Rea White: Hendrick Motorsports' Jeff Gordon remains class of the field
By Rea White - Associate Editor
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Hendrick Motorsports' Jeff Gordon is atop the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings after six races this season.
LaDon George
NASCAR Scene
COMMENTARY
Jeff Gordon continues to show just how much of a class act he is.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver appears to live on the cusp of victory these days, having finished second twice already this season. He also has finishes of fourth (twice) and sixth, with a worst performance of 13th in the season’s first six NASCAR Sprint Cup races. He has led laps in all but one race and led 146 laps Sunday at Martinsville Speedway, the second most of any driver. He is the points leader after six races this season.
And he wasn’t exactly terrible last year either, when he finished second twice and third three times and made the 12-driver championship field in the Chase For The Sprint Cup.
Yet he constantly endures questions about his current winless streak of 47 races, about rebuilding his Hendrick team.
Clearly, while he hasn't made it into victory lane since 2006, he's a driver and his is a team to be reckoned with each week. Gordon looks as good as he ever has. He has clearly not lost any ground in terms of his driving style, and now that he has mastered NASCAR's new model Cup car, he is the guy other drivers eye cautiously entering every race weekend.
Gordon and crew chief Steve Letarte have their communication down pat and are gaining ground every week. Their performance has reached such a level that every week they are viewed as being among the favorites. Every Friday, contenders and fantasy-game players predict that this could be the week that Gordon returns to victory lane.
And every Sunday, he shows why people believe in him. He moves to the front, he generally leads laps, and he battles with the leaders throughout the event.
And then he shows why he's a fan favorite. He takes all those questions in stride.
Every Friday and every week after the race, Gordon is swarmed by media members. Fridays, they ask about how it would feel to get back to victory lane; Sundays they ask about the emotions of almost winning once more. Gordon smiles and answers. He keeps his perspective on the sport and tries to help others do so as well. He talks about improvement in his team, about incremental gains and about how proud he is of their effort.
He doesn't single out a person, an incident, a pit stop or a competitor as blocking his path to victory. He takes the team approach and becomes a cheerleader for his own group.
Then he goes back to work during the week, trying to find that edge that will let him be talking about the win when the next Sunday rolls around.
And that's the true sign of a champion. It's not Gordon's four titles that have made him a fan favorite but rather the way that he handles both victory and setbacks with the same attitude.
It's what makes him stand above the crowd - whether he is leading the standings or not.
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Comments
17 responses to "Rea White: Hendrick Motorsports' Jeff Gordon remains class of the field". Post a Comment.
Joe White said:
Mar 31, 2009 at 3:05 PMThank you for the nice article. I think Jeff's next win is just around the corner. Only one thing though, his last win was in 2007 not 2006.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportED FRITZ said:
Mar 31, 2009 at 4:17 PMAs I've been saying all along, Jeff Gordon is a class act, win or no win, it still holds! His day is coming! GO JEFF !
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» Confirm Abuse ReportHAL E HAMILL said:
Mar 31, 2009 at 4:26 PMJeff has been my favorite driver since his first year in nascar but I have the feeling that he will never win another race. He seems to be repeating last years pattern of driving hard for about halfway but not closing the deal. It seemed apparent to me that he was not in good physical condition and unlike when he was winning with Ray Everham he would often gain positions on pit stops, now he often loses positions. In addition he seems very happy if he finishes in the top 15 and praises his crew to no end, I think his crew knows their driver is happy and not winning they don't try to hard cause they know they will be praised anyway.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportjanice harris said:
Mar 31, 2009 at 5:07 PMHal I think you got it all wrong.Jeff praises his team because he truly believes in his team. No way is he satisfied with just good finishes. The only reason he did not win Martinsville was because of the rain washed track. Jimmy just got lucky again. Jeff will have more than one win this year on his way to #5.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportRick Jensen said:
Mar 31, 2009 at 5:31 PMHi all,Jeff is in as good of shape as he has ever been,and Im with Janice,This will be a great year for Jeff.Things are clicking just fine,and a win is soon to come,very soon .Good luck on the five !!!! They don't call him "Flash Gordon" for nothing
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» Confirm Abuse Reportchris Stephens said:
Mar 31, 2009 at 6:23 PMJeff is so close he will win this year its only a matter of time.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportBernie said:
Mar 31, 2009 at 6:44 PMHow do you get a job with Scene Daily?
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» Confirm Abuse ReportKen Landis said:
Mar 31, 2009 at 7:54 PMI think Jeff is a great driver.He will get his win. But the rain wahing the track is not why he lost this race also Jimmy did not just get lucky its called driving. Which Jimmy did very well which is why he won. Jeff got a brake with the first pit stall and did not use that to his avantage.Glad to see a Hendrick driver in victory lane on Mr. H. 25th anniversary
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» Confirm Abuse ReportKen Landis said:
Mar 31, 2009 at 7:56 PMCorrection #8 washing the track.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportPatty L. Wilson said:
Mar 31, 2009 at 9:57 PMYou are right with your article, it was wonderful and Jeff is one Class Act, he is why I watch NASCAR. Yes he will win again, again and again, but if doesn't he is still the best that ever was or will be in my book!!! Will see him in victory lane real soon and the drive for 5 is coming!!!!!! GO JEFF GO
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» Confirm Abuse ReportJEFF RUSHING said:
Mar 31, 2009 at 11:03 PMthe reason JG hasn't won a race yet this year; is because of that pathetic, joke of a pit crew he has. JG had the #1 pit stall at martinsville; and not one time did the pitcrew gain JG any spots in the pits (so much for #1 pit stall at martinsville meaning all the difference). also California or Vegas (cant remember) the pit crew lost the battle on pit road almost everytime to the 17; which enabled the 17 to get another win. I'm a JG fan (since 99) but i wouldnt be surprised to see him go winless again. his team is a BIG disappoinment; and almost always let him down.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportsandra medura said:
Apr 1, 2009 at 4:18 AMi bought a brick for the hall of fame and it simply reads jeff gordon = class. enough said. give to the jeff gordon foundation
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» Confirm Abuse ReportJudy Jansen said:
Apr 1, 2009 at 8:20 AMWhat a great article about"The Man"!! He is the class of the field, and will win again!
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» Confirm Abuse ReportAl Lyd said:
Apr 1, 2009 at 8:48 AMJeff is a class act and a great driver and thats why i'm a big fan of his. Lets get that 1st win at Texas, where he has never one before. See you in VL Jeff!!
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» Confirm Abuse ReportDr. Spaceman said:
Apr 1, 2009 at 10:56 AMThe wins will come. Jeff has been great and the crew has been solid. They just need to have the car at it's best at then end of the race.
Report as AbuseAnd Jimmie did not "get lucky" on Sunday. They worked on that car all day and were bad fast at the end. Jiimmie and Chad are awesome at Martinsville. 5 wins in 6 races isn't just luck.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportMeg said:
Apr 1, 2009 at 2:34 PMI have been a JG fan for many many years… It’s just hard for me to find another driver that I admire as much as I do Jeff.
Report as AbuseI don’t believe Jeff lost the race because the rain washed the rubber off the track. The rubber was washed of the track for everyone, right ?? Jeff does seem to lack in closing up to the bumper of the car in front of him and hustling down pit road as fast as permitted. There is sometimes five or six car lengths in front of him before he hits the commitment cone. Notice that Hamlin was right on Jeff’s bumper, thus the pit at the same time.
Also, Steve Latarte doesn’t seem to be able to keep up with the track changes as well as Chad Knaus does. That’s a plus for Jimmie but why aren’t they sharing information. Wonder if Jimmie gives Chad better feedback during the race. Jeff G. has excellent communication skills, so I doubt that Jeff isn’t relaying the information needed. I would just love to see Rick Hendrick change crew chiefs the way Roush does for his drivers… Jimmie has won 3 championships in a row… Maybe they could let Chad help Earnhardt or Gordon win one now. ( I know, that’s just not realistic)..
They mentioned that JG has been complaining of lower back pain. I sure hope that is just a temporary thing and that he is getting some rest …. I’m sure that would come into play with a top performance if he’s uncomfortable while racing.
This is off the subject, but I just LOVED seeing Ingrid’s new haircut last week.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportEvelyn Bonner said:
Apr 2, 2009 at 11:32 PMI agree with everything said about Jeff...he is a class act. He is formidable at the beginning of every race.....if only he and Steve could keep it there for the whole race! Jeff has been my favorite driver since 1993...the year that Davey Allison died. I was at Talladega just after that terrible accident. Nascar racing was just about over for me until I saw this driver, Jeff Gordon on the race track! I thought to myself that he won't ever take Davey's place but he is interesting to watch. I loved him even more when all the Earnhardt fans booed him. Sometimes I thought I was the only one in the stands screaming for him to win. But he never disappointed me....he was always right there at the end of the race. He is still my most favorite driver.
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