Steve Waid: Gordon’s team searching for solutions
By Steve Waid
Thursday, June 19, 2008
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COMMENTARY
When Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the LifeLock 400 at Michigan International Speedway, it certainly lifted a burden off his shoulders – even though he told us his losing streak of 76 races really didn’t frustrate him all that much.
But he added that he missed the joy of being in victory lane.
Many observers said it was not a question of if Earnhardt Jr. would win this year, but rather, when.
He had been running too well in his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet this season not to snare a victory at some point.
Prior to Michigan, he had posted 10 finishes among the top 10 in 14 races. He stood third in points, where he remains, just 84 points behind leader Kyle Busch.
Team owner Rick Hendrick thought it would take time for newcomer Earnhardt Jr. and his crew chief, Tony Eury, Jr., to click with the Hendrick organization.
Instead, Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 88 team has carried the banner for Hendrick this season.
Although it took 15 races for Earnhardt Jr. to snare his first victory with the team, he’s been firmly entrenched among the top five in points for months.
Meanwhile, teammates Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon have struggled to crack the top 10 in points.
Johnson, who won at Phoenix in April, is currently fifth in the standings, while Gordon has worked his way to the ninth position.
Neither driver has shown the type of consistency Earnhardt Jr. has this season.
It’s been said that the advantage Hendrick enjoyed with the new car last season – gained by a level of testing and research and development that was higher than that of other teams – has been wiped out.
Which is true. Hendrick rivals sped up their testing programs, and in so doing they made up the ground they lost to Hendrick. Now it seems they are ahead.
Hendrick himself said that his team was behind when this season started because it opted to use the old car for the final race of 2007 at Homestead in an effort to win a championship.
“Everyone got ahead of us, and no one waited on us,” Hendrick said.
The Homestead strategy worked as Johnson captured the title last season.
Still, even if Hendrick is essentially playing “catch-up” this year, having three drivers among the top 10 in points indicates that the team can win another championship.
Based on his current numbers, the odds are long it’s going to be Gordon.
The four-time champ won six races a year ago and finished second to Johnson in the final standings.
He has won at least two races each year since 1994 and has 81 career victories.
This season he has yet to win and has just five top-10 finishes in 15 races. Last year, he compiled 30 finishes among the top 10, a NASCAR modern-era record.
He was uncompetitive at Michigan, where he finished 18th and dropped one spot in points.
Gordon has said that his team still hasn’t found the right formula for the new car where others have. He said that what worked for him last year hasn’t carried over, and there’s been a diligent effort to try anything that might bring improvement.
The challenge, Gordon said, was to get his Chevrolet running as it should on the bigger, high-speed tracks. Last year the new car raced mostly on the shorter tracks, which, Gordon said, didn’t offer his team as many problems.
There’s plenty of time for Gordon’s No. 24 team to turn things around. There’s no need for it to panic, as it is currently among the top 10 in points and has 11 races to make things right before the Chase begins.
The first of those 11 races is this weekend at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma.
It’s not a big, high-speed track. It is a road course.
And Gordon has won there five times.
A victory at Sonoma won’t cure all the ills. But believe me, Gordon will happily take it.
- Mentioned Drivers:
- Jeff Gordon
Comments
1 response to "Steve Waid: Gordon’s team searching for solutions"
Dr. Spaceman said:
Jun 19, 2008 at 1:00 PMThe key for fans of the 24 car is just to remain patient. They will get this new car figured out. When they do Jeff will be back up front right where he belongs. Perhaps this will be a year when the Chase formate works to his advantage.
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