By Eric Powell
allstate400atthebrickyard.com
Friday, July 29, 2005
Four race wins and an incredible nine top-six finishes in 11 starts offer compelling proof that few drivers know success at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as well as Jeff Gordon.
But approaching the 2005 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard weekend Aug. 5-7, Gordon is in unfamiliar and uncomfortable territory. Without a solid showing at the race that his essentially been "his" for 11 years, Gordon and his crew might have to kiss their chances for the 2005 NEXTEL Cup Series championship goodbye.
Gordon and his No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet team have produced nothing short of magical numbers since his first fulltime NEXTEL Cup season in 1993, which saw him win series Rookie of the Year honors. One year later, he scored an emotional victory at the inaugural Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, and has since collected three more wins at the fabled Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in 1998, 2001 and 2004.
And while four wins in 11 starts at Indy is impressive, so is four NEXTEL Cup championships in 12 years, in 1995, 1997-98 and 2001. Gordon has finished in the top 10 in points every year from 1994-2004.
The 2005 season started in glory for Gordon and the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet team with a victory at the Daytona 500, followed by wins at Martinsville and Talladega. The team displayed its typical staying power in the top 10 of the NEXTEL Cup Series' points race.
Starting in May, however, the wheels figuratively began to fall off, and a mix of bad luck, accidents and mechanical issues dropped Gordon from second in points after the May 7 race at Darlington Raceway to 15th entering the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.
Gordon sits 114 points behind Dale Jarrett, who is 10th in points and occupying the final spot for the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup with six races to go until the 10-race "playoff" begins. If overcoming a 100-plus points deficit isn't tough enough, in between Gordon and Jarrett are tenacious NEXTEL Cup competitors Jamie McMurray, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Could the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard be just the right tonic for Gordon and the No. 24 team? Based on the results of a Goodyear tire test in April - conducted so Goodyear could gauge the characteristics of the Speedway's new asphalt surface - and a second day of testing in July, Gordon thinks so.
"Pretty good test," he said, following testing July 19. "We're real happy with things, have a great car to come back here with. We did the Goodyear tire test (in April), so we just wanted to come back and get one more day in, especially with the heat and having a couple races run on the track since we were here. It changes the conditions, so we're pretty happy."
Winning at a prestigious event like the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard offers teams more than points: It offers bragging rights and a boost in confidence. Even though the team is at a relative low point as an underdog to make the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup, Gordon said the team won't change its approach to racing at Indianapolis.
"This track has been good to us," he said. "Everywhere we've tested this year, we've run well. Winning a big race like this definitely can help the morale of the team and build some momentum. Right now we're looking at a stretch of races coming up that we have to run well to get in the top 10, and Indianapolis is one. It's an important race for us already, but it's one that we'd love to win."
Gordon will be one of the most-watched drivers at the 12th Allstate 400 at the Brickyard for two reasons: He is outside the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup and in a weekly "must-win" situation to get back in, and he aims for five victories at the most famous racetrack in the world. Of the scores of world-famous drivers who have competed on the challenging 2.5-mile IMS oval since it opened in 1909, only four drivers have managed to capture four wins: A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears in the Indianapolis 500, and Gordon in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.
Gordon, a former Pittsboro, Ind., resident who is one of racing's most humble champions, said he was overwhelmed by the magnitude of his fourth win in 2004. But given the different characteristics of IndyCar Series racing and NASCAR racing, he thinks it's an "apples and oranges" comparison between what he accomplished versus the Indy 500 legends.
"Last year we were inspired," he said. "To get number four was a great moment for me and this team. If the media wants to keep pumping it up, that's fine. For me, growing up as a kid and watching the Indy 500, I recognize that there's a different between the two races. It's not that I wouldn't want to be compared to A.J. (Foyt), (Al) Unser and (Rick) Mears, it's just a different race and different circumstances."
Different circumstances or not, if Gordon and his crew can pull off an unprecedented fifth victory at the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard and ride the momentum into the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup, his legend will only continue to grow.
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Allstate 400 at the Brickyard tickets: Tickets for the 12th annual Allstate 400 at the Brickyard on Aug. 7 are on sale.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com or by calling the IMS ticket office at (317) 492-6700 or (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area. Parking and camping information also can be obtained through the ticket office.
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