NASCAR WCUP: Jeff Gordon hopes to bring 'Bugs and Elmer' to victory lane
Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
September 6, 2001
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As the Winston Cup series rolls into Richmond for the Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 with Looney Tunes, Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet, will be one of seven Chevrolet drivers to have several passengers riding along during the race.
If Looney Tunes characters Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd will stop chasing each other for the weekend and help Gordon chase down his competitors as he hunts down his sixth victory of the season and fourth career Winston Cup championship, they may be able to take the DuPont "Pure Fire Prism" ChromaLusion-painted car to Victory Lane.
"We haven't had a lot of luck with special paint schemes this year, but I think this weekend will be different," said Gordon. "There will be some bumping and banging at Richmond, but I think Bugs and Elmer can take it."
Like most tracks on the Winston Cup circuit, Richmond International Raceway has been good to Gordon. The defending race champion has two wins, three poles, nine top-five and 12 top-10 finishes in 17 career starts.
"It can get pretty slick at Richmond, especially if it's hot," said Gordon. "It's kind of like Bristol, you just hope to stay out of trouble and be around at the end."
Gordon, the series points leader, is in the midst of a spectacular Winston Cup season. He leads all drivers in many statistical categories: wins (5), poles (5), top five's (16), top 10's (18), races led (20), laps led (1,903), average finish (9.7) and average start (9.0).
"Even though we've got a pretty good cushion in the points race, it only takes a few bad finishes to even things up," said Gordon. "We've been fortunate to not have any bad luck when it seems that everyone else has."
The win last year in this event led to a series of strong finishes for Gordon and the No 24 DuPont team. In the final 11 races last season, they finished outside the top 10 only once due to an accident at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
"We really came together as a team last fall," said Gordon. "We finally found the chemistry that has put the No. 24 team back on top."
In fact, since their win a year ago in Richmond, the No. 24 DuPont team has 26 top-10 finishes in 36 races.
"I honestly can't say enough about how far this team has come," said Gordon. "We now go into each race knowing that we're going to perform well and contend for the pole and the win, whereas before, we didn't have the same amount of confidence each week."
With momentum on their side and the help of Bugs and Elmer - if those two can set aside their differences - Gordon will be one step closer to his fourth Winston Cup championship.
Text provided by Kymberly Brantigan
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