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GORDON HOPES FOR DRY WEATHER IN DESERT AS HE SEEKS FIRST/50th WIN PHOENIX, Ariz.– Rain, rain go away, I would like to win today... The last place you would expect a race to be shortened by rain is in the desert at Phoenix ...
Edited: Apr 15, 2002, 11:45 PM
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GORDON HOPES FOR DRY WEATHER IN DESERT AS HE SEEKS FIRST/50th WIN
PHOENIX, Ariz.– Rain, rain go away, I would like to win today... The last place you would expect a race to be shortened by rain is in the desert at Phoenix International Raceway. However, last year Jeff Gordon and his DuPont Automotive Finishes team of Rainbow Warriors may have had a chance to get their first win at the 1.0-mile oval until the race was shortened due to heavy rain. Going into the Checker Auto Parts/Dura Lube 500k at Phoenix International Raceway on November 7, Gordon hopes to see the race through to the end. "Phoenix is a flat, fast track," said Gordon. "It's a tough place to win. We thought we had a car capable of winning last year, then the rain came." Phoenix is the only track that Gordon has raced on each year since his 1993 rookie season but has yet to win. "We don't test at Phoenix and we only race here once a year," said Gordon. "So each time we go, we learn a little more about the track and our setup. We felt like we hit on it last time and that we had a shot at the win but never got the chance to show what we had at the end." Gordon, being the fierce competitor that he is, has declared Phoenix his next challenge. Not only because it is the next race, but because he has not yet conquered it. In addition, his next win will be his 50th-career win putting him in a tie for eighth on the all-time win list with Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson. "It's hard to even conceive of the fact that we have won 49 races," said Gordon. "It would be nice to get that 50th win at Phoenix. However, you never know when any win will be your last, so we'll be thankful to get a win anywhere we go." In six starts at Phoenix, Gordon has three top-five and four top-10 finishes. He has not led a lap here since 1994. His best finish is fourth. Hence, Gordon deciding to run the first NASCAR Busch Series event at Phoenix. Having never tested and only competing in the Chevrolet Monte Carlo at Phoenix four times, additional track time can only prove beneficial in better understanding the track and car setup. With virtually no chance of seriously contending for the championship with a fourth-place points position, 474 behind leader Dale Jarrett with only three races remaining, Gordon's main goal is to win races. "We still want to accumulate as many points as we possibly can," said Gordon. "However, unlike the last four years, we can focus a lot more on just winning races." With win No. 8 of the season and 50 of his career in sight, Gordon hopes to be showered only with success. It's raining wins...hallelujah, it's raining wins.
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