Top-30 NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers: Jeff Gordon, seventh
Hard to believe, but for the first time since his rookie season in 1993, Jeff Gordon went winless in 2008 in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition.
Gordon's streak has reached 41 races since his last victory in the fall race at Lowe's Motor Speedway in 2007.
Gordon, 37, who holds the record for having the most victories of any active driver in Cup with 81 wins and is sixth in all-time wins, did make the Chase For The Sprint Cup in 2008 for the third consecutive season.
Despite not winning in 2008, the four-time Cup champion had a season that many of his fellow competitors would likely be envious of.
During the offseason, SceneDaily is taking a look at the top 30 in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup driver points. Here's how Gordon's season unfolded:
By the numbers: In 36 starts, Gordon collected 13 top-five and 19 top-10 finishes. His average finishing position declined substantially in 2008 (14.5) compared to 2007 (7.3). Another statistic that dropped off in 2008 was the number of poles Gordon won. In 2007, he started first seven times, his highest number since 1999, but in 2008, he rolled off first just four times. He also led far fewer laps in 2008 (447) than in 2007 (1,300).
Season highlights: It appeared that Gordon might finally conquer Texas Motor Speedway, one of only two tracks (along with Homestead) where he remains winless. In the fall race at the 1.5-mile Lone Star State facility, Gordon won the pole but couldn't keep up with eventual winner Carl Edwards, who led 212 of the 334 scheduled laps. Gordon's second-place finish at Texas was his best finish there since he was second in 2002.
Key setbacks: The dreaded DNF acronym returned again to haunt Gordon in 2008, as he accumulated six. After not finishing three of the first 10 races of 2008, Gordon fell out of the top 12 in the series standings, but he was able to improve, and his next DNF did not occur until the 23rd race of the season at Michigan. Gordon's fifth and sixth DNFs came during the Chase and are arguably a key reason he did not crack the top five in the final standings.
Newsworthy moment: Gordon's horrific crash at Las Vegas Motor Speedway made plenty of headlines in 2008. While flying down the backstretch of the 1.5-mile track, Gordon hit Matt Kenseth coming out of Turn 2 and then the inside retaining wall. The hit was so severe that the radiator came flying out of the car.
In his words: "I have to thank my guys on this team for an awesome year. It wasn't from lack of effort that we didn't win any races or be more competitive in the championship. I am still proud of everything that they did. We didn't win a race this year, but I am really excited about 2009. We have got a lot of great things happening."
