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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
SADLER: Gordon On Go
Jeff Gordon is out to prove a lot of people wrong who last year questioned his determination and drive to win...
Hermie Sadler  |  Posted February 25, 2009   Charlotte, NC
Hermie Sadler is a reporter for NASCAR RaceDay, NASCAR Victory Lane and NASCAR Live! on SPEED. (Photo: SPEED)

Jeff Gordon has been one of the most intriguing and refreshing stories to emerge thus far in the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Coming off a winless 2008 season, Gordon hit the ground running and won his Gatorade Duel at Daytona race, was in contention to win the Daytona 500 and backed up that effort with a runner-up finish at Fontana.

The man is out to prove a lot of people wrong who last year questioned his determination and drive to win. Some blamed his perceived lack of focus on his new daughter and various other “distractions,” but Gordon and crew chief Steve Letarte appear to be approaching this season with a chip on their shoulder and a motivation to show everyone Jeff Gordon is ready to win races and compete for the championship. So far, that’s exactly what they have done.

Not to say Gordon wasn’t focused last season, but he and the entire No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team look more resolute than ever and are starting the year with a bit of an attitude and air of confidence and focus. It will be interesting to see whether they’re able to carry this momentum. Gordon ran well enough to win at California and that’s the first step to being back in Victory Lane.

While most were picking Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards to win the championship, I selected Gordon three weeks ago. I talked to him at Daytona and California and he spoke about his elevated confidence level that stems from the fact he feels good about his team’s off-season work, what they learned and the extent of their preparation. Even a driver with four championships needs the confidence he can run up front and contend. With Gordon’s newfound self-assurance, he will be just that much better.

I don’t think Gordon lost confidence in his ability to drive last year but rather in his capacity to accurately relate to Letarte what he needed to be competitive, and he wasn’t the only driver struggling to decipher the new car. Gordon wasn’t certain that he knew how to tell Letarte what he needed when he keyed the mic in the race car. But he now has a good hold on what adjustments are needed and how they will affect the car’s handling.

This new car has proven a challenge for many teams because it puts them in a smaller box as far as what they can do to work on the car to get it to the driver’s liking. Teams can’t work on and manipulate these cars the way they could the older car, so it has taken Gordon and Letarte a little more time than it took Chad Knaus and Jimmie Johnson to find the areas they could adjust to help Gordon out. As does everyone, he has a full season under his belt with this car and has learned more about its nuances, and he and his crew have made gains in areas that needed to be addressed. Gordon has openly admitted his struggles with the new car, so it’s great to see his old confidence return this season.

Drivers have had to begrudgingly accept that this car does not handle perfectly all the time and they must learn to drive it when it’s not handling to their satisfaction. When it’s a little loose, they better hang on to it, and when it’s a little tight, adjust their driving accordingly. The guys able to roll with the punches are the ones we’ll see running up front. This car is not going to drive well all the time and drivers have to drive what they’ve got.

Gordon is learning to drive what he’s got so don’t be surprised if you see him drive it straight to Victory Lane several times this year.

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEEDtv.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or Speed Channel

Hermie Sadler is a reporter for NASCAR RaceDay, NASCAR Victory Lane and NASCAR Live! on SPEED. Sadler began racing as a 10 year old and has more than 300 starts in the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series. He also owns the United Wrestling Federation, which promotes live professional wrestling events in the Southeast. To learn more about Sadler, visit HermieSadler.com
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