The pundits have written him off. That's right,
stock car racing superstar Jeff Gordon has been informally cast aside as a
contender for the 2002 Winston Cup points championship.
His win total is zero, and he has trailed Sterling Marlin all season in the
standings. Of course if you believe the anti Gordon press, which relishes
at printing his ever increasing string of winless efforts, you are probably
a candidate to purchase oceanfront property in Arizona. The 2002 Winston
Cup title has been decided. You can mark that down, but when you fill in
the winner, be sure to pencil in the guy driving number 24. He will not
only walk away with his fifth Winston Cup title this season, he will find victory
circle very soon.
You see what has happened to Jeff Gordon in 2002 is
unique. Every imaginable set of events that could have resulted in his
winning races has failed to materialize. Yet with bad luck coming in
droves, Gordon still finds himself one race from the points lead.
Fortunately for Jeff, stock car racing luck seldom goes in one
direction for an entire season. To the contrary, a "snake bit" Gordon
is breathing down on the point's leader, and he hasn't even
gotten untracked. In the coming weeks, Gordon's racing luck will change.
Sadly for his competitors, that change of luck, coupled with the skill
of stock car racing's best driver, could result in a very lopsided
margin of victory in the Cup race. When it happens, don't expect an
apology from the writers who gleefully wrote off the kid from Indiana.
There has always been a cultural bias against Jeff Gordon.
He is not a native son of the south. He doesn't chew tobacco, and he
doesn't speak with a southern drawl. In fact Jeff Gordon has become the
New York Yankees of his sport.
He leads more laps than his competitors.
He posts more wins and top five finishes
than his competitors. In fact no one has
dominated stock car racing as decisively as
Gordon since Richard Petty in the 1970s.
And that domination has created a tough pill
for southern sportswriters to swallow.
You see Jeff Gordon has proven he is better than
their native sons. Don't expect them to get used to it though. When the pre race coverage starts for the 2003
Daytona 500, check out the headliners. Gordon will be mentioned for
sure, but the list of contenders will include at least a half dozen
drivers who have no chance to win the race. The hype will flow, and
all the so-called experts will pick winners. Some will pick Sterling
Marlin, others will select Dale Jarrett, and many will pick Junior
Earnhardt, the heir apparent to his father's legacy. Though if you want to
play the percentages, pick Gordon. When he retires from stock
car racing he will have twice the number of victories as any driver
currently competing.
As for Sterling Marlin, Mark Martin, Tony Stewart, and Jimmie Johnson--
Gordon's top competitors for
the title, "Beyond the Grandstand" readers knew how they would fare months
ago (see "Crystal Ball"). Marlin is
having his best season ever
and Johnson is going to be the sports all time money making rookie.
Martin has seen victory circle, and Stewart is exceeding expectations.
However, being the best of the rest is simply not good enough to beat the champ.
Number 24 is headed for a familiar place-- New York City and
another Winston Cup acceptance speech. And when the sportswriters
politely applaud, listen carefully and you might here one say,
"Damn Yankee, he won again. He sure is lucky." Lucky indeed... and
very skilled.
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