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Gordon running better at Texas, still eyes first victory
Gordon running better at Texas, still eyes first victory
In last 10 Texas Cup events, Gordon has five top-fives
By Charles Krall, Special to the Sporting News Wire Service
April 4, 2008
10:54 AM EDT
It is often perceived that Jeff Gordon doesn't run well at Texas Motor Speedway, site of Sunday's Samsung 500. After all, he's winless there in 14 starts. He also had one of the hardest crashes of his career there in 1999, which resulted in his only 43rd-place finish in the Sprint Cup Series.
Perception isn't always reality.
His first four races at TMS were wrought with frustration; his best finish among the four was a 25th in 2000, 14 laps off the pace. But in the 10 races since, Gordon has been a competitive force -- seven top 10 finishes, five in the top five. He started on the front row in both races in 2007 and led 173 laps after starting from the pole last April.
Only one thing is missing -- a victory.
It is noticeable at Texas only because he has yet to win the first one. Gordon has had similar winless stretches at other tracks. His win last fall at Charlotte ended a 15-race winless streak, and it took him 17 races at Phoenix before he won his first there last spring.
Yet no one has ever considered Charlotte or Phoenix to be Gordon's kryptonite the way Texas is.
"We've been close several times the past couple of years," Gordon said. "But whether it was an electrical problem while leading or me hitting the Turn 4 wall while leading, we haven't won."
Then there's Jeff Burton, the Sprint Cup points leader. In his 14 starts at Texas, he has led 146 laps, less than Gordon led last spring -- but Burton is the only driver with two wins at Texas, including last year's Samsung 500.
Last year's win, however, does not necessarily provide Burton with an advantage -- nor does Gordon's recent success.
The new Sprint Cup car has not been raced or tested at Texas. The 10-year-old racing surface is filled with character bumps, and previous experience with the new car at Atlanta suggests drivers could be in for a struggle.
"Texas is a little rougher track than some of the others we run on," Burton said. "With this car, the bumps seem to be a pretty major issue, so I think Texas is going to be quite a challenge with this car.
"The success we had there last year is thrown out the window. None of that information will be worth a hoot, so we're starting over again."
That will place added importance on the three pre-race practice sessions.
"The key to our sport is taking the time that you have to do anything that you are doing and doing it efficiently," Burton said. "If you have an hour of practice, you have to use that hour of practice better than your competition. Being efficient with your time is really important. That's going to be like that all year with this car, but even more important because we're trying to learn so much in a short time."
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