First Time On The Road

First Time On The Road

In late summer 1997, Jeff Gordon had already accomplished great things in his short NASCAR career, including winning his first championship in 1995 and almost repeating in 1996. Still, a road course victory had eluded him—- until Watkins Glen in 1997. Gordon had a pair of top 10 finishes at the Glen to his credit and finished second to Mark Martin at Sonoma earlier in the season, but an eleventh-place starting position and a balky race car in practice didn't seem to augur well for a breakthrough in the August heat. He acknowledged that adapting to the sweeping turns and technical braking zones of road courses had been "a difficult transition" for him, but his own hard work led to a breakthrough on that hot August weekend.

While many of his competitors complained about the road courses or treated them as throwaway races at that time, Gordon saw them as a challenge to be met. "The key to road-course racing is you've got to like it," he said after the race. "It's a real workout and it takes a lot out of you. But I enjoy it. I've just made mental notes and stuff where I can gain speed, the right gears, when to brake and how to brake. This is a legitimate goal of ours."

Though some of his critics downplayed Gordon’s technical knowledge, it was actually a mechanical adjustment he called for on the car that led to the breakthrough. Crew chief Ray Evernham revealed that a call by Gordon earlier in the weekend, concerning gear selection, made a significant difference.

"We were concerned on Friday about the car," said Evernham. "Jeff just kept working. Before Saturday morning's practice session, Jeff wanted to change to a different gear ratio that he thought would work and I overrode him. When the car was not improving, I let the team make the gear change for Saturday's afternoon practice that Jeff wanted. It made the difference. I listened to him and that's why we're a team."

Gordon got the lead for the first time on lap 53, passing Geoff Bodine. He maintained the lead through green flag pit stops, keeping Rusty Wallace and Bodine behind him, but a caution at lap 60 let Darrell Waltrip take the lead briefly until he, too, had to pit. On the lap 64 restart, Bodine shot past Wallace for second and remained close behind Gordon for several laps, but Gordon’s ability to use his lower gears in the difficult bus stop turns and the crucial Turn 10 let him draw away from his challengers. After the race, Gordon told reporters, "The car sure was strong. I just tried to keep it out of the grass and the dirt and tried not to make any mistakes. I made a few there at the end and Geoff came back up to me. But I told myself just to be smooth and hit my marks, and I was able to get my head back together and move away again."

By the end of the race Gordon had moved out to a ten-car length lead and a 1.4 second victory, his eighth of the year and the twenty-seventh of his career. The young driver was elated by his success. “This (a road-course win) was definitely a big objective left on our list," Gordon said. "It's finally great to get one. We came out this year to try to win a road course; personally and honestly, this is one of my most satisfying wins of my career.”

That first road course victory, of course, has been followed by many more. For the last decade Gordon's name has been at the top of the list of favorites for every Cup road course event. But the first one is always sweetest—and the confidence that August 1997 win gave Gordon and his team has carried him through those sweeping turns for a decade. The pupil, truly, has become the master of the road.

"Unleaded"

Jeff Gordon Online