By Dick Mittman
allstate400atthebrickyard.com
Friday, September 3, 2004
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series star Jeff Gordon has positioned himself this year to win a fifth championship. If his drive for five is successful at the end of the season in November, he said his fourth victory in the Brickyard 400 on Aug. 8 was the race that got him rolling toward the title.
Gordon carries a 24-point lead over teammate Jimmie Johnson into the Pop Secret 500 night race Sept. 5 at California Speedway and a 75-point edge over Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the penultimate event that will decide which 10 drivers will compete in the final 10-race Chase for the NEXTEL Cup.
Heading into the Brickyard 400 a month ago, Gordon trailed Johnson by 232 points and was in danger of falling even further back.
"Well, to me it's one of the biggest races of the season, so that was huge," Gordon said about his Indy win. "I mean, that is a tough track to win on. It says a lot about your team, where they're at at that point in the season, where your focus is, how good you are. To me, that win not only came at a good time, but at an incredible place.
"I think that definitely is going back to the momentum that I talked about. That type of effort is something that really has put us in gear to really be up there for that championship."
The driver leading the NEXTEL Cup standings following the race Sept. 11 at Richmond will be given 5,050 points. Each driver in the top 10 below him will received five points less per position. This is a new scoring system designed to put more punch into the championship chase and maintain fan interest during the fall football season.
Gordon won his four championships by beating out four of the sport's elite drivers. In 1995, he outlasted Dale Earnhardt by 34 points for his first title. Two years later, he edged Dale Jarrett by 14 points followed by a 64-point winning advantage over Mark Martin in 1998. Only in 2001, first season with 36 races, did he win handily over the runner-up. Tony Stewart was second that year by 349 points.
In 1995, Gordon won twice in the last 10 races but not at all in the final six. He won two of the first three in the last 10 events of 1997 but then failed to win in the closing seven. He took the checkered flag four times, including the last two, of the final 10 in 1998. He won only once, on Sept. 30 at Kansas City, in the last 10 in 2001 but coasted to the championship.
There won't be any coasting in this closing 10 races. The 10th-place driver will be only 50 points behind the leader when the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup begins Sept. 19 at New Hampshire International Speedway.
"I want to gain momentum going into those last 10," Gordon said. "I mean, I want people to be focused on us and not on themselves.
"I was excited that we were on the pole at Bristol (Aug. 28) and took off there early. We were doing everything we could to win the race. You know, we got behind. We had a decent car. I mean, I was disappointed we finished 14th. I felt like we had a top-five car."
Seven seems to be the magic number for championships in major league auto racing. Michael Schumacher last week clinched his record seventh title in Formula One. A.J. Foyt won seven titles in USAC, while Richard Petty and Earnhardt each won the NASCAR Cup title seven times.
But seven titles isn't even in his thoughts yet, Gordon said.
"I've always just thought of it one at a time," he said. "I want to get No. 5. We've got a lot to run for the drive for five. I can't think about seven till I get to six. I can't think about six till I get to five.
"That's too far-fetched for me to think about. I mean, we got three right away. You look at how fast we got through, you go, 'Oh, man, on your way.' But you don't realize how difficult it is to get each championship. You never know when the next one's coming."
Twelve more races, and Gordon will know whether he can start thinking about No. 6. ***
2005 tickets: The 12th Brickyard 400 is scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 7, 2005. Customers who are upgrading or purchasing Brickyard 400 tickets for the first time should act quickly to increase their chances of obtaining their desired seats.
To purchase tickets, camping or parking, contact the IMS ticket office at (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area, (317) 492-6700 locally or log on to www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com.
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