Gordon 'terrible' at Texas, endures 43rd-place finish

By SceneDaily Staff
Monday, April 07, 2008
$util.encode.html($content.photo.alt)

Tim Parks
NASCAR Scene

FORT WORTH, Texas – Jeff Gordon hasn’t had many days like this. The Hendrick Motorsports driver referred to his performance as “terrible” when assessing Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, an event in which he battled an ill-handling car, hit the wall and then finished 43rd.

Gordon outlined his struggles with the new car in its debut on the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway, saying that his problems started before the green flag for the Samsung 500. His struggles originally surfaced in practice at the track, then never seemed to get better.

“Today was about trying to find a problem we’ve been dealing with all weekend long with just not having the handling and comfort there for me,” Gordon said. “We’ve tried every setup we can find, but none of them seem to work.”
 
Trying to hang on to the car, Gordon ultimately hit the wall, then returned to the track after undergoing massive repairs in the garage. He completed just 124 of the race’s 339 laps.

“You get frustrated,” Gordon said after his accident. “The car is not doing what you want it to do. You’re trying to figure stuff out and change your line and everything and I lost control and got in the wall.”
 
Gordon admitted that the way his car felt was the same as Jimmie Johnson’s felt at Las Vegas earlier this year, a race in which that driver said he was out of control. Gordon said that with NASCAR’s new car debuting on tracks such as Texas this season, there are some “crazy setups” being employed. With those, a little off is disastrous for teams.

Asked if he could use the setups of Dale Earnhardt Jr., who has been the leader within the Hendrick organization this season, Gordon didn’t think that would help. Earnhardt Jr. also struggled at Texas more than he has anywhere this season and both he and Gordon switched to Johnson’s setup at some point during the Texas race weekend.

Gordon seemed stunned by the turn of events at Texas, though he did admit that he has had problems at the track from time to time. It’s one of only two Cup series tracks on which he has not won.

"I just don't think I have ever been very good at Texas, that is why we have never won here,” said Gordon, whose other career 43rd-place finish came at Texas in 1999. “But we have had our moments, when the car has been really good. But you know what, when the car off, I am lost here. I mean, I haven't felt this lost since my rookie year at a race track. We have been struggling here. I know Jimmie and some of these guys have gone through some weeks, it is frustrating. We just have to try and figure it out."

Gordon searched his mind, trying to remember a time when he and his team had struggled like this. He dropped from ninth to 14th in the points.

“Yes, it is just a bad day gone worse for our team,” Gordon said. “I wish I had an answer for you, but I don't. We are just really, really bad and I lost control of the car and I was hanging on just every single lap.”
    

Mentioned Drivers: Jeff Gordon

Post a Comment

Disclaimer: All comments are subject to filtering for language, and libelous content. Comments are intended to encourage spirited debate and discussion about the subject matter contained within the articles and ARE NOT intended for personal or demeaning attacks directed at other users. We reserve the right to remove any comments deemed inappropriate. Users who violate this policy may be banned from posting comments on the site.

Comment Preview

Nov 8, 2009 at 6:23 AM
You said:

You must login before you can post comments or rate content.

If you don't have an account you can create a free one here.

2009 Sprint Cup Race for the Chase Standings

Driver Standings after the AMP Energy 500

1 Jimmie Johnson 6248
2 Mark Martin -184
3 Jeff Gordon -192
4 Juan Pablo Montoya -239
5 Tony Stewart -279
6 Kurt Busch -312
7 Greg Biffle -340
8 Ryan Newman -402
9 Kasey Kahne -414
10 Carl Edwards -437
11 Denny Hamlin -448
12 Brian Vickers -556

NASCAR Schedules

abc

Dickies 500

Texas Motor Speedway
03:31 PM, 11/08/2009

Poll PositionView All

Which NASCAR Sprint Cup race winner from the past two seasons is most likely to earn his first victory of 2009 in the next three races?

Promotions

  • Play "WIX Filters' Pick 3" stock car fantasy and win prizes. Season 2 is now in session!

  • Tweet your thoughts about each race and join the conversation with other fans.

  • Drive an authentic NASCAR Sprint Cup car at the NASCAR Racing Experience.

  • Cast your vote for the NASCAR Illustrated 2009 Person of the Year, presented by Old Spice.

  • Make weekly pics for the Chase and be entered to win weekly SPEED Merchandise.

NASCAR Community Join the Community

In the Forums View All

Presented by

Don't have an account yet?

Insiders Guide to NASCAR

Register with SceneDaily.com and get access to the following features:

  • FREE Insider’s Guide to NASCAR (available as a PDF download)
  • Daily NASCAR news updates delivered directly to your e-mail
  • Pre-race and Post-race emails delivered each race week
  • Ability to comment on blog and news articles
  • Information on new website features and upcoming contests
Create my Account

Login

Forgot Password?
Login or Create an Account