3 races have been run since I last posted about NASCAR, and these 3 races have pushed Jeff into the points lead for the current 2009 points. At California, Jeff had a solid run throughout the entire race. But with a minor adjustment in the pits and a tenth of a second slower pit stop, he came back out on the track in 2nd and could not pass Matt Kenseth for the win in the end. That second place finish however, put him 2nd in the points at the time.
Then came Vegas, where he had yet another good car. But a pit stop once again altered the finish of the race. In fear of not getting onto pit road slow enough and realizing that cars behind him did not realize he was pitting, Jeff narrowly missed the pit road entrance, which caused him to blow the front left tire when he began to race back around the track. This almost fatal mistake should have cost him not only the win but many positions on the track. However, Jeff salvaged a 6th place finish and took control of the points leaving Vegas.
Just 2 days ago, the drivers headed to Atlanta. And once again, Jeff had another dominant car, although he did not dominate the race. This time it was Kurt Busch that he battled, and he even led part of the race. This puts Jeff as the only driver this season who has led a lap in all 4 of the races. And once again, a mistake in pit road might have cost him the win. A dropped lugnut put Jeff back in the pack on a restart, and although he got back up to the front of the pack, he could not beat Busch in the final turn. So he once again settled for a 2nd place finish.
In 2 weeks, the drivers will head to Bristol and try to tame the world's fastest half mile. Jeff has had many good races in Bristol, including a win in the Fall of 2002 (a race that I attended). So hopefully he will snap his 45 race losing streak and come out with a win in Thunder Valley. Jeff Gordon is back this year, and right now he is definitely a contender for the championship.
Matt
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