GORDON TO CONTINUE WINNING STREAK AT DARLINGTON?

    DARLINGTON, S.C. - Jeff Gordon will attempt to win his 60th career NASCAR 
Winston Cup race this Sunday in the Mountain Dew Southern 500 at Darlington 
Raceway. If he visits Victory Lane Sunday, it will be his first win since 
August 24, 2002, a span of eight days.
    Gordon, driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet, snapped a much publicized 
31-race winless streak last Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway. It 
marked his fifth win at Bristol and the first time he has won the night 
event. This week, Gordon visits the only other track on the circuit where he 
has five wins.
    "We're excited about Darlington," Gordon said. "Bristol was a great win 
for us and we enjoyed the victory lane celebration. I'm sure the guys enjoyed 
their day off Sunday, but our main focus now is running well here and 
hopefully celebrating again Sunday afternoon.
    "We always seem to be strong here and I think a lot of it has to do with 
qualifying well and respecting the track. The track has to be your number one 
concern and it's much easier to do that when you're not stuck in traffic in 
the back. Whether you're a veteran or not, it's tough to race from the back.
    "These young guys are pretty brave and they're making it more difficult 
to qualify up front here. They're driving it deep into the corner and, if it 
sticks for them, they'll cut a great lap."
    In 19 races at Darlington, Gordon has five wins including a record four 
consecutive Southern 500 victories from 1995 - 1998. He has three poles, 10 
top-fives, 13 top-10's and has led 1,174 laps out of a possible 6,026 laps, 
or 19.5 percent. 
    Over the past 14 races at "The Track Too Tough To Tame," Gordon has only 
two finishes worse than ninth and only one finish worse than 13th -- a 
40th-place DNF (did not finish) in March of 2001 due to engine failure. Since 
that day, Gordon has been running at the finish in 55 consecutive races, a 
modern-era record (1972 - present).
    "When we weren't winning, finishing the races is what kept us in the 
points chase," Gordon said. "Consistency wins championships and we stayed 
within striking distance during our winless streak.
    "But now that we've tasted victory, this team wants more."
    Which means Sunday may just be the continuation of a winning streak.