NASCAR-WCUP: Gordon Going for Back-to-back Wins at Atlanta
12 March 1999
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When Gordon last competed at the 1.5-mile oval, he already had clinched the Winston Cup championship the week before at Rockingham, making Atlanta a race-to-win-only event. Gordon won at both venues bringing his season total up to 13 wins, tying Richard Petty's modern era record for the most wins in one season.
After race No. 3 at Las Vegas last Sunday, Gordon has one win, another top-five and a DNF. The high of the Daytona 500 win was somewhat offset by engine failure the following week at Rockingham. However, going to Las Vegas and finishing third where he finished 17th last season puts Gordon right back in the game.
"After what we did in Las Vegas last year, a third-place finish is like a win to me," said Gordon. "I'm now looking forward to racing in Atlanta for the first time in a long time. I really struggled at this time last season at both Las Vegas and Atlanta. We came out with a good finish at Las Vegas, now maybe we can leave Atlanta with good results as well."
Gordon, the 1998 Winston Cup champion, is currently fifth in the points standings, 74 behind leader Mike Skinner. Gordon has seen some ups and downs at Atlanta Motor Speedway. In 13 starts, he has two wins, five top-fives and six top-10's, yet has finished outside of the top 30 four times for an average finish of 15.9. "I think that we learned some things at Atlanta in November that will hopefully help us here again," said Gordon. "In order to compete for the championship we have to be strong everywhere."
Pressure has never been a factor that has affected Gordon or his team of Rainbow Warriors in the past, and it is not expected to start now.
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