Livin In The Future
WILMINGTON, DE. (May 30) - - Jeff Gordon tested at Pocono Raceway on May 27-28. The two-day test was a scheduled NASCAR session where all teams tested at the 2.5-mile track in northeastern Pennsylvania. Gordon then headed to Delaware for NASCAR Day at the headquarters of his primary sponsor in Wilmington on Thursday. DuPont is signed as Gordon's primary sponsor through the 2010 racing season. However, next season is when decisions will have to be made about whether Gordon wants to continue a full-time schedule beyond 2010. "All I can tell you is that 2010 is when our contracts are ending and probably 2009 is a year that's going to have a lot of decision-making for me," Gordon said last year. "Those contracts might be up in 2010 but they all want to talk about them in 2009. So to me that's going to be a big year. We'll just see where I'm at and how things are going."

Culture Clash
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (May 26) - - After finishing fourth in the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Jeff Gordon had an unexpected visitor when he exited his car on pit road. Third-place finisher Kyle Busch came over to chat-- though the visit was hardly amicable. Busch felt that Gordon was pushing him too hard for position late in the event and taking away the preferred line in the corners. In essence, Busch was upset that Gordon was racing against him. "I guess he doesn't like people to race him," Gordon said. "You know, Kyle and I never had any issues. But I raced him hard tonight just like I did everybody. And when track position is as important as it is here, you've got to race every single car for every single position. And I wasn't going to give anybody an inch and I was racing for position. He's got an issue because he gave me the finger. You know what, that’s not necessary for a guy he just didn't like racing him the way I did.”

Hypermiling Pays Off
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (May 26) - - With gas prices soaring to record highs, drivers have taken measures to improve their mileage on the road. During the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Jeff Gordon found himself in the same situation as most interstate drivers these days. He slowed down his race pace in the closing stages, let off the gas and coasted into corners, and managed to nurse his car to a 4th place finish. Gordon was far from a 4th place car during the race -- he wasn't even a top-15 car. But pit strategy worked in his favor on the final stop, thus giving him a third straight top-10 finish. Gordon started 18th and made little headway toward the front of the field for the balance of the race. He went a lap down on lap 125 as he struggled with a loose handling car. He fell as low as 29th before a series of caution flags near the halfway point allowed him to get back on the lead lap on lap 224. He ran in 20th for most of the second half of the race before coming onto pit road to top off with fuel under the final caution flag. His strategy worked out as all of the drivers ahead of him needed to pit for fuel. Gordon's lap times were slow enough that some drivers were able to pit and still pass him for position. Nevertheless, a 4th place finish allows him to hold onto 10th in the series standings. "We freed it up too much and got way behind," Gordon said. "We fought hard to get it back, and we got it back. If we had track position, we could have done better."

Quiet Night
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (May 18) - - In perhaps the most boring edition of the All-Star Challenge race, Kasey Kahne took the lead early in the final segment and was never challenged en route to the victory. Kahne qualified for the main event due to fan voting. The dominant car during the event seemed to be Kyle Busch, who easily won the first 25-lap segment. Busch then jumped out to a large lead in segment two before an engine problem sidelined him for the night. Jeff Gordon had a rather forgettable night at Lowes Motor Speedway as he finished 15th battling handling problems from the outset. After starting on the outside of the front row, Gordon dropped to 7th in segment one. The second segment was a disaster as handling changes went the wrong way and Gordon finished 15th. The team made changes during the 10-minute halftime break, but could only muster a 15th place finish in segment three. He started the final segment in 11th due to a two-tire pit stop before falling as low as 17th. He made some headway in the closing stages to finish 15th. Despite hyping the event as a show for the fans, perhaps track president Humpy Wheeler will offer a refund program for next year since the 24th edition failed to live up to any kind of 'racing' expectations.

Separating Business From Pleasure
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (May 17) - - Jeff Gordon has won four NASCAR championships and collected 81 race wins along the way. That doesn't include trophies for pole awards, Race of Champions events, Nationwide series wins, and exhibition races such as the All-Star Challenge. Suffice to say, Gordon has accumulated a warehouse full of hardware from his racing success. However, there is one place where you won't find any of Gordon's keepsakes. "There aren't any (trophies) to be found at his home," stepfather John Bickford told Espn.com. "There, it is all about family, not racing."

Dedicating The Monster
DOVER, DE. (May 15) - - Jeff Gordon was on hand for the dedication of the new 46-foot high Monster monument at Dover Speedway on May 14. Gordon addressed the crowd of approximately 300 in front of the monument. "It's an amazing monument and it really symbolizes what this track is all about to the drivers and the fans," Gordon said. "The Monster Mile brings out the monster in all of us. It's also a pleasure to have my name etched on this monument four times. I'm hoping to add a fifth and sixth this year."