NASCAR WCUP: Jeff Gordon runs to third place finish at Rockingham

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

Jeff Gordon, No. 24 DupontAutomotive Finishes Chevrolet Monte Carlo (finished 3rd): “All day long we were real strong on newtires and those guys seemed to be better than us in the long runs. I thought we had it figured out abouttwo-thirds of the way through the race. We were out front, the car felt great. Steve Park drove a greatrace. I’m real proud of those guys andreal happy for Dale Earnhardt Inc. They needed to have a good weekend likethis. We’re missing somebody here thisweekend, that’s for sure. It’s not going to be the same, but it was a heck of arace out there. I thought Bobby Labontewas going to get him (Steve Park). Helooked like he saved his tires better than anybody out there. But I think Stevewas just out there too far. We’ll justgive ‘em another shot next weekend.”

(Tell us about that great battlewith Bobby Labonte at 15 laps to go when you were three wide and he got by you)– “Well I was just trying to block him and hold him back because my tires werejust shot. I think I ran a little bit too hard too early. Like I said, my car was real good on newtires. We made some adjustments and the car was the best it had been. Maybe I just used it up a little bit toomuch.”

(Is it nice to get thisrace under your belt?) – “It’s been a tough week for a lot of people. We come in here and there’s a lot of longfaces. And yet we’re like a family, soit’s nice to get together and get back to racing. So yes, it’s nice to get this one under our belts. I’m real happyfor Steve Park and DEI. They earned itand they did a great job and they certainly deserved to have a good weekendafter what happened last weekend.

(Did the rain changeanything for you?) – “No, the rain didn’t really change anything for usbecause it rained all day yesterday. I needed a caution with about 45 laps togo. We just needed to get some rubberon the race track to see what the track was like and to see how our car was. Wemade adjustments all day long. Tight in, loose off. We’d get freed up and it would be too tight off. There at the end I think my car was the bestit had

TEAM MONTE CARLO Contact:Nancy Wager Dura-Lube 400 – Race Notes GM Racing Communications Monday, February 26, 2001 nmwager@aol.com North Carolina Speedway Page 3 been. I think I ran a littlebit too hard. I wanted to try to keepSteve behind me and he did a great job of keeping the pressure on me.” (Has running this racelate affected you?) - I’m actually on the way to the shop right now. There were some things we were working onfor Las Vegas that I need to be there for. I just puts everybody a little bit under the gun. They didn’t get the day off that they’d liketo have had. You wish that we were going somewhere close, like Martinsville,but we’re not. We’re going all the wayacross the country. The car that wehave for Las Vegas does have a few other things in it that we’ve changed. Really, they made the changes last week andthey just need me to sit in it (the car) and make sure everything’s where itneeds to be. I’m going to try the HANSdevice. I’m committed to it. But I don’t know whether (or not) it’s goingto work out. Now Bobby Labonte has a thing I’ve been hearing about and I wantto ask him about it to see how it works. It looks a lot more comfortable, that’s for sure. Beyond that, I don’t know.”

Text Provided By Nancy Wager

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