Jeff Gordon Looking to Pull Off Upset in 2009

In NASCAR upsets can happen every race and every season.

An upset can mean different things. It could mean a driver pulls out a win that nobody even expected, like Casey Mears at the Coca Cola 600 in 2007.

It could mean winning the pole, when nobody expected it, like David Ruetimann did at Homestead in 2008.

It could mean a finish that leaves you wondering " how did they do that?" like Regan Smith's almost victory at Talledega  last fall.

Coming into to 2009 all the "experts" had picked and listed who they thought would win the championship this year.

The list included three time and defending cup champ Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch who dominated the regular season in 2008 only to struggle in the Chase.

Carl Edwards who came so close to pulling off a huge upset in 2008 coming into 2009 riding a wave of momentum after finishing second to Johnson in the standings.

Even Mark Martin was on the list, and Kevin Harvick. But surprisingly one driver was missing from some list and was an afterthought on others; Jeff Gordon.

After going 0-36 in 2008, many had decided that his career was over, that he was getting soft, his talent had all but disappeared and that being a father had pulled his attention away from racing.

Gordon will  be the first to tell you he had alot of sleepless nights last year and it wasn't because he was winless for the first time since his rookie season, it was because his young daughter Ella-Sophia  wasn't sleeping through the night herself.

Fast forward to 2009. Gordon has a swagger about him that we haven't seen since 2001, which was his last championship. His confidence comes from getting good night sleep and his teams hard work in the offseason to get him comfortable in the new car.

So far he is the only driver to finish in the top 15 in every race, the only driver to lead a lap in every race and currently sits atop the points standings for the first time in over a year.

When you watch Gordon on the track, there is definitely something different about this team. In 2007, yes they were contenders, and yes they won races but it wasn't because they were always up front.

They  usually took advantage of another drivers mistake whether it be on pit road or on the track, the 24 team was always there. So yeah they won but they weren't always running well enough to win.

This year this team has been up front in every race. Gordon has been doing something that he struggled with even in 2007, coming through the pack.

Gordon hasn't always been able to navigate traffic even on his best days but so far, he has been able to make 215 quality passes that fourth best in the series.

While they haven't been to victory lane so far, this team has been the best  team by far this season. They know that if they postion themselves for wins, the wins will come and so far thats working.

You shouldn't be to surprised that this team has gotten to work after last year and worked not only on the car but team chemistry as well.

Gordon sounds different on the in-car radio, he is able to tell crew chief Steve LeTarte what he needs in the car so they can find a way to pull out a win. That alone is something we didn't see much last year if not at all.

Being the underdog is something Gordon is used to, he wasn't suppose to win one championship let alone four.

He knows that all he has to do is make sure he is there each race when it counts and come Richmond in the fall be in position to not only make the chase but be leading it when it counts. 

It is still early in the season and anything can happen, but so far Gordon is proving he will be a contender this year.

Before the season began he might not have been on many lists to win the championship this year.

Gordon is hoping to pull of an upset of his own this season.

That's win the championship.