   |
|
|
|
|
Jeff Gordon hoped to begin 2013 with a dose of momentum from his season-ending victory in 2012. However, for the second year in a row,
Gordon and the #24 team got off to a middling start. He was eliminated in an early crash in the Bud Shootout, but rebounded the following
day to claim an outside front row start for the Daytona 500. Gordon led the first lap of the Daytona 500 -- the first time
he led the opening lap of a season since 1999. However, he finished 20th in the season-opening race after fading back in traffic with less than 9 laps to go.
A 9th place effort at Phoenix was offset by a 25th place finish at Las Vegas. At Bristol, a blown tire while leading relegrated him to a 34th place finish.
An elixir came in early April at Martinsville where Gordon finished 3rd. He ran well at Texas the following week, but a late-race wheel bearing problem
once again deflated his hopes with a 38th place finish. A qualifying crash at Kansas resulted in a 43rd place start, but Gordon rallied to finish 13th.
A pair of 11th place efforts at Richmond and Talladega preceded Gordon's 700th career start.
At Darlington, Gordon finished 3rd in the milestone race. But inconsistency popped up again with a 35th place finish at Charlotte over Memorial Day weekend.
Gordon battled track position and handling issues at Dover, but stayed out and caught a late race caution to finish 3rd. A 12th place effort at Pocono
brought Gordon to Michigan where a poor qualifying effort doomed his chances. He started 29th and was caught up in a crash ignited by Bobby Labonte for an early exit.
Nevertheless, he drove with passion at Sonoma to finish 2nd behind Martin Truex while making up 10 spots in the final 15 laps. An 8th place finish at Kentucky
was followed by 34th at Daytona after getting shuffled back in traffic and a late crash. A summer stretch which saw Gordon finish
10th at Loudon, 7th at Indianapolis, and 2nd at Pocono (after leading on the final restart) allowed Gordon to move closer to Chase contention.
However, an uncharacteristic error at Watkins Glen resulted in a crash and a 36th place finish. Following a 17th place finish at Michigan in mid-August, many wrote
off Gordon's chances for the Chase.
For the second straight year, Gordon went on a late summer hot streak to put himself in position for the Chase.
A 7th place finish at Bristol was followed by a 6th place finish at Atlanta. In the final race before the Chase cutoff,
Gordon finished 8th at Richmond -- thus missing the Chase by 2 points. However, in the days following the Richmond race,
it was deduced that Clint Bowyer's intentional spin (due to team orders) manipulated the finish to benefit a teammate.
As such, NASCAR CEO Brian France made the unprecedented move to add Gordon to the Chase as the 13th driver.
Once the Chase began, the #24 carried the momentum with a 6th place finish at Chicagoland. However, a pit road mistake at Loudon
relegated Gordon to a 15th place finish. Undaunted, he finished 4th at Dover, 3rd at Kansas, and 7th at Charlotte to move
up to 4th in the series standings. Following a 14th place finish at Talladega, Gordon broke through with a victory at Martinsville to move
to 3rd in the standings. Suddenly, it seemed as if the #24 team was a viable title contender. But his hopes were essentially dashed
the following week at Texas. A flat tire sent Gordon into the wall and a 38th place finish. He concluded the season with subpar 14th and
11th place finishes at Phoenix and Homestead, respectively.
Gordon showed flashes of consistency during the late summer stretch, but ultimately, his lack of success early in the season made
the Chase an uphill endeavor. The key to a successful Chase in 2014 starts with early season victories and much-coveted bonus points.
Goody's 500
|
