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Thursday, August 2
Cup troika rolls into Brickyard
By Jerry Bonkowski
ESPN.com
Back home again in Indiana. But the question is how hospitable will the Hoosier State be to one of its favorite sons, Jeff Gordon, in Sunday's Brickyard 400?
As he chases his fourth Winston Cup championship, Gordon enters this weekend's event at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a slim 45-point lead in the standings over Ricky Rudd, who is still searching for his first career title.
Rudd's teammate, Dale Jarrett, who had an absolutely horrible run last Sunday at Pocono, Pa., has fallen from a tie for the lead to third place in the standings.
|  | | Gordon won the inaugural Brickyard 400 in 1994. |
Sunday's race could be a prelude to just how the final standings will wind up at season's end. Coincidentally, the three top point leaders currently are also the three top favorites to win at Indy, as well.
Gordon and Jarrett have each won the Brickyard 400 twice -- Gordon in its inaugural staging in 1994 as well as '98, while Jarrett won in 1996 and '99. And let's not forget Rudd, who won in 1997. The only other drivers to have won the Brickyard are the late Dale Earnhardt (1995) and Bobby Labonte last season en route to the championship.
In addition to victories, Gordon has earned three poles at the Brickyard (1995, '96 and '99), while Rudd grabbed the pole for last year's event. Jarrett has never sat on the pole at Indy.
Any way you look at it, Sunday's event (it was switched this year from its previous seven-year reign on Saturday afternoons) is likely to come down to a shootout for the finish between Gordon, Rudd and Jarrett, just like the championship battle is shaping up.
"Ricky and Dale are tough competitors," Gordon said. "They are both very talented drivers, they have Robert Yates Racing motors under the hood and their teams are really gelling right now.
"It's our job to go out there and not make mistakes because they're going to be right there week in and week out, just like we've been seeing."
Although a California native, Gordon has the added incentive of racing in the adopted home state where he spent most of his teen years and laid the groundwork for his racing career. A victory Sunday would also be a heck of a birthday present for the driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet, who turns the ripe old age of 30 on Saturday.
With three wins, a series-leading five poles and 12 top-fives in 20 events this season, Gordon has been especially dominant in recent weeks. It's no wonder he's atop the standings -- a place he'd like to remain upon leaving Indianapolis on Sunday night.
"We've led the most laps in the last two races but didn't get the victory," said Gordon, who has led over one-fourth of all laps this season (26 percent), more than the next three lap leaders combined, and has led the most laps in six of the last eight events. "Each week, we're leading laps and getting into position to win. If we keep doing that, the wins will come."
Gordon, crew chief Robbie Loomis and the rest of the Hendrick Motorsports crew are pulling out all their big guns for Sunday's race. Rather than use a new car for the 400-mile jaunt around the 2.5-mile quad-oval, the team will use the tried-and-true -- and quite successful -- car it won with from the pole at Michigan on June 10.
"We tested at Indy a couple of weeks ago and the car ran well," said Gordon, who has led 277 of a possible 1,120 laps, or 25 percent, in seven Brickyard 400s. "We're looking forward to the race but we can't get caught up in all the hype. We need to stay focused on the job at hand.
"Another win here would be tremendous. Although the Daytona 500 is our biggest event, I don't know if any win will ever top that win in the inaugural Brickyard 400. I'd have to say that was the all-time win for me."
Rudd's victory in the 1997 Brickyard 400 also stands out as the most illustrious of his career.
"I have a lot of good memories of Indianapolis," said Rudd, driver of the No. 28 Ford. "My win there in 1997 is obviously the biggest of my career and something that I'm very proud of.
"When I was seven years old, I remember going on a tour of the speedway and being completely in awe of that place. At that time, racing there was just a dream, so to actually win at Indy was extremely special to me.
"At this point in the season we are going to every track with a chance at winning, and Indy should be no different. Winning the Brickyard 400 is a grand accomplishment in itself and it would be even better if the Texaco/Havoline team can be the one to give Robert (team owner Robert Yates) his 50th win."
While winning at Indianapolis is a plum prize for any driver, where they wind up at the end of Sunday's race is even more significance for Gordon, Rudd and Jarrett. If Gordon wins, he can add a little breathing room to the ever-so-tight points battle. If Rudd wins, he can overtake Gordon for the No. 1 spot in the standings. And, if Jarrett wins, he can vault back over Rudd and start putting the pressure on Gordon again.
As steady as Gordon has been lately, Rudd has been the ultimate picture of consistency this season, with 14 top-10 finishes in the first 20 events, including a victory at Pocono in June, only his second win since his Brickyard triumph.
"I'm extremely pleased with our test session at Indy," Rudd said. "We're very well-prepared for the race on Sunday and I have a lot of confidence that our performance will show it."
Veteran motorsports writer Jerry Bonkowski covers NASCAR for ESPN.com. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
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