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11-20-2007, 01:50 PM
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#1 (permalink) |
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Co-Administrator
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: The flatlands...Where dirt is for farming, clay is for racin' and asphalt is for gettin there!!!
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Gordon finds motivation in 2007 defeat
Gordon finds motivation in 2007 defeat
JEFF OWENS Special to FOXSports.com HOMESTEAD, Fla. - The 2007 season is barely over and the heat is already on Jeff Gordon and his Hendrick Motorsports team. By some accounts, Gordon and his team blew their chance to win Gordon's fifth Cup title. They had a big lead — more than 300 points after 26 races. Then, when the standings were reset entering the Chase for the Nextel Cup, Gordon built another lead, one he held after seven of the 10 Chase races. But then Gordon blew it, allowing teammate Jimmie Johnson to overtake him and cruise to the title. Some believe Gordon choked, getting too conservative when he had the lead. Some believe crew chief Steve Letarte should be fired for letting the lead slip away. All those theories overlook one simple fact: Gordon still had one of the greatest seasons of his career, even if he didn't win the championship. Sure, this was a bitter disappointment, but Gordon and his team didn't blow the Chase and the championship. They just got beat. Beat by a team that was at its absolute best when it counted most. Should they be faulted for that? Perhaps a bit. Gordon admits his team should have been more aggressive and got too conservative over the final five races. But who knew Johnson would go on one of the most incredible winning streaks in the past 10 years? Who could have predicted that Gordon would post nine top-10 finishes in the final 10 races — for an average finish of 5.1 — and not win the title? In the end, Gordon produced a record 30 top-10 finishes — six more than Johnson — and 21 top-fives — one more than Johnson. Yet it wasn't enough to overcome Johnson's winning streak, which set the new standard for how the Chase should be run. "We just put together one heck of a total year," Gordon said. "On one side, you know I love the Chase. I love what it's all about and the entertainment aspect of it, and I know it's the best thing for the sport. But when I look at our whole year, it's a little tough." For more news from the track and the shop, check out our NASCAR Scene headlines page. Get NASCAR Scene headlines Gordon sounds as if he's whining. He's not. He paid Johnson and his winning team the highest of compliments, saying they deserved to win the title. But when you do almost everything you can do, when you have one of the best seasons of your career, and you still get beat, it's tough to swallow. "I'll be honest with you," Gordon said, "I'll take a 5.1 average for the rest of my career in the Chase. I'm pretty sure that will win a few championships." Yet it wasn't enough this season. Gordon didn't blow the championship, and he didn't lose it. He simply got beat by a better team, and they will surely light a fire under Gordon and his crew. For the next few months, Gordon and his team will have to hear how Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus put together one of the greatest seasons in the modern era. (It actually matched two of Gordon's three best seasons, but didn't come close to matching his 13-win season of 1998.) They will watch them celebrate their second straight championship — a strong motivator indeed. And they will watch Johnson and company go into next season as the overwhelming favorite to win a third straight title, something no one has done since Cale Yarborough in 1976-78. That will be strong motivation for a driver who came oh so close in 2007. "You work so hard, and you really just never know when it's going to happen again," Gordon said. "And that, to me, is the toughest part about this year for me personally. "I'm not getting any younger. I put up about as good a numbers as I know how to put up, and it wasn't enough. And that's tough to handle as a competitor. "So definitely, you've got to dig deep and find out. ... Now, I'm just hoping we can ... do what we need to do to take it up one notch. "I don't feel like I'm done yet." You get the feeling that he's not. And this year's bitter disappointment may be just what he needs to finally win another title. http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/stor...813162&ATT=167
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11-20-2007, 06:55 PM
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#2 (permalink) |
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VIP Member
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 5,451
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For this season's ending, even if he wasn't whining, even I would cut JG some slack if he did. To have a season like he did and not take the championship had to really cut deep.
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11-21-2007, 02:13 AM
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#3 (permalink) |
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Resident Old Fart
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
Posts: 1,973
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No doubt, Scooters. It was a phenominal season for him, and to still lose the championship after that. He needs to come back tougher, and I think he will, especially after seeing his new helmet for 2008:
 No mercy |
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11-21-2007, 05:20 AM
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#5 (permalink) |
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 941
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Hey 24girl...hate to do this( I may change my mind later) but you see my new driver???
 The reason I'm going with him, is because he's seems like he has the fire,the drive, the will to win and he's out to prove a point. WHICH he did this year... He wants people to know there's more than just the BUD car in that stable.. He's down to earth and seems like a descent guy... More than likely I'll be a GORDON fan still next year but, I do like this guy and his style... If you want the position...take it( NO MARK MARTIN pulling over and letting them by) for this guy! |
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11-21-2007, 08:05 AM
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#8 (permalink) | |
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 3,178
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11-21-2007, 08:28 AM
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4-Time Champion
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: SUNSHINE STATE
Posts: 4,218
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He LQQKS like Darth Vader in that picture 
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