NASCAR Cup
Phoenix II: Jeff Gordon preview
AVONDALE, Ariz. (November 4, 2008) - Following four consecutive top-10 finishes, Jeff Gordon has moved up to fifth in the standings - the highest ranking in 2008 for the four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion. Will the surge continue for Team ...
Edited: Nov 7, 2008, 3:48 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
AVONDALE, Ariz. (November 4, 2008) - Following four consecutive top-10 finishes, Jeff Gordon has moved up to fifth in the standings - the highest ranking in 2008 for the four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion. Will the surge continue for Team DuPont at Phoenix International Raceway this Sunday in the Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500? With only two races remaining in the campaign, Gordon is still mathematically alive in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup championship. The deficit to leader and teammate Jimmie Johnson stands at 255, and Gordon would need finish ahead of Johnson by approximately 33 positions in each race to close that gap.
"That's highly unlikely to occur, especially with how well the 48 team has been running," said Gordon, who is only 43 markers behind fourth-place Jeff Burton. "Jimmie has put together a good string of finishes and, even when the team has struggled, they've still been able to pull out a respectable finish.
"I feel like we are continuing to improve, and that's our focus for the remainder of the year. We want that to continue so we have some sort of momentum heading into the offseason and maybe gain some more positions in the standings."
Phoenix may provide a good opportunity for that to occur. In 1993 during his rookie season, Gordon led 48 laps at the one-mile track but finished 35th after completing only 195 of 312 laps. Since then, he has one victory (2007), three poles, eight top-fives and 15 top-10's in 18 starts. Despite the statistics, Gordon does not know what to expect when the car rolls onto the track Friday.
"Phoenix has been 'hit or miss' for us," said Gordon. "We have good results here and have that one win. Other times, we been able to finish in the top 10 but we just didn't have the car competitive enough to battle for the win.
"On Sunday, I expect the sun to be beating down on the track, so there will be less 'grip' - and that puts a premium on handling." If Team DuPont finds the handle on Sunday, Gordon could notch his first victory of the season.
"We haven't won this year, but that doesn't mean we'll put extra emphasis on winning here," said Gordon. "We try to win every weekend, and that means putting together a complete weekend from qualifying on Friday, during the practices on Saturday, through the end of the race on Sunday.
"If we put ourselves in a position to win, though, it might be worth gambling on fuel or pit strategy to get the victory."
-credit: hm
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Manufacturers tight battle heads to Phoenix
Next article Phoenix II: Ken Schrader preview
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie Johnson explains why the time was right for Legacy to add a third car full time
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Jimmie Johnson explains why the time was right for Legacy to add a third car full time
Why the 2027 Daytona 500 is the end of a road for Jimmie Johnson
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Daytona 500
Why the 2027 Daytona 500 is the end of a road for Jimmie Johnson
Unique Jimmie Johnson experience hits auction for Motorsports Hall of Fame
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Atlanta II
Unique Jimmie Johnson experience hits auction for Motorsports Hall of Fame
Latest news
Franco Colapinto urges fans to stop the abuse: “You’re not helping me or my future”
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Singapore GP
4 min
Franco Colapinto urges fans to stop the abuse: “You’re not helping me or my future”
Gresini: New MotoGP rules won't increase gap between factory and satellite teams
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Indonesian GP
19 min
Gresini: New MotoGP rules won't increase gap between factory and satellite teams
Tristan McKee joins JR Motorsports in 2027 with future plans for full-time ride
NASCAR O'Reilly
NOAP NASCAR O'Reilly
Phoenix II
25 min
Tristan McKee joins JR Motorsports in 2027 with future plans for full-time ride
Colton Herta eyes potential Indy 500 return and IMSA enduros as 2027 plans remain in flux
FIA F2
F2 FIA F2 37 min
Colton Herta eyes potential Indy 500 return and IMSA enduros as 2027 plans remain in flux
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe