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July News
Track Position Olympics
BRICKYARD 400 - Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Finish: 5th
Recap
Jeff Gordon posted his fifth top-6 finish in the last six races with a 5th place effort
in the Brickyard 400. However, after running 2nd to eventual race winner Jimmie Johnson during the mid-stages,
Gordon fell to 7th following the final pit stop. He'll need at least two victories in the next
6 races to qualify for the Chase for the Championship.
Gordon started 9th and moved to 7th by the end of the second lap. He moved to 6th with a pass on Joey Logano
on lap 5. However, he complained of a tight handling condition entering the turns and dropped 5 seconds
behind race leader Denny Hamlin. He moved to 5th on lap 12 when Carl Edwards slowed with an engine problem, and took 4th from Greg
Biffle on lap 19. Gordon came to pit road for a four-tire change on lap 29 and returned to the race in 4th. The first caution waved
on lap 40 when Travis Kvapil cut a tire and hit the wall. Gordon opted for two tires, but lost three positions
on pit road and restarted 7th on lap 44. Gordon moved up to 5th before the next caution on lap 47 for Clint Bowyer's spin into the infield grass.
He took 4th from Dale Earnhardt Jr on lap 60, and moved to 3rd when Brad Keselowski came to pit road. Three laps later he took the runner-up
spot from Greg Biffle.
Gordon closed in on race leader Jimmie Johnson and led 1 lap during a green flag pit stop sequence on lap 74. Following stops, he ran 3rd
behind Keselowski and Johnson. Gordon again moved to 2nd on lap 90 following Keselowski's pit stop. A caution for Casey Mears' wall
contact slowed the field on lap 94. Following pit stops, Gordon restarted in 5th on lap 99. He moved to 3rd shortly after the restart
by passing Keselowski and Regan Smith. Gordon took 2nd from Kyle Busch on lap 110, but was more than 3 seconds behind Johnson for the race lead.
A caution on lap 124 for Jeff Burton's tire issue brought the leaders to pit road. Gordon lost four spots on pit road and restarted in 6th place.
He dropped to 7th before getting around Ryan Newman with 29 to go. A caution with 28 laps to go slowed the field when Joey Logano spun and collected Matt Kenseth.
On the restart with 20 laps to go, Gordon dropped to 8th as Newman and Martin Truex went by. However, he rebounded to pass Truex and Newman in the closing stages
to take 5th place.
Turning point
Gordon was running in 2nd when the caution waved on lap 124. A brief problem on the right front caused Gordon to leave
pit road in 6th place, thus removing any chance at a possible victory.
JG's comments
"We had a car that could compete for the win. I think we were one of the only ones who could compete with the 48. Congratulations to Jimmie and Chad, and the whole Lowe's
team and Rick Hendrick. They're that good and they deserved to be in Victory Lane today. They were the best team and they had a fast race car. We had as good of a race car
if not better. We just could never get the track position, and when we did it was so hard to pass. Our car was awesome. We lost some track position and then the restarts I
was starting on the outside both times -- that definitely didn't do us any favors. It was hard to pass. I can't complain about it too much, just would've liked to have been
up there battling with Jimmie, at least make it a little harder on him. My gosh, he had it pretty easy there at the end."
ON HIS RACE:
"I don't think we could have passed him (Jimmie Johnson). Those guys were definitely the class of the field today and had the track position. They're a strong team.
They deserve that win today. They did everything. Jimmie did his job on the track and the team did their job in the pits. And they had a good car."
YOU CAME HERE TO WIN, BUT IS THERE ANY SATISFACTION IN FINISHING 5TH?
"I'm pretty disappointed really. It's always nice to finish in the top five but at this point in the season, the way our season has gone with so many missed opportunities that
we've had, I feel like it was a little bit of a missed opportunity today. We needed track position there at the end and we didn't get it when it counted most and it cost us."
TALK ABOUT THAT LAST PIT STOP. WAS THERE ANYTHING SPECIFICALLY THAT HAPPENED OR WAS IT JUST SLOW?
"I have no idea. I have to review it. The one thing about this pit road is that if you get a little bit behind, once you get up here, you're way behind because they pull out
in front of you and the next one pulls out in front of you and that's what happened. We lost more than we should have but that wasn't so bad. The worst thing was when you
start on the outside lane; my car would just not go on that outside lane. And then they got all jumbled up and we lost even more spots. And then we had another caution on the
outside lane again, so it just wasn’t our day."
YOUR TEAMMATE DALE EARNHARDT JR. TOOK OVER THE POINT LEAD TODAY.
"I give them a lot of credit. It's really awesome that they're out front. They've been consistent and if they can keep that consistency up and maybe even take it up a notch
when the Chase starts, they’re going to be a real threat for the championship. So, they're running good. It's good to see it. I'm happy to see it for Junior. I'm
really happy to see it for (crew chief) Stevie (Letarte) and that whole team. They've put a lot of effort into it."
WHERE DO YOU RANK YOUR CAR?
"I thought we were as good as or better than Jimmie (Johnson). We just never could get in front of him. That's what it takes to win. You've got to get out front. Track position
is very important here. We showed that we could run their pace, but we were always coming from behind."
WHEN YOU FIRST MET JIMMIE JOHNSON, DID YOU THINK HE WOULD BE THIS GOOD?
"I knew he was special and talented. The type of equipment he was in [Herzog Motorsports] was not the best equipment out there. It was good equipment, but not the best.
I knew if you took a guy who had worked that hard and has raced that long with his talents, and put him with a good team, that he'd be able to do something special. I had no
idea he was going to do what he has done, that's way beyond any of our imagination, including his. He's a great guy and a great driver. He has a great team. They deserve it."
YOU MADE UP A LOT OF SPOTS IN THE LAST HANDFUL OF LAPS. DO YOU THINK IF YOU HAD A RESTART A LITTLE CLOSER TO THE FRONT, THAT YOU WOULD HAVE AT LEAST FINISHED 2ND?
"I think we were a second-place car really, all day. We could pass everybody but Jimmie. That clean are is really important. So, yeah I think we were good enough to be
second, but we weren't going to pass Jimmie under green flag conditions."
THE FANS CHEERED REALLY LOUD FOR YOU AT THE END OF THE RACE. WERE YOU HAPPY WITH THE CAR AT THE END OF THE RACE?
"I happy with the car. Other than the first run, I was happy with the car all day. Or, maybe the second run. We were a little bit too tight. We freed it up and from that point
on, I thought we had the car to beat. We just never could never quite get that track position and get close enough to that No. 48 to try to make a pass on him. But it was a
good solid day for us. You know I love this place."
Return To Rwanda
July 19 - - Jeff Gordon returned to Rwanda for the July 18 opening of
the Butaro Cancer Center of Excellence. President Clinton and his daughter Chelsea, Dr. Larry Shulman from the Dana Farber
Cancer Institute, Agnes Binagwaho from Rwanda's Ministry of Health, and Dr. Paul Farmer from Partners In Health joined
Gordon for the opening ceremonies of the first
comprehensive cancer referral facility in rural East Africa. "A child suffering from cancer is a child suffering from
cancer," said Gordon. "The location of the child does not matter. They are all innocent children and they deserve the right
to live, be healthy and enjoy life."
Sixth Discontent
LENOX 301 - New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Finish: 6th
Recap
Kasey Kahne held off a late charge by Denny Hamlin to claim his second win of the season and 14th of his career. Jeff Gordon posted his fourth top-6 finish in the last 5 races with a 6th place effort in the Lenox 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
However, Gordon remains 17th in the series standings and will need at least two victories to qualify for the Chase for the Championship.
Gordon started 8th and moved up to 6th by lap 10. He entered the top-5 with a pass on Martin Truex
on lap 23, and took 4th from Clint Bowyer on lap 32. Gordon led 1 lap before coming to pit road
during a green flag stop sequence on lap 68. He returned to the race in 3rd position due to then-race leader Kyle Busch's pit road
penalty. A debris caution on lap 89 slowed the field and brought nearly all of leaders to pit road -- except for one. Gordon stayed on the track
and assumed the race lead. However, Gordon chose the outside lane for the restart and lost the top spot to Denny Hamlin entering turn one.
He dropped to 3rd when Jimmie Johnson passed on lap 109. By lap 130, he dropped to 4th place as skies began darkening for approaching rain showers.
Gordon came to pit road for a green flag stop on lap 146. He returned to the race a lap down in 20th place due to staying out on the track during
the earlier caution. As the race leaders began pitting a few laps later, Gordon moved up to 2nd place behind Hamlin.
Gordon battled handling issues in the mid-stages of the race and dropped to 4th on lap 168. Brad Keselowski went by on lap 186 to send Gordon back
to 5th. A debris caution on lap 191 brought the lead lap cars to pit road and allowed Gordon to get back on the same pit sequence. Gordon
restarted in 10th place after changing four tires. Gordon moved to 9th before a caution on lap 232. Gordon came
to pit road for his final pit stop and restarted 7th. He dropped to 9th when Hamlin passed on
lap 250. However, he made in-roads and moved back to 7th with 35 laps to go. With 19 laps to go, he took 6th from Kevin Harvick.
Turning point
Mid-race handling issues hindered Gordon's ability to stay in the top-5. A four-tire change on the final pit stop lost track position.
JG's comments
"It's a great effort by the team, but definitely not what we were hoping for. This is a track I feel like we can win at. We just missed it.
We just weren't there. That first run, I thought, 'wow, we really have something for them.' But it's so hard to pass and we kind
of lost the handling on it. Yeah, it's a 6th when you look at the rest of our season, that's pretty good. But when you look at what we have to do
over the next 7 races, it's definitely not something we're content with."
NOT A BAD FINISH CONSIDERING YOU KIND OF TOOK A LONG WAY TO GET THERE?
"Yeah, I'm really disappointed in today. I don't feel like that we had the car that we needed to be more competitive which I thought we could. When we got track position we
weren't able to maintain it. It was just a disappointing day when you look at what our goals are right now. We've got to be up there battling for wins if we are going to make
this Chase and then get those wins. At the beginning I thought we were equally as good as anybody. I don't know from that second run on it just went downhill."
THE PIT STRATEGY YOU TALKED ABOUT YOU WERE IN A POSITION WHERE YOU CAN ROLL THE DICE IN SOME THINGS WAS THAT AN INDICATOR OF THAT TODAY?
"Yeah, I think Alan wanted to see what it was like in clean air. It was a risk. That is the position that we are in right now we've got to take those kinds of risks. It didn't
work out, but it wasn't that bad. I think we feel back to third or fourth. We were still about where we were prior to that. I don't know we just really didn't
keep up with the track. This tire, I tell you, Goodyear has got to go back to the drawing board. They came here with a new tire and it is not a very good tire. I think they
know it. I'm hoping that they that they can come up with something a little bit better than this."
Soundtrack To A July Saturday Night
COKE ZERO 400 - Daytona International Speedway. Finish: 12th
Recap
Tony Stewart claimed the Coke Zero 400 victory with a late pass on Matt Kenseth. Stewart started at the rear of the field
following a violation following qualifying, but made his way to the lead after the final restart with 2 laps to go. It was Stewart's
47th career victory.
Jeff Gordon posted a 12th place finish after being involved in four different melees during the event. He started 5th and slipped back to 7th after the first lap on the inside line. He moved to the outside
on lap 4 and worked in a draft with Juan Pablo Montoya. On lap 10, Gordon fell to 12th on the outside in a draft with his
Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kasey Kahne. Gordon dropped back to 21st on lap 16 in an effort to cool his engine. He re-entered the
top-20 on lap 30. At the 100-mile mark, Gordon ran in 17th place. Following a round of green flag pit stops, Gordon moved up to 12th place.
He continued to advance on the outside line and moved to 10th on lap 50. With Jimmie Johnson providing a drafting push, Gordon moved to 6th place on lap 55.
However, he faded back by the 60-lap mark and ran in 17th place. At the halfway point, Gordon ran in 12th place.
A caution for Sam Hornish's spin on lap 81 slowed the field and brought the lead lap cars to pit road. Gordon opted for two
tires and departed in 4th place. On the restart, Gordon moved up to 2nd behind Matt Kenseth. Kurt Busch's crash on lap 90 brought out
the second caution flag. Gordon settled into 3rd place behind Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle over the next 25 laps. However,
Gordon wound up in the infield grass coming to pit road for a green flag pit stop on lap 125. Bill Elliott lost control and drilled Gordon
in the left side, sending him into the infield grass. The caution waved as Johnson was caught up in the melee and slammed the inside wall.
Gordon came to pit road four times during the caution flag for repairs on the left side of the car. He restarted in 30th place with 29 laps to go.
With 20 laps to go, Gordon moved up to run in 22nd place. A caution for Brad Keselowski's spin slowed the field with 16 laps to go. Gordon stayed
on the track and restarted in 19th place. With 8 laps to go, Denny Hamlin lost control and collected 15 cars in a turn one wreck. Gordon made his way
through the carnage with damage on the left side of the car and a flat tire. He came to pit road and restarted in 15th place with 2 laps to go.
Coming to the checkered flag, Gordon was caught up in a wreck ahead of him. He bounced off Travis Kvapil's car and came across the line
in 12th place.
Turning point
Gordon was running in 3rd place when he was wrecked coming onto pit road with 30 laps to go.
JG's comments
ON THE PIT ROAD MELEE:
"We were just coming to pit road. I don't know what happened behind me, but they just started wrecking and we got caught up in that. That definitely
changed our day. We were in great position, fast race car, and pit stops were flawless. At that point it was about fixing the damage and getting track position.
The damage - they did a great job. The car had plenty of speed, but there was just no passing when you were in the back for those final laps. Three lanes wide, you just
had to wait until somebody wrecked or got out of shape and the momentum changed. We actually had a great run coming through turns 3 and 4, and we were going
to be better than even 12th. We kind of got caught in that wreck too. We had some momentum coming so I think we could have finished 10th-12th. But we ended up 12th.
Not a bad day considering all the things that happened."
ON THE RACE
“If you put everything into perspective, there were moments tonight when I felt like we had a car that could win and we were close to being in a position for that.
And then when that wreck happened when we were trying to come to pit road, that just changed our night a bit. Not only did it tear up the race car, but it cost us track
position, which was very very difficult to make up. So considering that and where we started on those last couple of restarts, 12th wasn’t bad. I even got in the wreck on
that last lap and still finished 12th. So, we don’t have much of a race car, but we got a 12th place finish."
DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE IN DESPERATION MODE YET?
“It doesn't matter what mode we’re in. We're going to go to the race track and try to do the same thing, and that's to win. I guess if we're in a position to make a very
risky call late in the race that we might run out of fuel or something or there is a good chance we'd run out of fuel, then that might be a risk worth taking for this time.
But I’d leave that up to Alan (Gustafston) and our engineers and I'm just going to drive the wheels off of it every weekend. And they've been giving me great race cars so I
know we can win. It doesn't matter to me if it's the last two going into the Chase. It's whatever it takes to get in.”
IS LOUDON A RACE THAT YOU LOOK FORWARD TO AND A TRACK YOU LIKE?
“Oh, yeah. I think Loudon is a great opportunity for us. This race, even though we have a great race car here and everything, this type of racing you never know what you're
going to get here. But at Loudon, you can control your own destiny and at Indianapolis and some other great tracks that are coming up that I feel like we can be very
competitive at and have a shot at winning.”
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