Where Has Jeff Gordon Gone?

There was a time not too long ago when the No. 24 car of Jeff Gordon was the most feared car on the track. Super Speedways, short tracks, intermediate sized tracks, road courses, it didn't matter. Jeff Gordon ruled them all. He was a threat to win almost every week. If he was still around late in the race, watch out.

Those days are over now, apparently. I call it "his typical late race fade." I don't know what it is, if it's bad luck or bad strategy. Or if he just hasn't got "it" anymore. Or if his crew chief is not up to par. But whatever it is, it is glaring. Gordon has won ONE race in his last two seasons. ONE? This from a man who was third in the points standings a year ago.

To finish third in points, you have to have a car capable of winning. To only win one time in two years with that kind of equipment and funding is, well, not very good. By the way, third in the points also means third out of the four car Hendrix stable. So that means that out of three drivers with equal stuff, he lost to two of them.

Yesterday's Daytona 500 was a microcosm of Gordon's last four to five years. He ran great for most of the race. I actually told people in the stands behind me that, "If he doesn't win, I'll be shocked." That's how good he looked. He started at the back of the pack, and during the second half of the race, he was in the thick of it.

Then with just a few laps left, he faded. Again. He went from the top five to 14th in one lap. Then the next lap he was in 15th. Then he ended up 26th. If this was a decade ago, I would say he must've had a bad set of tires or a mechanical issue. But this had happened more times in the last several years than I can remember.

I don't know what has happened to him. Maybe he's satisfied with what he's already accomplished. Maybe he's more into the family now that he's a dad. I don't know. But I hope one day to see him back on his game. Because when he is at the top of his game, there is none better. No not even you, Jimmie Johnson.

Richard Petty's 200 wins is unreachable. The schedules and the system is too different now from what it was back then. But Gordon could reach 100 wins, which in this era would be pretty similar. A few years ago, this looked like a lock. Not so much now.

If one needs a sign to know how bad it's gotten for Gordon, here it is. I was at Daytona all weekend. I wore a Dupont Motorsports jacket. Not one person had one rude remark for me. At driver introductions, no boos for Jeff. They boo Kyle Busch. They boo Kurt Busch. Some boo Tony Stewart. Nobody booed Jeff. That is a bad sign.

When Dale Earnhardt was in his prime, everybody booed him. It wasn't until he struggled that everybody backed off. And when he died, everybody all of a sudden became a fan. But this happened to Dale Sr in his late 40s. Gordon is still in his 30s. He's much too young for this.