Does Gordon's Frustration Equal Changes?

A year ago, Jeff Gordon was Kyle Busch.

After the Sprint Cup race in Sonoma, Gordon was leading the points and had won four times and started on the pole six times in 2007.

A year later, Gordon finds himself sixth in points and without a win.

Needless to say, the frustration is starting to catch up to Gordon.

"It's been an up-and-down year, and you know, we've been able to pull these top-fives out like this and not have great cars, and we're just working way, way, too hard for these types of finishes," said Gordon.

Working too hard is the understatement. Gordon was simply out to lunch for the first half of the race Sunday at Infineon Raceway and with limited adjustments, smart moves to get track position, and some late race crashes, Gordon was able to score a third place finish.

There truly hasn't been a race all season long that Gordon has had a dominant race car like he did several times in 2007. From his horrible outing at Texas to squeezing out a Top-5 finish at Charlotte thanks to a fuel mileage run, the No. 24 roller coaster hasn't been a fun ride.

Team owner Rick Hendrick inferred earlier in the weekend that his teams were roughly 90 days behind the rest of the competition in terms of research and development because of the effort they put in to the closing weeks of the 2007 season with the old model race car.

I can understand the reasoning behind that, but at what point do changes become necessary -- especially for the No. 24? Crew chief Steve Letarte has made some calls this season to help Gordon get to the front, but others, like a ill-advised call during a yellow to not bring Gordon down pit road at Michigan have killed the No. 24's chances.

Even though Gordon is nearly a solid lock into the Chase, you can bet that if things don't step up soon and Gordon doesn't find good race cars at the start of races instead of chasing them all race long, the waters will be swirling in the No. 24 shop.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)

6-23-2008 @ 1:36PM

Mike said...

To believe what Rick hendricks is offering as an explaination is to believe the other teams that were in the top of the chase were focused on the new car rather than the chase last year. So, they got a head start on this year rather than try to win last year. Sorry, not buying it. Yes, it has been a struggle but there is really only one driver out there outdoing Team Hendricks and that is Kyle Busch. As a whole team goes, Hendricks has 3 drivers in the top 6 while JGR has but 1. The sun, moon, and all the planets have aligned for Baby Busch and he is untouchable.
Having heard Jeff's comments and Steve LeTartes, it is painfully obvious they do not know how to set up the car to be competitive. The last two races Jeff had commented that they found some things and were excited but once the race started, Jeff quickly went backwards thru the field.
I had said earlier in the year that too many stars on one team is not always a good thing. Now that the Golden Child resides at Hendricks, perhaps Jeff and Jimmie are not getting all the attention they are used to getting. I have to wonder if that is part of the problem. Too many mouths to feed and one little birdie is taking all the food.
No matter what the problem is, Team Dupont needs to get it fixed before they have their own 76 race losing streak. Between Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson they had 16 wins last year. So far this year they have ONE. There is obviously a problem when you have that kind of fall from the top. How is it that the rest of Nascar moved forward and only these two teams have moved backwards?
MBL

6-23-2008 @ 1:37PM

believe what Rick hendricks is offering as an explaination is to believe the other teams that were in the top of the chase were focused on the new car rather than the chase last year. So, they got a head start on this year rather than try to win last year. Sorry, not buying it. Yes, it has been a struggle but there is really only one driver out there outdoing Team Hendricks and that is Kyle Busch. As a whole team goes, Hendricks has 3 drivers in the top 6 while JGR has but 1. The sun, moon, and all the planets have aligned for Baby Busch and he is untouchable.
Having heard Jeff's comments and Steve LeTartes, it is painfully obvious they do not know how to set up the car to be competitive. The last two races Jeff had commented that they found some things and were excited but once the race started, Jeff quickly went backwards thru the field.
I had said earlier in the year that too many stars on one team is not always a good thing. Now that the Golden Child resides at Hendricks, perhaps Jeff and Jimmie are not getting all the attention they are used to getting. I have to wonder if that is part of the problem. Too many mouths to feed and one little birdie is taking all the food.
No matter what the problem is, Team Dupont needs to get it fixed before they have their own 76 race losing streak. Between Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson they had 16 wins last year. So far this year they have ONE. There is obviously a problem when you have that kind of fall from the top. How is it that the rest of Nascar moved forward and only these two teams have moved backwards?
MBL

6-23-2008 @ 2:00PM

DA24JG said...

Jeff may tell his fans not to point the finger at Steve, but,.......then who?? Jeff, all your true fans are with you, 'win or lose!' But, when the race day scanner is available and your fans hear such ridiculous decision making calls from Steve and the setups are never where they should be 'all year long', your fans are going to be looking at Steve Letarte as the possible problem. Because if it isn't Steve's fault, well,well, well then.........should we then look at NASCAR itself as having a possible 'mole' in the 24 camp?? I don't believe for a second that HMS is behind the 'eight ball' with the COT when last year FOX AND TNT reporters were all talking about how HMS was by far ahead of the competition with the COT!! So...., Rick's comment makes no sense and is just a b.s. excuse for whatever the 'real' problem happens to be! Something isn't right and something does smell too good with what I see and hear....!

6-23-2008 @ 2:11PM

drgrcr601 said...

Thats probably it Mike. "Golden Child" is getting all the attention. I would like to hear a scenerio on that possibility. What is this magic attention they are getting. Quote From Jimmie Johnson on Jr and Tony JR a couple of weeks ago..."they're a lot better than we thought." That might be too much for some to admit thus the "sour grapes." JMO

Ron

6-23-2008 @ 2:19PM

I can't tell if Ron is 'drinking' or 'smoking'. Kyle Busch is the 'attention boy.' (obviously Ron is out of the loop and hasn't watched a race since the 90's) Just another jealous Gordon hater! We love the hate Ron, keep bringin' it! >-)

I knew I would catch heat for that, Ron. But I am not the first person to say it. Someone else actually said it to me after Jr won. I am just the first person with the cajones to print it.
I am diabetic so I guess I will have to eat my grapes sour or use sweet and low. LOL
MBL

6-23-2008 @ 2:21PM

DOH, I hate those double posts.
mbl

6-23-2008 @ 2:34PM

I am not sure I would classify Ron as a hater. he just does not like excuses or conspiracy theories.
That was my second time with Golden Child, maybe it will stick.
Was I the only person that was impressed with how Tony Stewart handled the post race interview yesterday? The guy interviewing him was obviously baiting him about Harvick and TS slammed the door on him, hard. I was quite impressed with the way he did it.

mike

6-23-2008 @ 2:51PM

DA24JG I am far from a Gordon hater. I leave that childish shit to you kids. I have never said a word against Jeff or anyone or any other driver since I've been on here. As far as my not watching a race since the 90's I'll go head to head with you anytime you like hot shot.

Ron

6-23-2008 @ 3:04PM

Mike, I don't think you can expect Jeff to have a year like he did last year. This year the cot has caused problems for many teams. Some have adapted better than others. I certainly wouldn't be writing off Jeff or Jimmy at this point. I see progress every week with them both and it will come to them both in a short time. I'm sure they will both make the chase and thats the important thing right now. JMO

Ron

6-23-2008 @ 3:32PM

......and you would lose Ron! ...end of story...>-)

6-23-2008 @ 3:48PM

Steve said...

I think the competition is stronger this year, and there has been some bad calls in the pits.

6-23-2008 @ 3:53PM

LOL try me boy!

6-23-2008 @ 10:52PM

Kim said...

Mike,

I know you are referring to a conversation that you and I had online together after Jr. won his race. I don't recall referring to him as the "golden child," but I do remember saying that I believed part of Hendrick's problem as a whole this year was that they were concentrating too much on Dale Jr. and giving him all the attention as he was their new "star." Now, I have the balls to say it, too. :-)I am sorry, but I believe it as well. I don't believe for one second that Rick Hendrick would be making any excuses and if that's the case, that's sad. They (Hendrick's) hit the gold mine in merchandising as well as fanbase power when they hired Jr. Therefore, they had to make sure he was competetive. I firmly believe much time, money, and energy has been spent on Jr. and his team. Is that a bad thing? Only if it is at the cost of your other two fantastic drivers & teams. Who knows. Jimmie went backwards yesterday (due to a bad and too early pit call by Knaus), while Gordon only made it to the front due to other's misfortunes. Houston, we have a problem!

Kim

P.S.

Ron, you know I love ya! No sour grapes here, hope you know that. :-)

Kimi

6-24-2008 @ 1:52AM

Don Emerson said...

Bottom line, the drivers currently doing well are the drivers with balls and determination to really drive the COT. It's simple, stay in your comfort zone and take the finish dealt you. No more Sunday drives boys....it's earn your money time. Works for me.....

6-24-2008 @ 8:01AM

It is not as if I think they have no chance this year. The chase does make it all possible. But there is something seriously amiss when you go from where both those two teams were last year and where they are only one year later. The meteoric fall is almost beyond anything that anyone would have guessed possible. No, you cannot dominate all the time but Jeff has not dominated one half of one race yet. I will say Jimmie has on a couple occasions but lately has been very inconsistent. Jeff has been inconsistent all year long and while he has had some good top 5 finishes, they were not a result of having a top five car but from having made very good calls during the race.
While Rick Hendrick may have significant resources, they are not unlimited. As has been said in the past, part of the reason Kyle Busch was not happy at Hendrick was perhaps due to the fact he felt he was not getting his fair share of attention/resources. There are only so many dollars and so many man hours available to the organization as a whole. When you spend a significant portion of those resources that you have getting one team up to speed to be competitive and give you a return on your investment, simple mathematics dictates that you have to take those resources from someplace else in your operation. I would say it is rather obvious where those resources came from. The only part of Hendrick Motor Sports that is 90 days behind is the part he left behind.
You have to then wonder how good Kyle Busch would have been last year had he gotten the same attention/resources. Hendrick may well have finished 1-2-3 last year, you pick the order. So far this year it 1 for JGR and 3-5-6 for HMS.
Please pass the splenda.
mbl

6-24-2008 @ 9:18AM

Whats with you guys? Jeff owns Jimmy's car. Why would he allow the "attention/resources" go own as you claim without reprocussions? Everything the teams learn is shared in the garage. What would they be doing with JR's car that they wouldn't share with every team. Let's see some facts here. I'm sorry guys but it looks like you can't come up with a reasonable explanation so out comes the old conspiracy theory. I guess it must make you feel better about if you think "they're giving Jr all the good stuff". Maybe Jr's better. :-) "On no don't say that". LOL
You all can believe what you want. If what you believe makes it all better for ya then more power to ya. JMO

Ron

6-24-2008 @ 9:34AM

Mike,

You have made yet another good point. Much is being made about Joe Gibb's Racing's success this year, but really the only one having great success is Kyle Busch. I believe the chase standings prove that point. Tony Stewart is a champion and an amazing talent, yet he too hasn't shown much of anything yet this year. I believe JGR is having the same dilemma that Hendrick's is having. Like you said, both teams are putting their money and resources into their new "stars" and it shows by their success. Luckily though, Johnson & Gordon are such great champions in and of themselves that they still have managed to make the chase. In fact, both moved up in the chase standings after Sunday's race. I believe they are 5 and 6 now, with Jr. still firmly holding on to that 3rd. place spot. But if any one team still has a firm grip on the super francise that is NASCAR, it would still have to be Hendrick with all three drivers sitting pretty in the top ten chase standings.

On another note: Tony Stewart will be with Hendrick Motor Sports next year. He and Jr. are going to buy a team, possibly HAAS, but they need lots of money to run that team and neither will drive for the team they own. It has already been announced and speculated that Mears was told he was not coming back to Hendrick next year. I personally believe that is because Mears is out, Stewart is in, Jr. & Stewart are buying a team, and Mears will be one of their drivers. This is of course JMO, but I believe it to be a very rational possibility. You think there are too many champions on Hendrick's team now, just wait until Stewart joins them! You read it here first, folks. Mark my words, it will happen!

Kim

6-24-2008 @ 9:43AM

Ron,

The only "proof" I can come up with is what's in the pudding so to speak. It just doesn't make sense that three drivers, i.e. Stewart, Johnson, and Gordon who have dominated the series for the last several years, and who dominated last year, and who all had a handle on the COT last year, are struggling with the COT this year. It makes my head shake in disbelief. The only rational explanation is that both Gibbs and Hendrick realize what they have in their new stars, i.e. Busch & Earnhardt, therefore have concentrated much money, time, and energy on making them competetive. Think about it....Hendrick has got to be up in arms over Busch's success this year. It makes Hendrick look bad for firing the little fella in the first place. He has hit the jackpot with Jr. in merchandising and fan base and knows he has a "star" on his hands, therefore must make him competetive. It's working, too. Look, no sour grapes here for me. I genuinly hope Jr. kicks little Busch's butt in the chase (that is of course only if my Jimmie can't do it. :-)! I really, really do. I know Busch is talented, but I simply cannot root for someone with that type of attitude. Jr. is and always has been a stand up guy. I am rooting for him all the way! :-)

Kim