Jeff Gordon: Why Gordon Will Dethrone Jimmie Johnson

Jimmie Johnson's half decade reign as the King of NASCAR is about to come to an end. And his own teammate is going to end it.

Jeff Gordon is surging right now. He is running better than he has since he claimed his last Cup championship in 2001.

Gordon is currently fifth in the Cup standings. He trails leader Jimmie Johnson by 43 points. He's picked up three wins this season after being shutout in 2010, and he picked up only one win between 2008-2010.

Gordon has left those checkered flag woes well in this past this season, and now he is ready to end his championship drought.

This will be the season that Gordon claims championship No. 5.

Read on to see why....

Fire Is Back

Jeff Gordon is always an intense driver, but like most great champions he has the ability to take that intensity to places very few can go.

That elite level of intensity had not been there for most of the past decade. Then something happened. Gordon found himself as hungry for a championship as he was when he was a youngster trying to prove that an open wheeled racer could make it in NASCAR.

This intensity became apparent last season. Gordon was thick in the championship hunt. Jeff Burton wrecked him and Gordon tried to wreck Burton with his fists. Gordon has carried that intensity into this season, and it is showing in his results.

The Rivalry

That intensity is undoubtedly fueled by his rivalry with his teammate, Jimmie Johnson. When Johnson claimed his fourth Cup championship last year, he past Gordon on the all-time list. Don't think that Gordon didn't notice.

This rivalry is usually friendly, but there is a definitely some animosity there. Gordon has a score to settle with Johnson, and he is going to settle it. 

The following quote is from Gordon following last year's race at Talledega. It comes to us via foxnews.com

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"We were going to drive by some cars and the No. 48 decided to change three lanes and keep me from going by him. And that's just not cool when you've got cars going that much faster than you. So maybe he just didn't know it...I don't think it was a very smart move. These cars sometimes get such a shove and sometimes you get so much momentum it's just more of a coincidence that it was him."

"But you turn the wheel left like that when a car is coming and somebody's going to have a problem. I did everything I could to keep from wrecking him. I did. I saw what he was doing and I (knew) I couldn't go underneath the yellow line to pass him so I did everything I could to check up but somebody was still pushing me and turned me and I actually got into him. But he's been testing my patience and it's about reached its boiling point."

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Team Effort

Jeff Gordon made a switch in crew chiefs this season. It took he and his team a while to start clicking, but now that they are they are the best team in NASCAR.

Gordon and crew chief Alan Gustafson are working seamlessly together. Gustafson understands Gordon's requests with the car, and he gets them fixed just the way Gordon needs.

Gordon has also been solidly consistent in and out of the pits all season.

Peaking at Right Time

Jeff Gordon got off to a solid, but not spectacular start to the 2011 season. He then hit a mid-season slump. In a five race stretch from May 30th to April 29th, Gordon finished no higher than 12th and as low as 39th.

That slump is long gone now. In the 13 races since then Gordon has finished out of the top 10 only four times, and he has been top three five times, including two victories. His lowest finish in that stretch is 17th.

That kind of consistent performance will earn him a championship.

The Wrap-Up

This figures to be an epic race to the championship. I predict it will be the closest one since the 10-race Sprint Chase for the Cup format was adopted.

Gordon and Johnson are going to be battling it out the whole way. While both drivers have been scorching hot, Gordon has been hotter. He is going to carry that momentum into the Chase and take it to a trophy.

Gordon and his team are clicking on a higher level than Johnson. They are quicker to make corrections and they are more efficient when they do.