CUP: Gordon Keeps Heat On

Sprint Cup

CUP: Gordon Keeps Heat On

For the second time in the first four races of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, Jeff Gordon brought his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Impala SS home in second place...

Tom Jensen | Posted March 08, 2009 Harrisburg, NC

Jeff Gordon's victory at Texas ended a 47-race winless streak dating back to October 2007 and stretched his series points lead to 162 heading into Phoenix. (Photo: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Let’s be real blunt about what happened at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Sunday afternoon’s Kobalt Tools 500: Kurt Busch put such an old-fashioned butt-whipping on the entire field, that the real race was for second place. And in the battle behind Busch, Jeff Gordon took more than a little consolation in being best in class.

Busch’s Penske Championship Racing Dodge Charger utterly demolished and demoralized the field in Atlanta, as the 2004 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion led 234 of 330 laps and left no doubt that he was the stud horse on the day.

But Gordon’s consolation prize wasn’t half bad: For the second time in the first four races of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, he brought his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Impala SS home in second place and in the process widened his points lead to 43 over Clint Bowyer, who finished sixth.

Gordon lined third behind leader Carl Edwards and Busch on the race’s final green-white-checkers restart on Lap 329. He was able to dispatch Edwards, who had taken just two fresh tires on the last pit stop to four for Busch and Gordon.

On the final lap, Gordon drove his car deep into Turn 3, but just couldn’t keep it planted enough to catch Busch, let alone pass him. So, second place it was for the four-time series champion. All in all, a decent effort.

Sure, Gordon would have loved a victory in Atlanta to end his career-long 45-race winless streak. But there was no mistaking the fact that he knows his team is hitting its stride again after a dodgy 2008 season. And maybe, just maybe, if he can keep it up, Gordon might finally get that fifth Sprint Cup championship that he’s spent the last seven years chasing.

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Tom Jensen

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