Ranking the Tracks Where Jeff Gordon Is Most Likely to Get His 1st 2015 Win
This year isย Jeff Gordonโs final season in a stock car, and it was supposed to inspire the type of farewell reminiscent of John Elway or Michael Jordan in 1998. And, letโs face it, it still might, but things arenโt trending that way for Gordon.
He has yet to win a race in 2015, and under prior racing rules that may not have been cause for alarm. But with NASCARโs adoption of a win-and-youโre-in Chase format, the onus is on winning, not points.
In all likelihood, even if he doesnโt win, he will point in. Heโs 10thย in the standings with 11 races to go. A year ago, 13 drivers won races, and this year 10 have already won. That already improves his chances of qualifying on points should he fail to win.
But why not win and get it over with? So letโs rank the tracks where Gordon could earn that first win of 2015 and the 93rdย of his illustrious career.
Read on for the tracks where he has the greatest probability of notching that first win.
11. Kentucky Speedway
1 of 11
Date of Race: July 11
Countdown to the Chase: Eight to go
Wins: Zero
Top Fives: 1
Kentucky is the only track on the entire circuit that has held Gordon winless. Itโs relatively new to the Sprint Cup as evidenced by his four starts there. A year ago, when Gordon was rolling, he thought about winning at every single track in the series.
"I have thought about it a little bit," Gordon said in Jeff Gluckโs USA Today story. "I feel like as good as our cars are this year, this is probably the most legitimate shot that we've had of crossing that one off the list. It would mean a lot. It would be quite an accomplishment, and it's something I would love to say I have done."
He stillย hasnโt done it, and July 11 will be just his fifth start on one of the more punishing and physically challenging tracks thanks to the bumpy front stretch.
10. New Hampshire Motor Speedway
2 of 11
Date of Race: July 19
Countdown to the Chase: Seven to go
Wins: Three
Top Fives: 16
Gordonโs trips around the Loudon oval havenโt been as strong as many of the tracks on this list.
The last time he cruised to Victory Lane, the Chicago Bulls had won their sixth NBA championship (1998). His last pole came in 2012, and even in that race he led just seven laps. Since that pole, he has led a total of 62 laps.
No, this track hasnโt been kind to Gordon in a long, long time.
9. Michigan International Speedway
3 of 11
Date of Race: August 16
Countdown to the Chase: Three to go
Wins: Three
Top Fives: 19
For all the wins Gordon has amassed in his career, he has had some serious droughts. Before the spring race at Michigan in 2014, he hadnโt won there since 2001.
An intense restart late in the 2014 renewal gave the race to Gordon, who was then 43 years old.
"There's got to be some advantages to being 43 out there," he said in Scott Heldโs NASCAR.com story. "I'd like to think patience and using your head is one of them."
Should Gordon still be winless in the regular season come Michigan, heโll need to summon the memory from this race to carry him to victory. But if he hasnโt won by this time, and with so many tracks so suited to his setup, then no amount of good cheer and rosy memories will lift the No. 24 car to a bath in Pepsi.
8. Watkins Glen International
4 of 11
Date of Race: August 9
Countdown to the Chase: Four to go
Wins: Four
Top Fives: Six
Watkins Glen is one of those binary tracks where Gordon either has it or doesnโt. He has four wins, which is a significant number, but with only six top fives and nine top 10s in 22 starts, he lacks a convincing curriculum vitae on this road course.
Gordon recorded his four wins over a five-year stretch from 1997 to 2001โdays when you didnโt have to take your shoes off prior to boarding a plane.
A year ago, he won the pole, his first since 2007, and faded to 34th. On Lap 51, he suddenly lost power. He checked his gauges and switched his batteries, and the car failed at every turn to respond to his urgings.
With road courses being so erratic and unpredictable, Gordon wonโt want to wait until this track to card that first win.
7. Richmond International Speedway
5 of 11
Date of Race: September 12
Countdown to the Chase: Zero
Wins: Two
Top Fives: 18
Gordon hasnโt won at Richmond in 29 races, a stretch that dates back to Y2K. If he hasnโt won by Sept. 12, heโs in a whole bunch of trouble. That is, of course, if he needs the win to qualify.
Two things will happen by this point: Either heโll have enough points for the Chase, or heโll need a win to get in. If heโs winless by Richmond, thereโs nothing to suggest heโll have the speed to do it.
The argument, by this stretch of Virginia road, is that heโll need the win to prove he can contend for the championship. Itโs time to think Drive for Five, and heโll need checkers to give the entire crew reason to believe that the bronco won't buck him off in this final rodeo.
Thereโs enough promise over the course of the year to think heโll get something positive done, if not soon, then maybe by Sept. 12.
FoxSports.comโs Jeff Hammond wrote, โI think that so far, I'm seeing more speed out of the Hendrick cars on the mile-and-a-half tracks than I'm seeing on the short tracks. So, I think they're going to be fine, and I think Jeff's going to be real proud of his final season when it's all said and done."
6. Bristol Motor Speedway
6 of 11
Date of Race: August 22
Countdown to the Chase: Two to go
Wins: Five
Top Fives: 17
Bristol is yet another track where Gordon has a sizableย drought. Holler back to 2002 for the last time he won at Bristolโs famous oval. Itโs not all bad if you look beyond the checkered flags, though.
Gordon earned five top 10s in the last eight races at Bristol including a top three this year in a race where he recovered from a loose wheel.
โThe car was really fast after that, and we were able to get back on the lead lap, which was great, and then we lined up in the outside lane which was a huge plus tonight, a couple times on some restarts and ended up driving our way into the top five,โ Gordon said in Tom Jensenโs FoxSports.comโs piece following this yearโs Bristol trip.
The type of grit Gordon has shown this year has been noble, to put it reductively. There were any number of chances he could have mailed in a race, with Bristol being one of them, yet he continues to lean heavy on the throttle.
That type of focus in the face of sub-Gordon-ian results seems to point to a win sooner than later.
5. Sonoma Raceway
7 of 11
Date of Race: June 28
Countdown to the Chase: 10 to go
Wins: Five
Top Fives: 14
For whatever reason, Gordon has Sonoma dialed in. More encouraging, heโs had the right chassis setup the past two years in wine country.
2013 and 2014 has seen him earn two runner-ups. Thatโs promising because 2006 was the last time he took his road gear to Victory Lane. Sonoma is the next race on the calendar, and he could find that special swagger that saw him win his five races there from 1998 to 2004.
Gordon said something on SportingNews.com in 2013 that is prescient today. Sparing the brevity, hereโs what he said:
"The thing is, unless you're eliminated from competition, you never stop trying. You know, over the years, I've had a lot of success but I've also had my failures as well, and you learn from both of them. Sometimes you learn from your failures more than you do your successes.
While the successes help build confidence and the failures break the confidence down, I think one of the things that me and this team are good at is leaving that behind and going and starting clean at the next race and just focus on that race.
"
If that doesnโt echo into 2015, what will?
4. Pocono Raceway
8 of 11
Date of Race: August 2
Countdown to the Chase: Five to go
Wins: Six
Top Fives: 19
Pocono has always been one of Gordonโs top tracks. He earned his first win in 1996 and took his sixth checkered flag in 2012.
Gordon is a top-10 machine at Pocono, registering one in nearly 70 percent of his starts. That always keeps him within a caution and a strong restart away from wins. It also proves how strong his car is over the course of the entire race.
The 2015 spring race saw Gordon and his crew chief, Alan Gustafson, verbally spar over the radio. Their spotter even came in as the mediator.
Gordon finished 14th, but it could have been far worse given how the car was handling through much of the race. Should he still be winless come Pocono, his record six wins should buoy his chances.
3. Daytona International Speedway
9 of 11
Date of Race: July 5
Countdown to the Chase: Nine to go
Wins: Six
Top Fives: 19
Gordon does well when he can stretch out those legs and get it rolling at this superspeedway. His success extended as far as this yearโฆsort of.
To kick off his much-maligned Farewell Tour, Gordon won the pole for the 2015 Daytona 500, only to finish 33rdย after leading 87 laps.
The last time Gordon took checkers in the summer renewal of this race was back in 2004, a time when the track was far warmer and the race shorter by 100 miles.
The problem with Daytona is that it can go good or bad for Gordon. Thereโs very little in between. Taking a cross-section of the past 11 races at DIS, his finishes look like this: 26th, third, 28th, sixth, 40th, 12th, 20th, 34th, fourth, 12thย and 33rd.
Following that pattern, it would appear Gordon is ready for a peak effort at Daytona.
2. Darlington Raceway
10 of 11
Date of Race: September 6
Countdown to the Chase: One to go
Wins: Seven
Top Fives: 19
Most of Gordonโs wins, like many of the tracks on this list, came a long time ago, signaling how dominant he once was but also signifying how deep NASCAR is of late (or an eroding of his talents).
That said, Gordon qualifies with the best of them at Darlington. His average starting position is 6.8. He only has three poles to his resume at Darlington, but that doesnโt seem to matter so long as he can remain close to the front.
Gordon said in Pete Pistoneโs Motor Racing Networkย story prior to last yearโs race at Darlington:
"I mean, the pressure's always there to win. You always want to win. Winning benefits you whether it's this points system or any other points system. Winning is the ultimate. That's what we are all out there to do. It's important to be consistent because that helps get you in a position more often to win.
"
The pressure will be tight if heโs still winless by this point. This being the penultimate race of the season, he may or may not need the win. If he keeps rattling off top 10s with the efficiency of Martin Truex Jr., Gordon may be all right.
These are things that winning solves.
1. Indianapolis Motor Speedway
11 of 11
Date of Race: July 26
Countdown to the Chase: Six to go
Wins: Five
Top Fives: 12
The Brickyard 400.
Thereโs no race outside of the Daytona 500 Gordon loves more than this one. Itโs important to Alan Gustafson, Gordonโs crew chief, too.
"It's just unbelievable. I've wanted to win this race my whole life," said Gustafson in Nate Ryanโs USA Today story from 2014. "Jeff was so good all day and he made it happen. This place is so special; this is the one, the one for me."
Gordon won this race a year ago, making it the most recent success on this list of tracks. He hadnโt won it since 2004, so this proved he still had theย mojo that having five wins suggests.
This race falls nicely on the calendar for Gordon. Heโll want the win regardless but wonโt be quite as desperate as he will later in the regular season.
Itโs hard to fathom Gordon not winning a race in 2015, but itโs not outside the realm of possibility. He went winless in 2010 and 2008.
Itโs equally hard to think he wonโt win at least one race before the Chase. No Chase-eligible Gordon will make for a sad anticlimax to a historically great driver.
All race stats come via RacingReference.com.
.png?w=600 "Golden Tempo Wins Belmont ๐")
