NHIS-TO-KANSAS CITY STRETCH PIVOTAL IN 2002 CHAMPIONSHIP RUN

    LOUDON, N.H. - The NASCAR Winston Cup Series visits New Hampshire 
International Speedway this Sunday for the New England 300, the third event 
of 20 straight weekends for NASCAR's top division. While a weekend off would 
be nice, Jeff Gordon sees this as a great opportunity for the No. 24 DuPont 
team.
    "This stretch really shows how well teams are prepared," Gordon said. "It 
can create long hours for the guys at the shop if they're playing ‘catch-up' 
during this time.
    "We didn't tear much up during the first half of the season and that 
certainly helps. And we learned a lot from the 48 team that we'll apply 
during our second visit to the tracks."
    The July New Hampshire event last season was the beginning of a 10-race 
stretch that helped catapult Gordon to his fourth Winston Cup championship. 
In those 10 events, Gordon scored nine top-10 finishes including victories at 
Indianapolis, Watkins Glen and Kansas City. He entered the New Hampshire race 
tied for the points lead with Dale Jarrett, and 10 races later -- after 
winning Kansas City -- he held a 222-point lead over Ricky Rudd.
    "That was a defining stretch for this team," said Gordon. "I guess you 
could say we were ‘in the zone' during those races. Not only did we think we 
should consistently finish in the top five each weekend, but we felt like we 
had cars that could win every race."
    Gordon's chances of making another move up the point standings this 
weekend are good. In 14 races at NHIS, Gordon has three wins, three poles, 
eight top-five and 10 top-10 finishes. He dominated the fall event here last 
season, leading 257 of 300 laps, before an accident dropped him to 15th.
    "We're using the same car here that we used last fall and I hope we have 
the same performance but with a better result," said Gordon. "They've made 
some changes to the track and I'm eager to see how those changes affect the 
racing and the groove."
    Gordon will attempt to win his second straight pole at the New Hampshire 
track this Friday, a day in which his primary sponsor, DuPont, celebrates 200 
years of scientific achievements that have improved the lives of people 
around the world.
    "Winning the pole would be nice, but I'd rather give DuPont a belated 
present from Victory Lane on Sunday," said Gordon. "The support they've given 
us over the years is amazing. Our successful partnership has produced 58 wins 
and four championships.
    "And we're not done yet."