Team Richard Childress Racing Car/Make No. 31/Chevrolet Sponsor Cingular Wireless Crew Chief Chris Andrews
STATS	2003	CAREER
Rank	16	16*
Wins	2	3
Top 5	4	9
Top 10	10	21
DNFs	2	28
Top Finish	1	1
*Indicates best career points finish

2003 recap
The good: Gordon had a stellar season in 2003, his best ever in Cup racing, starting by qualifying third and finishing sixth at the season-opening Daytona 500. Not only did he enjoy career single-season highs in wins and overall finish, he finally came into his own as a legitimate top-15 driver week after week. That can only bode very well for the near future for Gordon. He won both road course races in 2003 (Sonoma and Watkins Glen), and had other outstanding finishes at Richmond (spring, finished fourth) and Loudon (first race, fifth), as well as sixth-places at Michigan (August), Indianapolis and the aforementioned Daytona 500.

The bad: Despite the strong season he had overall, Gordon arguably could have done better, particularly in the final third of the season. Consider this: after finishing sixth at Indy, first at Watkins Glen and sixth at Michigan, all consecutively, Gordon had just one top-15 finish (12th at Talladega) in his final 13 starts of the season. It's no wonder he slipped from 10th after Michigan to his eventual 16th-place finish in the overall standings. Had he been able to maintain some of the momentum he generated in the first two-thirds of the season, he very easily could have finished in the top-15, if not possibly cracking the top-10 by season's end.

Key stat: Two. Gordon had just two DNFs all season, both due to crashes (Daytona in July and Darlington in fall). He had one of the most well-running cars on the circuit, not having to drop out of any races due to mechanical mishap or failure. Per capita, it was his best performance with fewest DNFs in a single season in his Cup career.

2004 outlook
What needs to be done: Not much of anything, just further improvement on his accomplishments from 2003, and trying to find a way to be more consistent and finish higher, particularly in the final stages of the season, unlike his struggles at the end of this past campaign. Gordon turns 35 on Jan. 2, so time is slowly starting to run out on him and hopes for a Cup championship. On the other hand, he drives for one of the most successful Cup organizations in the business. If the members of RCR can't get Gordon to the championship, no one can.

Key change: Former crew chief Kevin Hamlin and most of his crew have left Gordon's team to join the RCR-owned No. 30 American Online Chevrolet team for rookie driver Johnny Sauter. At the same time, most of the No. 30 team's crew will join Gordon's team for 2004. While Chris Andrews has come up through the ranks of the RCR organization, this will be his first crew chief role, which does cause some concern.

Guarantee: If he can shake off his late season inconsistency from 2003, Gordon could have the Cup world by a string in 2004. Quite honestly, he could very well be one of the dark horses this coming season. After two full seasons with RCR, 2004 could be the year Gordon shines.

Prediction: At the very least, Gordon should easily finish in the final top-15, if not the top-10 in 2004. At the most, he is a legitimate contender as a dark horse championship challenger.

Did you know: Gordon ain't no turkey, that's for sure. But in what has become a long-time pre-race ritual for him, Gordon always -- and only -- eats a turkey sandwich for lunch prior to a race.

Your take
Will 2004 be Gordon's watershed season in Cup racing? Will he finally be able to put all the elements at his disposal -- his immense driving talent, the success and organization of RCR Racing, the big bucks sponsorship of Cingular Wireless -- and potentially mount a serious challenge for the first Nextel Cup championship? Share your thoughts on Gordon's prospects for 2004.