Ward Burton and the nephew of 21-time Cup winner Jeff Burton, Jeb Burton has racing in his blood. In his rookie season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series last year, Burton claimed seven poles and won at Texas — he also posted a top-10 finish in his lone Nationwide Series start. At only 21 years old, the future is plenty bright. — RJ Kraft
24. Ty Dillon
Highest vote: 15th (2)
Lowest vote: 38th
Why Dillon: You can argue all you want about the advantage Dillon has riding in Richard Childress Racing equipment and having his grandfather’s support behind him. But a driver still needs to go out in that equipment and perform at a high level, and Dillon is doing just that. He followed up his fourth-place overall finish in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2012 with a second-place in 2013, and he’s currently fourth in the Nationwide Series standings. In other words, he’s trending in the right direction and doing it at just 22 years old. — George Winkler
23.Trevor Bayne
Highest vote: 16th
Lowest vote: 35th
Why Bayne: No. 23 is quite a suitable placing for the — you guessed it — 23-year-old, who has 50 Sprint Cup Series starts under his belt already while driving for the small Wood Brothers Racing operation. If Bayne ends up with a Roush Fenway Racing Cup ride, he could be set to take off faster than most people might realize — especially when you consider the whirlwind of experience that comes along with winning the Daytona 500 at the age of 20 in just his second career start. — Pat DeCola
22. Ryan Newman
Highest vote: 16th (2)
Lowest vote: 31st
Why Newman: A 17-time race winner and 51-time pole-winner, Newman has proven himself on NASCAR’s biggest stages, including the 2008 Daytona 500 and the 2013 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis. When it comes to championships, however, he’s only finished in the top 10 three times in the last nine years. His draft stock falls not because of his ability but more because of his age — 36 — and the timing of a huge crop of talented youngsters making their way into the Cup ranks — Holly Cain
21. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Highest vote: 12th
Lowest vote: 32nd
Why Stenhouse: At just 26 years old, Stenhouse Jr. still has not hit his peak in the Sprint Cup Series. Remember, just a few years ago he was winning back-to-back titles in the Nationwide Series. Opinions on Stenhouse were mixed as he was voted in 10 different spots among our staff. While I’m not certain that his career will skyrocket, I wouldn’t count him out of my draft pool, either. — Taylor Starer
20. Brian Vickers
Highest vote: 10th
Lowest vote: 38th
Why Vickers: Vickers has tons of experience (he’ll make his 300th career Sprint Cup start later this year) and his age (30) means he is just entering his prime years as a racer. He also adapts well to his surroundings, having won with three different organizations. — Kenny Bruce
19. Darrell Wallace Jr.
Highest vote: Sixth
Lowest vote: 35th
Why Wallace: At just 20 years old, "Bubba" Wallace has age, potential and marketability on his side. He’s had success in limited Nationwide Series starts, but needs to get more opportunities. More checkered flags this season in the Camping World Truck Series would put him higher on my draft board. — Alan Cavanna
18. Ryan Blaney
Highest vote: Fifth
Lowest vote: 34th
Why Blaney: Being ranked a spot higher than his good buddy Darrell Wallace Jr. is almost sure to spark a Twitter debate between the pair of 20-year-olds, but it’s justifiable. Blaney earned his first Nationwide Series win last season at age 19 and appears to be the clear-cut choice to fit into a third Team Penske Cup car, should the organization look to expand in the next few years. Plus, you can’t "discount" the intangibles that come along with submitting yourself to starring in one of those Discount Tire "Racing Cowboys" spoofs. — Pat DeCola
17. Clint Bowyer
Highest vote: Eighth
Lowest vote: 19th (2)
Why Bowyer: The Michael Waltrip Racing driver might be a little underrated here, due to a word NFL draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. would be well familiar with: upside. Bowyer is 34, just about peak age for a NASCAR driver, and we probably still haven’t seen his best — his old team (RCR) didn’t run up front often enough, and MWR is again an underdog after the losses of last year. Who knows what Bowyer would be capable of in, say, Hendrick-level equipment? Maybe he should have more than eight career wins, but you’re still looking at a guy with great car control and a lot of career ahead of him. — David Caraviello
16. Kasey Kahne
Highest vote: Seventh
Lowest vote: 21st (2)
Why Kahne: A 16-time winner in the Cup Series, Kahne has accomplished plenty in the premier series, including three victories in the sport’s longest race (the Coca-Cola 600). The 2004 Sunoco Rookie of the Year has won on a wide variety of tracks and has finished as high as fourth in the final standings. His early-season struggles likely contributed to a spot on the second half of this list, but any driver currently running in the Hendrick Motorsports juggernaut has plenty of upside to offer going forward. — RJ Kraft
15. Tony Stewart
Highest vote: Second
Lowest vote: 24th (2)
Why Stewart: Yes, Stewart is 42 years old. And yeah, he’s still recovering from a broken right leg. But ‘Smoke’ still has 48 career Cup wins along with three glittering trophies recognizing him as the premier series champion. Given his respect in the garage and his natural leadership abilities, he’s still a guy you’d want to build your team around. — Brad Norman
14. Kurt Busch
Highest vote: Seventh
Lowest vote: 22nd (2)
Why Busch: Busch more than proved his worth in 2013 when he single-handedly carried his former Furniture Row Racing team, a single-car operation, into the Chase. And at 35, there’s still plenty of gas in the tank — witness his attempt to compete in this year’s Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. Busch is no wallflower, but given the right equipment and surroundings, he has been and can be a champion. — Kenny Bruce
13. Austin Dillon
Highest vote: 10th
Lowest vote: 20th
Why Dillon: Dillon seemed destined to make history as he brought the legendary No. 3 back to the Sprint Cup Series, winning the Coors Light Pole at Daytona to show the prophecy may come true. But he’s entering the Cup Series among a strong rookie class — with possibly stronger ones behind him. Dillon’s moments of brilliance (and his two national series titles), youth and an upbringing of racing were enough to rank the 24-year-old above a pair of former champions, but not enough to make him the top young gun in the draft. — Kristen Boghosian
12. Denny Hamlin
Highest vote: Fifth
Lowest vote: 22nd
Why Hamlin: Injuries have kept Hamlin from showing everything he’s capable of achieving. He’s challenged for a championship (2006 and 2010) and won 24 races, plus he’s driving for a title-contending organization in Joe Gibbs Racing. Lost in all the initial success he had breaking into the Cup ranks, people forget he’s only 33 years old. If Hamlin can stay injury free he should be a perennial Chase driver with at least another couple title runs in him. — Holly Cain
11. Carl Edwards
Highest vote: Third
Lowest vote: 24th
Why Edwards: What you get with Edwards is more than just his prodigious natural talent behind the wheel. The 34-year-old is wonderful with sponsors and easy to market. Although it took time to shake off his near-title miss in 2011, Edwards seems to have rallied this year and looks more like a guy pushing for a title than a guy struggling to make the Chase. — Brad Norman
10. Jeff Gordon
Highest vote: Fourth
Lowest vote: 23rd
Why Gordon: Are Gordon’s best days behind him? Perhaps, but even an average day for the 42-year-old is better than most — and with 88 wins behind him, it’s doubtful he’s had his last. With consistent top-10 performances, the No. 24 driver is showing he’s still got it in 2014 by sitting atop the points standings. With hints at an impending retirement, however, teams likely won’t get more than a few seasons out of the four-time champion — though Jeff Gordon apparel will certainly continue to bring in revenue for the team long past the end of the driver’s career. — Kristen Boghosian
9. Matt Kenseth
Highest vote: Second
Lowest vote: 14th (3)
Why Kenseth: Kenseth, 42, won seven times in 2013 in his first year with Joe Gibbs Racing. It’s also worth noting that he has won three or more races for the past three seasons and qualified for the Chase nine times in 10 years. Don’t let his age scare you — the low-key Kenseth could remain a title threat for years to come. — Kenny Bruce
8. Chase Elliott
Highest vote: Second (2)
Lowest vote: 20th
Why Elliott: Franchise players don’t come around often, and this is the closest you’ll get in NASCAR. I personally was reluctant to put him so high since he still may be a decade away from his prime, but this appears to be a low-risk, high-reward type of selection. Draft him now and you have a driver for the next 20 years. — Alan Cavanna
7. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Highest vote: First
Lowest vote: 22nd
Why Earnhardt: It’s hard to find fault with a high rating for Junior, fresh from his second Daytona 500 victory and currently enjoying one of his most consistent seasons to date. Still, Earnhardt is just a few months shy of crossing the 40-years-old barrier, meaning he may have more Sprint Cup seasons behind him than ahead of him. Regardless of age, selecting the most popular driver in the sport would be a hard draft pick to pass up. — Zack Albert
6. Kevin Harvick
Highest vote: Third
Lowest vote: 19th
Why Harvick: We’re probably only beginning to see the best of a driver who now has cars equal to his ability. At 38, Harvick is right in the sweet spot of his career arc, and the results show it. This is a guy who managed three third-place points finishes in RCR cars that didn’t lead a lot of laps, and can flat dominate in the Stewart-Haas equipment he has now. He’s a ruthless competitor driven by the title that always evaded him, and his crew chief is one of the best in the garage. Pass on this draft pick, and he’ll beat you later on. — David Caraviello
5. Kyle Larson
Highest vote: Third
Lowest vote: 11th
Why Larson: Regarded as a driver whose massive talent is equaled only by his huge potential, Larson is an easy top-five selection. Factor in that he’s only 21 years old and the current Sunoco Rookie of the Year points leader, Larson should be on everyone’s draft board as the top-ranked driver among the young guns. — Holly Cain
4. Brad Keselowski
Highest vote: Second (3)
Lowest vote: 23rd
Why Keselowski: I’m surprised that Keselowski came in lower than his Team Penske cohort in our list. Keselowski is only 30 years old and already has a Sprint Cup Series championship to his credit. Sure, he drives a little too aggressively at times and has opinions that he readily shares on Twitter, but if I’m starting a team, Keselowski would make a great foundation because he has the perfect combination of youth and championship experience. As for a little spunk? It can be a good thing, too. — George Winkler
3. Joey Logano
Highest vote: Second (2)
Lowest vote: 13th
Why Logano: He’s living up to the talent that earned him a premier Sprint Cup Series ride at age 18. OK, Logano only has five career Cup wins — but he has two in 10 races this season and a rebuilt sense of self after such a difficult beginning to his career. With his confidence soaring, and still only 23 years old, Logano has the look of one of the sport’s next superstars. — Brad Norman
2. Kyle Busch
Highest vote: First (4)
Lowest vote: Ninth
Why Busch: It’s impossible to name a sheer talent with 130 NASCAR national series victories at just 29 years old. In those terms, "Shrub" remains without peer. The scary part: As a student of the sport, he’s still learning. The only thing holding him back from the top spot on the draft board is the dearth of championships at NASCAR’s highest level. Which leads us to … — Zack Albert
1. Jimmie Johnson
Highest vote: First (7)
Lowest vote: Sixth
Why Johnson: At 38 years old and with six titles behind him, it would be easy to bet that Johnson is due for a slide, and maybe he is. But as we’ve seen throughout the history of the No. 48 team, their troughs aren’t nearly as deep as those of other programs. No question, Chase changes have made individual race wins tougher to obtain — but at the same time, this is still a driver built for the playoffs, which still play to his strengths. They may not come with the regularity they once did, but the undisputed Jadeveon Clowney of NASCAR still has more titles left to win. — David Caraviello
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Download the all-new Dover International Speedway Mobile App
Control your race weekend right in the palm of your hand with the brand new mobile app from Dover International Speedway, available on all iPhone, iPad and Android devices. This new app gives you the ability to purchase race tickets, helps you find your grandstand seats, features a comprehensive listing of race weekend activities and allows you to build your own, customized race weekend calendar, plus much more. Get it now at iTunes or the Google Play Store, and your race weekend will never be the same!
See the new looks for this weekend’s NASCAR action at Kansas
RELATED: Sprint Cup Series paint schemes
CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES PAINT SCHEMES | Entry list
Jimmy Weller will drive the No. 07 Polaris Chevrolet.
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Todd Shafer will drive the No. 08 Thunder Exhaust Chevrolet.
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Brennan Newberry will drive the No. 9 Qore-24 Chevrolet.
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Jeb Burton will drive the No. 13 Carolina Nut Company Toyota.
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Joey Logano will drive the No. 19 Reese Towpower Ford.
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Austin Dillon will drive the No. 20 NTS Motorsports Chevrolet.
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Joey Coulter will drive the No. 21 VERTX Chevrolet.
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Spencer Gallagher will drive the No. 23 Allegiant Travel Chevrolet.
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Ron Hornaday Jr. will drive the No. 30 Rheem Chevrolet.
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Ben Kennedy will drive the No. 31 ALS Association Chevrolet.
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Tayler Malsam will drive the No. 32 Outerwall Chevrolet.
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Darrell Wallace Jr. will drive the No. 54 Toyota Time Sales Event Toyota.
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Matt Crafton will drive the No. 88 Goof Off-Menards Toyota.
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Johnny Sauter will drive the No. 98 Nextant Aerospace-Curb Records Toyota.
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