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DAYTONA BEACH, Florida.
Jeff Gordon grabbed the lead from Dale Earnhardt Jr., then held off Kurt Busch and Earnhardt in extra laps to win his third Daytona 500 on Sunday. |
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Jeff Gordon Driver Profile
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 Born: August 4,1971, in Vallejo, Calif.
Lives in: Charlotte
Height, weight: 5-7,150
Car: No. 24 Chevrolet
Car owners: Rick Hendrick, Jeff Gordon
Crew chief: Robbie Loomis
Engine builder: Rick Wetzel
First NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race:
November 15,1992, at Atlanta; started
21st, finished 31st
Career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup wins: 69
2004 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup wins: 5
First NASCAR NEXTEL Cup win: May 29,1994,
at Lowe's; started 1st Career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup poles: 52 2004 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup poles: 6 First NASCAR NEXTEL Cup pole: October 8,
1993, at Lowe's; finished 5th Best points finish: 1st (1995,1997,1998,2001)
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WHERE HE'S FAST: Gordon has won NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at all but four tracks on the schedule: Texas, Chicagoland, Phoenix and Homestead. In 2004, his worst finish at any of those tracks was fourth at Chicagoland, where he started from the point. Gordon made a statement about Hendrick Motorsports' improving restrictor-plate program by winning two of the four plate races-in the spring at Talladega and in July at Daytona, where he won from the pole.
WHERE HE'S SLOW: Despite four career wins at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Gordon struggled at the track last season. The team had issues with setups, and it was only because of Gordon's incredible talent that he salvaged a second-place finish in the fall race. He also rode poor cars to solid finishes in the fall races at Kansas and Atlanta. His average finish of 17.8 at Texas is his worst number at any of the tracks.
STRENGTHS: In 2004, Gordon won six poles and started on the front row 10 times. With optimal track position, Gordon led 1,237 laps in 25 races and gained more bonus points than any of his fellow drivers. Gordon has the best car control of any driver in the garage. He is magical to watch on restarts, and it's not surprising that his five victories last season are reflective of how well he drives.
WEAKNESSES: Gordon has few, if any, weaknesses as a driver. However, he had four DNFs in 2004. Two failures were engine related, but the accidents were just bad luck. Gordon was at the wrong place at the wrong time in the first race at Darlington, and he cut a tire at Dover.
IN THE PITS: One has to wonder how the absence of long-time team engineer Brian Whitesell will affect the team. There were times in 2004-like at Kansas and Atlanta in the fall and both Charlotte races-when the No. 24 seemed out to lunch on setups. But the most memorable faux pas was the incident with the tire hose during the Southern 500 at Darlington, where Gordon led 155 laps but lost track position when it counted most because the car was dropped off the jack and onto the hose. It's not a stretch to say he lost the race and the championship in the pits that night.
BOTTOM LINE: Gordon came into the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup on top, and he would have won his fifth championship had the old points system been in place. But it wasn't, and he didn't complain about it. There's no doubt Gordon still is the best driver in the garage, but the question is whether he still has the best team behind him. The answer late last season was no.
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Whispers in the garage are that
the No. 24 team behind Jeff
Gordon isn't as good as it used
to be, but it's still a cut above
most others. Crew chief Robbie
Loomis (opposite, bottom) and
Gordon have learned to
communicate well with one
another, and together they
adjusted poor cars into good
finishes in the Chase for the
NASCARNEXTELCup.
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