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Wednesday, February 6

Gordon's dynasty likely to continue
By Joe Donatelli
Scripps Howard News Service

To appreciate Jeff Gordon's preeminence in NASCAR's Winston Cup series from 1995-2001, consider that during that span:

Jeff Gordon
Jeff Gordon is looking for a fifth Winston Cup championship in 2002.

Gordon won four season titles.

The New York Yankees won four World Series.

The Chicago Bulls won three NBA titles.

The Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Broncos, New Jersey Devils, Colorado Avalanche, Detroit Red Wings and Kentucky basketball won two titles apiece.

No Division-I college football team won more than one.

Looking ahead at the 2002 Winston Cup season there is little cause to think the Gordon dynasty won't continue.

"I don't see any reason Jeff would not be the favorite going into the season to win the championship," said longtime NASCAR observer and RPM2Night host John Kernan. "It just depends if the luck remains on his side. That sometimes can be more important than anything else."

The luck was on his side in 2001. Gordon's six wins were two better than his closest competitor, and his 18 top-5's and 24 top-10's in 36 races beat all. He banked $1 million more than next-best Dale Earnhardt Jr. and was never seriously challenged by second-place points finisher Tony Stewart.

Whether Gordon continues to dominate is one of the many storylines that will be followed during NASCAR's 54th season, which begins on Feb. 17 at the Daytona 500.

It was one year ago at the Daytona 500 that Dale Earnhardt Sr. died on the last lap. NASCAR has since begun to address seldom-considered safety issues for the first time and will continue to do so this season.

Among the changes already in place:

Mandatory use of head and neck restraints.

The recent approval of a more rigid seat.

Pit crews and pit officials are required to wear helmets and fire-resistant clothing. Drivers must also wear fire-resistant clothing and equipment.

Crash data-recorders (AKA black boxes) are required.

Also look for NASCAR to continue research on "soft walls" at tracks.

"We want to maintain our focus, day in and day out, on safety," said NASCAR vice president George Pyne.

Hence the new aero package at the Daytona and Talladega superspeedways, NASCAR's fastest tracks. The drivers pushed for the removal of roof blades that created drag and led to often-dangerous bunching up, but the fans might not like the results. The new design could lead to the single-file style of driving that produced such little excitement two years ago at Daytona.

Keeping fans happy remains imperative for NASCAR. Last year is repeatedly described as the sport's "breakout year," thanks to record television ratings in the first year of its deal with NBC, Fox, TNT and FX. The second half of the season saw a 34 percent jump in viewership compared to 2000.

NASCAR's brass would like to keep growing that audience, but continued growth comes at the risk of alienating longtime fans who fear the sport is losing its intimacy.

As for the field, Gordon's biggest challenger this season figures to be Stewart. The two butted heads in the points standing last year and have provided some of the series' more colorful post-race shenanigans in recent years.

RPM2Night's Kernan sees some historical similarities emerging between Gordon and another multi-title winner.

"The way with Earnhardt, yeah, a lot of people were fans of his, but a lot of people hated him," Kernan said. "It's the same way with Jeff Gordon now."

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