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| | Friday, February 25 | ||||||||||
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Evernham left Gordon in October to spearhead Dodge's return to Winston Cup in 2001. He was replaced as the No. 24's crew chief by right-hand man Brian Whitesell. Whitesell, however, has since moved into the role of team manager and Robbie Loomis will crew chief the No. 24 in 2000. There is also the departure of five "over the wall" Warriors -- to Dale Jarrett's No. 88 team, no less -- and a few key personel who followed Evernham.
Loomis comes over from Richard Petty Enterprises and already notices a change in his new driver's input when it comes to the car.
"Earlier in his career, Jeff took a lot advice in the car. But now he's reached the point where he knows so much about it that most of the decisions will be his," Loomis said.
Entering the 2000 season without a safety net, so to speak, will afford Gordon the chance to prove his naysayers wrong. Ever since he arrived on the Winston Cup scene in 1994, the debate over his true worth to the team has splintered race track grandstands.
For nearly seven seasons, Gordon could count on Evernham having the team and car ready on race day. He could also rely on Hendrick Motorsports to provide Evernham with a car that could win. Some would argue all Gordon needed to do was show up 34 times on Sunday and a championship would be waiting for him in November.
Gordon did much more than that, of course. He and Evernham worked a car into a winning ride on race day better than any team on the track. But starting with Daytona 2000, the success or failure of the No. 24 team will be focused on Gordon.
"One of the key things we've noticed over the years while being champions, is that no one person is the key to making it happen," Gordon added. "I've got to drive the wheels off the car, but the car has to be there for me to do that. The pit crew has to make good pit stops. You have to be able to lean on other people's knowledge, and those people have to be able to step up when one guy slips. "And that was something maybe we did lose a little bit of (in 1999), because we lost some depth in the team." But wait a minute, we are talking about a team that won a series-best seven races in '99 -- including the Daytona 500. Gordon became the only driver to lead the circuit in victories five years in a row and grabbed a series-high eight poles along the way. But his sixth-place finish in Winston Cup points was the lowest since he wound up eighth in 1994. The law of averages, more than anything else, may explain Gordon's up-and-down season. Make no mistake, this is a team in flux. But when Gordon talks about rebuilding the Warriors, one can't help but wonder if they're just reloading. "When you've had seasons like we've had the last two, three even four years, you are going to compare each and every year to those (championship years)," Gordon said. "We went through some changes and some interesting moments during the season. Ray Evernham has been such a big part of our team and our success that it's tough to lose him. Brian Whitsell came in a did a great job. We lost a little bit of depth, but we're gaining that back. We certainly don't feel like we had a bad year."While Gordon puts on a brave face, losing Evernham won't come without consequences. After posting wins at Martinsville and Charlotte with cars that still had Evernham's finger prints all over them, the No. 24 couldn't do better than 10th in the final five races of the season. Gordon has faith that the people he puts around him for the next millennium will allow him to contend for championships. And while it may not have been totally by choice, Gordon is anxious to step into his new role as that team's point man. "We've got a lot of things happening (in 2000). We've got a new Monte Carlo, a new pit crew, a new crew chief. We have a lot of things to be excited about, but a lot of changes also," Gordon said. "We know we can win championships. We might approach things a little differently. We might not be out there winning seven or 10 races. But as long as we are battling for the championship, that's what really counts." | ALSO SEE Earnhardt Spotlight: Still intimidating Wallace Spotlight: 'I'm still hungry' Ward Burton: A foundation built for success Skinner spotlight: Keeping 'big picture' in mind | ||||||||||
