NASCAR WCUP: Strong '500' first step to fourth championship for Gordon

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Although the familiar rainbow-colored paint scheme is gone, the goals for Jeff Gordon remain the same – win races and win the NASCAR Winston Cup championship.

Gordon's quest for his fourth championship begins with the Daytona 500 on February 18, at a speedway where he has had success from the beginning.

Gordon's Daytona career began in spectacular fashion. He won his first Twin 125 qualifying race in 1993 as a rookie. That same year, he led the first lap of his first Daytona 500 en route to a fifth-place finish.

Gordon, driver of the DuPont Chevrolet, won the invitation-only 1994 Busch Clash in his first attempt with a daring three-wide pass on the backstretch. He also won the 1997 Busch Clash, an event that has since been reformatted and renamed the Budweiser Shootout.

He captured his first Daytona 500 victory in 1997 with a spectacular move entering turn one late in the race leading a 1-2-3 Hendrick Motorsports sweep. Gordon pulled a similar move late in the 1999 Daytona 500 to capture his second victory in NASCAR's most prestigious event.

Coupled with two victories in the Pepsi 400 and eight top-five finishes in 16 events, Gordon likes his chances at Daytona.

However, competition will be tight due to new NASCAR aerodynamic rules being used at Talladega and Daytona.

"This will be the first time racing here with the aero changes," Gordon said. "But if it's anything like the NASCAR aero test session we had here last year or the last Talladega race, it will be wild.

"We started in back at Talladega because we had to use a back up car. I think we were in the top five in 11 laps. We were also shuffled back a lot during the race. "Daytona has always been more of a handling track than Talladega. Since we haven't raced with the new package, we have a lot of unknowns. Will the new aero package mean that handling isn't as important or will it still be crucial on a long run?"

Gordon will get a sneak preview of the effects of the new aero package during the Budweiser Shootout on February 11. This 70-lap event, worth no Winston Cup points, will give the 19 invited drivers a chance to draft, slingshot and work on strategy.

"The Shootout will provide valuable information to the teams involved," Gordon said. "We hope that what we learn will translate into a good finish when it really counts.

"This team has worked hard over the off-season to prepare for Daytona and the 2001 season. While we've tested down here and put a lot of emphasis on the 500, we've got to remember there is a long season ahead of us.

"A bad finish at Daytona doesn't break your season but a strong run sure does provide a nice springboard.

"This team is ready to regain the form we had a couple of years ago. We want to get back to winning races and finishing in the top five week in and week out.

"That's what it takes to win championships."

Text Provided By Jon Edwards

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