[media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignright” width=”221″][/media-credit]The four-time champion is gearing up for another run at the championship. His fight for the championship this year will be very difficult. Gordon made the Chase as a wild card. Wild card drivers also do not get to use their victory bonus points coming into the Chase. That places Gordon last in the Chase points. Gordon hasn’t had a great season, he has multiple issues, bad luck and has been involved in many wrecks. Gordon became a serious Chase contender when he won at Pocono in August when the race was called due to rain. That allowed Gordon to have a chance to make the Chase field after Richmond.

Gordon put himself in the perfect position going into Richmond. He needed Kyle Busch to have a bad run, which he did and for himself to run well.  He did with a second place finish. Gordon is coming off a few great races and momentum going into the Chase.

The first race in the Chase is at the Chicagoland Speedway. Gordon has one victory at the track back in 2006. Since 2006, Gordon’s best finish at the track was second in 2009. Gordon has shown strength at the mile and a half’s this year and Chicago is a classic mile and a half track. Gordon should have a good run here and move up the point’s ladder.

The New Hampshire Motor Speedway is the next track they will race on in the Chase. Gordon has three victories at the track but he hasn’t won there since 1998. Gordon’s last two races at New Hampshire have produced top ten’s. Gordon isn’t the best at New Hampshire but he’ll be consistent and run close to the front.

The Monster Mile shows up next on the schedule and Gordon has four victories at the track. But Gordon hasn’t won at Dover since 2001. Gordon hasn’t scored a top ten finish at the track since 2009. Dover isn’t the easiest track to race on and Gordon has shown some struggle at the track in the past. He’ll need to have a good car that day if he wants to have some success at the track.

The wild card race of the Chase is next. Talladega. Talladega is an unpredictable race. Anything could happen and anyone could have issues. Gordon hasn’t won at the track since he swept the 2007 races but Gordon always has a fast car at Talladega.

The last few races for Gordon at the Charlotte Motor Speedway have shown some mixed results. He finished 7^th in this year’s Coca Cola 600 but that was his first top ten in a race at the track in five races. Gordon has won at the track but not since 2007. Gordon could do well here but he could also have issues. Gordon will find a way to have success at any track but when your team is located five miles down the road, you want to race well and I expect Gordon to.

Another potential wild card is Kansas. The track was repaved since the spring race this season. Gordon could find success at the track because when the track first open and had new pavement, Gordon won. As the pavement began to age, Gordon’s performance at the track took a hit. Gordon’s last two finishes at the track haven’t been great but Gordon could capitalize with the new pavement at the track.

Martinsville has had a long relationship with Gordon. He has been beaten out at the track by tenths of seconds and he has also been involved in late race accidents. In the spring race at the track, Gordon was having a great run until things went wrong with a caution then Gordon was involved in a late wreck. Gordon always performs well at Martinsville and he should later in the Chase.

The Texas Motor Speedway was one of the tracks Gordon couldn’t win on until he took home his first victory at the track back in 2009. Gordon would struggle every time he went to Texas until he won. Gordon finished sixth in the spring and he should be running up front and contending for the win when we go to Texas.

A key race in the Chase is Phoenix and Jeff Gordon has had success at the track on the old surface but this spring Gordon began to figure out the new surface. Gordon finished 32^nd in the first race on the new surface and he finished eighth in the second race. By the time we go to the track for the third time Gordon should have figured out the track and be running up front.

The season finale at the Homestead-Miami is one race Gordon has never won. Gordon has had a best finish of third but he has never been to victory lane. How Gordon performs in this race will be based on how the Chase goes. If Gordon is in need of a good run for a shot at the championship, he will be up front. If needs to maintain a position for the championship he will be running mid-pack. If this race doesn’t matter to Gordon because he doesn’t have a shot at the championship he will be looking for his first win at the track.

Jeff Gordon is going after his fifth Sprint Cup Championship. He is looking to tie his teammate Jimmie Johnson for winning the most championships at Hendrick Motorsports. Gordon is bringing experience into this year’s Chase and he is looking to become the top driver in NASCAR once again.

[media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Jeff Gordon drove the No. 24 Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet to a second place finish on Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway and placed himself into the chase for the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.

“It was amazing. I still can’t believe we actually did it. I know how proud Rick is to have all four teams into this Chase. That was a big goal of ours. Pretty amazing to know we accomplished that.” Gordon said.

It was not easy for Gordon though. Gordon started the race second and took the lead briefly from polesitter and teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. briefly before dropping back in the pack and then later losing a lap.

“We just flat out missed the setup at the beginning. Luckily Alan and the engineers got together and found the tools that we could utilize to make the car better. The biggest thing is that rear bar, we just had to get rid of it. We did that. We cut the chain. Our car really started coming to us right then. We finally got some drive off.” Gordon said.

Thanks to Mother Nature prevailing again, Gordon got his lap back after another red flag for rain. Gordon restarted the race in last place of the cars on the lead lap, but quickly made his presence known. With fresh tires and pure determination, Gordon worked himself all the way back up into second place and earned the final position in the chase, 12th.

“All the things that have gone for us this year, everything went right for us tonight. We had some guys stay out there on tires on basically that last caution that really cost them good finishing positions. We came in and got tires at that time. We were able to drive up through there. Had a good racecar.” Gordon said.

Gordon delivered a message to the competition on Saturday night. During the final ten races, Gordon is not planning on making this championship easy for any one else.

“To me, after you have that kind of effort, fall back, then come up there and finish second, almost win the race, make it in by one point, man, I don’t see any reason why we can’t go over these next 10 races and be a real threat for the championship.” Gordon said.

Also all three Hendrick Motorsports teammates also earned their place in the chase. Jimmie Johnson will start second and Dale Earnhardt Jr. will start 7th.

“We’ve been consistent all year long. We just hope we can keep that up. I think it’s going to take a couple wins to win a championship outright.” Earnhardt Jr. said of his chances of making the chase.

Kasey Kahne will start the chase in 11th position.

“I’m just really, really happy and excited to be able to do that. Hendrick Motorsports, Mr. Hendrick, gives us great opportunity to win races and run up front, the way the season started, to fight back, make it into the Chase.” Kahne said.