TALLADEGA, Ala. (October 14, 2013) – On Sunday, it will start with a great finish. According to six-time Talladega Superspeedway winner Jeff Gordon, the No. 24 Chevrolet SS does not need to end with it, though.
When the Camping World RV Sales 500 takes the green flag Sunday, Gordon’s Chevy will sport the familiar finish provided by Axalta Coating Systems. But Gordon is okay with that beautiful finish being replaced by a decent one once the checkered flag waves.
“You have to go into this race with a positive attitude,” said Gordon, who also has three poles, 15 top-fives and 19 top-10’s in 41 starts at the Alabama track. “With the big-pack racing, there is always the chance of the ‘big one.’ But you have to approach this race with a positive attitude, fight to avoid whatever may occur and hope that you come out of it with a race car.
“It doesn’t even need to be in one piece. It just needs to get across the (finish) line with a decent finish.”
In May at the 2.66-mile track, Gordon was involved in a multi-car accident on lap 42 of the 188-lap race. He stopped six times during the caution period so the team could repair the damage to the nose of the No. 24 Chevy, but the cosmetic damage hurt the aerodynamics too much and he lost the draft. Just past the 100-lap mark, he was passed by the field and scored a lap down.
But Gordon was the recipient of the “free pass” onto the lead lap with 15 laps to go. He restarted 25th with 10 laps to go, but the nose of his Chevrolet suffered more damage as it dug into the wet grass when Gordon attempted to avoid another multi-car wreck on lap 183. After stopping for more repairs, Gordon returned to the track with a heavily-damaged Chevrolet and ‘drafted’ his way to an 11th-place finish.
“That was a crazy race for us and I couldn’t believe we almost got a top-10 with a car that damaged,” said Gordon, who is fourth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup point standings and 36 markers out of the lead. “But that just shows you anything can happen here and you have to battle all the way to the checkered flag.
“A lot can and will happen during the race this Sunday and it could very well shake up the standings.”
A good finish on Sunday and Gordon could move up the standings.a
