Every part of why Jeff Gordon is still a competitive NASCAR chance at in his 22nd months shone bright in Monday night's Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway—a timeless locale in and of again.
There was Gordon, sliding by 28-year-old Kyle Busch to get third and putting demand on 33-year-old Denny Hamlin in second while using checkered flag in experience, battling to the very end in the four-hour, 500-mile race inside his 700th consecutive start out.
It was NASCAR's youngest four-time champion in traditional form, performing like the kids whilst in the sport's elder statesman job into which he's the natural way transcended.
Gordon now owns a whopping 300 career top-five wraps up in NASCAR's top division to get with his 87 job wins. Each are achievements testament to Gordon's abilities for a driver, as a negotiator in addition to a thinker, both on and up from the track. They speak to his capacity handle unimaginable success without being overburdened by the unnecessary.
NASCAR's former "Wonder Boy" doesn't wield the same cachet which he once did, but it was this lessons and abilities Gordon learned and applied on the way to four titles within his first nine full-time times that buoyed him so that you can his still-current status of evergreen contender. In an activity where turnover and modify seem more repetitive compared to left turns, that's nothing next to impressive.
For Gordon, NASCAR success has come because of three areas in which often he routinely exceeds: Driving skills developed and applied on numerous mediums, a prescience to understand when and when to not ever push the envelope and then a keen business sense that tamped distractions and developed an actual brand.
Perhaps the smartest factor Jeff Gordon ever managed was his decision taking a stab at share cars in 1991. That divergence from his assumed road to open-wheel ranks saved him within the nasty split that broken down and basically chopped from Indy-style racing at the country's knees just five several years later.
But the second smartest decision Gordon ever made was to sign a long time contract with Hendrick Motorsports inside 1999. Fresh off his third Cup Series title around four years (and he wound up just shy of taking all when teammate Terry Labonte received the 1996 title), the contract was excellent with regard to HMS.
It's still pretty best for HMS in 2013, playing with the 14 years associated with its authority the get has awarded Gordon using tangible benefits that is not guaranteed in any normal yearly deal. Gordon hasn't managed contract negotiations, extensive rumors or lame-duck scenarios. Everything Gordon has at any time learned and done in a Cup Series car has come from the principles and processes hired by HMS.
Without that get, some of Gordon's lean years could've been even worse. Longtime sponsors could possess bolted. Pressure would've secured.
Instead, it's just ended up Gordon and his Zero. 24. And that's all it would ever be—a comforting non-factor when tackling a corner at 200 miles by the hour.
The idiom "if it's not actually one thing, it's another" might have a standard application to help you negative situations. But in Gordon's case, it's a great positive descriptor of his all-around abilities being driver competing on tracks of all shapes and forms.
Gordon's capability as a NASCAR driver has never been stymied by a style of track. With the longest (Talladega Superspeedway) on the shortest (Martinsville Speedway), with the most standard of layouts (1. 5-mile tracks enjoy Atlanta, Charlotte, Texas, or anything else. ) and to probably the most quirky of designs (Pocono Raceway and also the two road courses), wins and success have fallen at each.
In his career, Gordon has taken this green flag at 25 tracks and allows won at 24 of those. The lone outlier, Kentucky Speedway, was included in the series schedule just 2 years ago.
Being able to put together success no matter that stop on tour produced Gordon the immediate tournament contender he became at the time of his early years. In his better seasons, those multifaceted skills put Gordon into position to finish well routinely. There was no better example in comparison to the 30 top-10 finishes this individual recorded in 2007 of which set the all-time NASCAR capture.
Recent seasons possess occasionally been maddening with regard to fans of Gordon and additionally his No. 24. The rate of gains all the perks has slowed (Gordon missed victory lane altogether around 2008 and 2010) and the overtake of teammate Jimmie Johnson for the sport's titan led to the sense of helpless jealously to get his ardent fanbase.
It didn't help that Johnson was the second coming of Gordon regarding his high rate of competition wins and top-five finishes. Gordon also developed a reputation for losing blotches on race restarts or even other critical late-race conditions, just as Johnson would typically develop a run at the checkered hole.
Driver comparisons aside, such frustrations were likely the outcome of Gordon being the speed who so consistently accomplished races and avoided trouble to the track. Compared to Dale Earnhardt, Gordon shares very similar percentages of races polished off and top-fives earned.
Nevertheless Gordon, in his good ways, has finished 71 pct of his career races relating to the lead lap—nearly 20 percent above Earnhardt's career average.
That method brought Gordon his titles in the old point system, and nearly achieved it again in 2004 along with 2007. It's a mentality associated with racing not easily changeable and ultimately the one that car owners love.
There's little doubt that age Jeff Gordon dominating NASCAR has left for good. But while the competition has improved as well as the cars have changed, Gordon's still there and competing on a high level—a feat challenging in many leagues when 22 years.
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