Will Jeff Gordon's Victory Tour Wind Up Without Any Victories?

I don't want this to sound snide, but if you're going to have a victory tour, aren't you supposed to have a win or two—or more?

We all know Jeff Gordon is in his final season of racing in the Sprint Cup Series. But what should have been a year of celebration and going out in great fashion just hasn't happened that way up to now.

Gordon is a respectable 10th in the Sprint Cup standings after finishing 14th Sunday at Pocono. And given race winner Martin Truex Jr. is now the 10th different driver to reach Victory Lane in the first 14 races, Gordon is still in a good—but not great—position.

If the Chase for the Sprint Cup were to begin today, Gordon would be seeded 13th, the third driver without any wins.

But there's a big point of caution.

Gordon is just 43 points ahead of 16th-ranked Carl Edwards, who is already all but assured of being in the Chase with his win two weeks ago at Charlotte.

Those 43 points don't mean much. In fact, it's the exact number of points a driver earns for winning a race, not including bonuses for laps led, etc.

What's more, through 14 races, Gordon has just two top-five and eight top-10 finishes.

If he suffers another devastating loss like Atlanta (41st), Daytona (33rd) or Talladega (31st), Gordon and his 43-point edge over Edwards could suddenly be in both a world of trouble and hurt.

Gordon talked about underachieving so far, according to Jay Pennell of Fox Sports:

"

I think we are very conscious of the fact that we need to improve our performance, especially on the 1.5-mile tracks. We have not lived up to our own expectations, and we are working extremely hard to find that.

I think right now if we execute flawlessly we have a shot at winning. But we haven't been doing that either. We have some work to do.

"

What now looks like a decent margin to make the Chase could suddenly drop him to a position of jeopardy—if not potentially missing the Chase entirely—if he doesn't earn at least one win in the remaining 12 regular-season races.

Remember how Clint Bowyer looked like almost a lock to make last year's Chase even though he didn't have any wins?

Bowyer was 14th in the standings after the 14th race of 2014. Seven races later, also at Pocono, he was up to ninth in the points. His Chase berth seemed assured.

But Bowyer ultimately dropped to 17th in the next five races—and right out of the Chase.

That's the kind of fate Gordon is staring at unless he gets going.

Here's more ammo to support the trouble Gordon is facing, with potentially more to come if he doesn't get things on track—and soon.

Gordon has failed to lead a lap in eight races, led just one lap at Pocono and just three laps at both Fontana and Texas.

Think of that: Gordon has led three or fewer laps in all but three races out of the first 14.

Last year, he led 1,083 laps, the most he had led since 1,300 in 2007. Thus far in 2015, he's led a grand total of just 162.

At that pace, he'll finish the season—his "victory tour" season—with maybe 450 laps led, one of the lowest production seasons he's had in his 23-year full-time Sprint Cup slate.

Some people might say Gordon doesn't want to go all-out in his final year, that he wants to play it safe and get out without being hurt.

But forget that theory: Gordon has made 775 consecutive starts in his Sprint Cup career dating back to his debut in the 1992 season-ending race at Atlanta. He'll break Ricky Rudd's "Ironman" record of 788 consecutive starts at New Hampshire, the second race of the Chase.

Others may say there's no spark, that Gordon is no longer a viable threat to win, much like Tony Stewart, who continues to struggle through the worst season start of his career.

Others may point a finger of blame at crew chief Alan Gustafson and overall pit strategy for Gordon's deficiencies and shortcomings.

But not Gordon.

"We want to be better," he said, per Pennell. "We don't just want to be in the Chase, we want to be in the Chase with a chance at winning it."

Admittedly, Gustafson's pit strategy at times this season has appeared suspect. Some fans may even go so far as to say it has cost Gordon a win or two—or maybe even three.

That sentiment is wrong. Gustafson is one of the most underrated crew chiefs in the business. Plus, Gordon has made mistakes himself behind the wheel, including pit road penalties for speeding.

Rather, the problem that has beset the No. 24 team is more about being in the wrong place at the wrong time, as can be traced to the wrecks Gordon was caught up in (not of his own doing) at Daytona and Atlanta.

Sure, he's managed to fight his way back to 10th in points after being as far back as 35th after Atlanta. But fighting back is only part of the equation.

Could the problem be Gordon's cars, perhaps?

Not likely.

After all, Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jimmie Johnson has four wins, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. has one. Gordon and Kasey Kahne, who is eighth in the standings, have not won a race.

And Hendrick Lite—otherwise known as its Stewart-Haas Racing farm team, which leases chassis and motors from HMS—has had a great season from Kevin Harvick and a semi-good season from Kurt Busch (but not so much for Stewart and Danica Patrick).

Honestly, there's no apparent reason why Gordon is where he is currently, not to mention winless and almost an afterthought when it comes to winning a race.

That has to change—and change fast.

Otherwise, Gordon's "victory tour" will morph into something that one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history will never forget—but not for the right reasons.

Follow me on Twitter @JerryBonkowski