Gordon can clinch 4th title at Homestead

MountaineerTom · November 9, 2001

From thatsracin.com

--------------------

Jeff Gordon doesn't want to back into his fourth Winston Cup championship.

After building a lead that reached 395 points over runner-up Ricky Rudd following the Oct. 21 race at Talladega Superspeedway, Gordon has stumbled a bit.

He finished three places behind Rudd in sixth two weeks ago in Phoenix, then slipped to 25th Sunday at Rockingham while Rudd was running eighth.

That lead, though still substantial, is down to 326 points with three races remaining, including Sunday's Pennzoil 400 in Homestead, Fla.

"We just want to finish the season the same way we've run most of the year," said Gordon, who leads the series with six victories and 18 top-five and 23 top-10 finishes in 33 starts.

"It would really take a miracle for us to win it now," said Rudd, who never has won a Winston Cup title. "In fact, we're thinking more about those guys behind us than that guy ahead of us."

Tony Stewart, a two-time winner at Homestead, is bearing down from behind, trailing Rudd by just 75 points. Close behind are Dale Jarrett, 128 behind Rudd, and Sterling Marlin, 193 out of second.

Meanwhile, though, Gordon would love to wrap up the championship on Sunday. To do that, he needs to gain another 44 points on Rudd - leaving Florida at least 370 ahead.

At the very least, Gordon needs to finish only 28th or better in each of the last three races to clinch and become only the third driver to win four or more titles in NASCAR's top stock car series. The others are Richard Petty and the late Dale Earnhardt, who both won seven championships.

"We tested at Homestead and I feel very good about what we have there, so hopefully we can go there and not have a day like we had last Sunday," Gordon said. "To me, it's just a nail-biter until this thing is over with anyway. You just never know. We've got to fight hard and just keep doing what we're doing until we get to the finish.

"It doesn't matter to me when or how or where, just as long as we win it," added Gordon, whose last title came in 1998. "That's what we're shooting for. We're not trying to clinch it with three to go, or two to go. When you start wishing that kind of stuff, that's going to get you in trouble."

A year ago, Bobby Labonte clinched the championship in Homestead with a fourth-place finish.

Kansas Kid · November 9, 2001

Nothing against Gordon or his fans, but I'd like to see him have really bad finish this weekend, with Rudd right up at the front. We need some excitement in the battle for the championship. Right now its way to boring.

General Lee 01 · November 10, 2001

Right on Kyle!

Personally, I'd like to see something happen to Gordon soo it would put words right back into Allen Bestwick's mouth. "Gordon will win the 2001 championship."

That kinda bothered me, they were talking about right when the race first came on Sunday that Gordon cannot clinch @ Rockingham. But during the race, Bestwick made that comment.