I apologize for everyone who predicted a Jeff Gordon Texas victrory. Not only was th jinx not broken, it grew wings and an extra set of razor sharp teeth.
Gordon finished DEAD LAST for only the second time in his career (both at Texas). How does that happen? How does the greatest driver on the track finish dead last?
After suffering through a painful beginning to the race, the car was loose and pit stop adjustments did little to fix the problem, Gordon's car finally threw up the white flag and quit on lap 110 (exact one-third of the way into the 334-lap race), spinning itself out and slamming into the wall.
Gordon looked like a rookie or worse out there Sunday. It is obviously not his fault - a four-time Cup Champion with 81 wins - so whose fault is it? Steve Letarte (you don't know how hard it is for me not to call him Steve LeTard), the builders at the shop? Maybe it is Gordon's fault for not staying on his crew prior to Texas' race.
Complacency has killed the 24 team, and apparently most of the Hendrick Motorsports family. The feel of "the best team in racing" has seeped into the psyche of the team, leading to a winless start after the first seven races.
After finally breaking the top 12 - Chase eligible - Gordon dropped five spots, currently 14th and 91 points behind the 12th spot.
It is clearly unacceptable for a professional team of Gordon's reputation to fail so miserably in setting up its race car. For that, someone needs to pay the price. I understand racing is a family sport where the whole crew is like one big family, but sometimes you even have to fire a family member if they are hurting your business. And that is exactly what is happening here. Gordon was embarrased by someone's incompetence, and someone needs to be the sacrificial lamb. This sacrifice could be just what the #24 team to turn the season around.
I don't care if it is the catch-can holder or the guy who glues the lugnuts on the tires or the shop manager - someone needs to go at least for a symbolic gesture.
I find it hard to believe other great racers in history would be so pasive after such an embarrassing performance.
C'mon, David Ragan is gaining ground and threatening to pass Jeff Gordon in the season standings, and the unsponsored car of David Gilliland looked more like a championship team than the #24 crew.
Guess it just goes to show that it takes a lot more than just a top driver for a top team with TONS of money to win races and championships. You need people who actually know what they're doing, and the #24 crew is currently questionable in that department. This team looked so bad, it may occupy all five NOT slots in Southern Cindi's HOT or NOT list.
So the team missed on a setup. BFD! I've seen 5 or 6 posts already from whining Gordon fans thinking that the season is ruined already. With fans like his, no wonder everybody else thinks that JG is a whiner. Hey, everybody, it's not Jeff, it's his fans.
This is not a Jeff Gordon apologist comment. It is simply unacceptable when a team (whether racing, football, baseball, etc) has the talent, resources, and money that teams like Gordon's and the Yankees (whom I loathe with a passion) fail miserably with no consequences.
With all the resources available to them - including the Crew Chief's crew chief Chad Knaus - how can you fail so miserably? A bad day is finishing in the 30s after not being able to fix handling problems. Finishing dead last for any Tier 1 racer in this league (JJ, Smoke, Dale Jr, Shrub, Carl, Hamlin, Biffle, Harvick) finishing dead last - when not involved in a serious 10-car pile-up at the beginning of the race - is just not acceptable.
Someone seriously dropped the air-wrench this week.
strange...I seem to recall that Jimmie (you know, the guy who finished second yesterday and is reigning Champion that some people were saying couldn't possibly make the Chase a month ago?) was struggling for a few races so Jeff will get back up the front, no need to worry.
If anyone needs to be fired it is NASCAR for not listening to the drivers and crews, while putting drivers at risk. Since before the season ended last year, many problems were known to exist. I think NASCAR is negligent for forcing teams to work with these COT. Development is a thing that should be done in testing, not on the race track. How long before something bad happens as a result of the lack of R & D? Let me see...something bad is that how many cars have been destroyed this year so far in 7 races? Okay, so they are crashing really hard and the drivers are walking away...GREAT! My point is these are supposedly the best drivers in the world and they are unable to be the best at their trade because of an unwillingness by NASCAR to involve those really in the know about building a race car to have input. I am not a fan of Jeff G. but when he spins a car, you know there is definitely something not right, and I give him props that he didn't speak his mind in the interviews. I know he wants to unload 3 races of #### about these cars. Cars going nearly 200 should not be hanging their #### out on the exit of every turn...whether the big Bleep-damned spoiler is "forgiving" or not. When FOX had 9 drivers shown at the same time, there were two who weren't sawing the wheel as much, Edwards and Johnson. WHAT?
Well let see from second place on back disliked the car. Nascar needs to give more setup room to teams. Maybe with new car more test time allowed. Yea my man finished last. So what. He is one of the best. He will be back at Phoinex with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove. That TexaZzz. Wasn't something that will happen often. The #24 team is one of the best in nascar. They will show that. He came back out with a garbage car. He could have stayed in his motorhome, the guys could have packed up. They are a championship calibur team, and they showed it. They didn't give up.
He spun and hit the wall and took his ball home and wasn't going to play with the others cause his ball wasn't as good. This being one of the greatest drivers ? Dale Jr had COT that were shaking apart last year and had it up in the top 10 if not top 5 before engines blew. This car is so much sensative to late model it only takes a minor change and the car is junk.
He needs to fire himself. He's a has-been and a never will be. Stupid #### loser probably couldn't even beat a three-legged dog with one eye in a race.
There is never an end to stupid people with too much time on their hands and no brains at all DewG... You can be not a fan of Gordons and still not make stupid remarks. I did it. Never come to a battle of wits unarmed...k?
This is about Jeff Gordan I have never seen such a quiter as he was Sunday especially being a so called champion. Tony, Kyle, and other drivers would run the the wheels off the car no matter how bad the car was handling. He reminds me of a pro NFL player just out for the money nothing more. He's not a die hard racer unless the car is perfect.
noahspop2001: You have it right on! I couldn't have said it better myself.
DewGoddess: What? You must be a Stewart fan talking #### like that.
Millerlite29501: Quitters (notice the spelling) don't win 80 races and four championships. I remember a certain race last season where your buddy Kyle left the track while his car was repaired - what a whiner! Remember how Dale, Jr. got in the drivers seat and finished the race for the #5? Oh yeah, I thought you might remember now.
And if Jeff were in it for the money, he would have left a looooong time ago.
Noahspop2001 has it right: Jeff will be back in Phoenix with a vengeance!
You know that old saying what goes around comes around. well i'd say that's what is happening to the so called super stars at hendricks. there attitude "were the best no one can beat us" has hit the fan and the other drivers has stepped up their game and i am thrilled. especially since jimmy johnson hasen't won one yet this year. he has the worse attitude of the bunch. i'm just sorry jr. got in to that mess. i do hope he wins one soon. and i feel sorry for casey mears he is truly the forgotten man i hope when is contract is up he goes with a team that will appreciate him as i don't think hendricks does. he sould follow kyle's lead and get out of their. ya'll have a good day now.
april14: I don't know where you have heard it, but I never heard any of the Hendrick drivers saying "we're the best - no one can beat us". A lot of their fans act like that, but I've never heard a driver say that. If you can remember where you heard it, I would love to know so I could check it out myself.
I feel bad for Casey Mears too - he seems to be put on the back burner again now that Jr. is with the team. I think Casey can prove that he is a good racer and good for the organization. Have a great day!
The 24 team had a bad week, so what? Everyone does. In every aspect of life things go wrong. If problems persist then changes need to be made but don't whack someone (crew chief etc.) just because of one bad race.
team1269: Was his head "up his ####" last season when he came in 2nd? I don't think so. bigrichard0 is right -- everyone has a bad race sometimes - this past week it was Jeff's. I'll just hope for better in Phoenix.
The thing that bothers me is they were good at Vegas and Atlanta so how in the world could they go to a similar track and perform like this? If anything they should of improved instead of falling off the face of the earth. I will however cut Mr. Letarte some slack as long as this is a one time deal. With the 2 previous DNF's and then this debacle there is little room for error from here on out and definetly another performance like this can not happen if they want to make the chase. They got a big break at Texas with Biffs and Truex's problems plus Newmans penalty whatever that is going to be or the situation would be more serious.
Why are you on a blog that is discussing Jeff Gordon if you don't like him team1269? I'm amazed that the driver that is trashed by so many hater #### is the same driver that everyone else (media) holds up as a shining example of what the sport is supposed to be. As far as him "quitting" as some people are saying I think it takes a smart driver to decide to park it instead of possibly causing a wreck or hurting someone.
Last edited by bigrichard0 on April 8th at 10:36 AM.
Everyone needs to chill, remember gordon did not test the cot at the end of last season like everyone else did.He was consentrating on the chase.Give em some time.I bet they figure it out.
History shows thar dorkboy can't drive a car unless it is perfect. Tony,junior, and the like will adjust their driving style and move toward the front. Dorkboy doesn't seem to have that ability. He has always been this way,so don't blame it on the COT !!
I was looking at Jeff's record after the birth of his daughter. Is it possible he has backed off a little in his competitive nature? Along with not testing the COT as much as the other drivers? He has ups and downs as any driver/team, but it causes me to wonder if he might backed off without realizing it. Anybody have thoughts on this? And I mean real thoughts, not ragtime, curt, smartas* remarks.
Look at yourself everyone. Everyone must think Jeff Gordon is the greatest (which he is) but what if Carl Edwards or Kyle Busch finished like that? You wouldn't be talking all this #### - The season is young and the Drive for Five is still alive. Just enjoy the racing and get over yourself
OK thomasb, let's not get carried away with our anti-Jeff hate-speech. The ONLY driver who can take a bad car and whip it around the track on rails is Kyle Busch, and maybe Carl Edwards. No other driver can perform well without a well adjusted car.
And as for Dale Jr - I have a perfect example to disprove your comment: the 2007 NASCAR season. Did Dale make the Chase with subpar equipment? No. The whole knock on his season was that he couldn't win without good, solid equipment. Now he has it and is performing well.
Dale Jr is not god, Jeff Gordon is not the Devil. What - are we in elementary school? Are we not able to make a valid argument without calling names and using curses?
MrPressbox the problem is that no matter how good or bad Gordon does the haters are going to talk trash. It just shows their ignorance and lack of understanding of the sport that I and many others have loved for all these years (35 years for me).
I always find it mindless when someone must put down a driver in any format. I find you predictably distressing, and your attitude callow.
If you feel you must write about Nascar, show respect for a man who above all things has helped the sport I love. Your delusions of grandeur must truly be of your own making as you will never come close in your lifetime to the accomplishments of the man you wrote about.
Take no pride in things written with negative, biased, and arrogance as your words are a reflection of who you are, both as a writer and a fan. I only hope writing about football is where your true talent lies.
with the talent and resources available to this team a last place finish with out a big wreck should be unaccetable. jeff is the only 4 time champion on the track with the ability to win another.come-on team let's pull it together.
While I am not a JG fan, I have to say that people are being just a little unreasonable here. Yes they have the finest equipment money can buy and they will turn it around. But fire someone over this???? How ridiculous is that! Now if the trend continues, then you have to re-evaluate and make tough decisions. But certainly not yet! Let's see where they are 4 or 5 races from now. OK?
24x2, that was quite an elegant way to illustrate how little you know about what I wrote and what I write. If anything, I am a Jeff Gordon fan - otherwise I spent alot of money putting 24 merchandise in my closet. And the point of the post is stating the unacceptability of the perfomance the Hendrick #24 team gave us on Sunday. By far, it was not a bashing of Mr Gordon.
Gordon has run well all year except at Bristol and then at Texas.
Every driver has to have a good car to win, plus the talent to get it there. So STFU to the people who say Gordon cannot drive unless the car is perfect.
As for the article---pretty lame. Your answer after missing the setup at ONE race is to just fire someone as a symbolic gesture? You're an ####. Maybe we should fire you for a dumb article.
It sounds like it's very tricky to get this new car set just right. Having said that, why are Edwards and Busch consistently at the front? Maybe they've got it figured out, maybe they have been just lucky, who knows?
Jeff's team had things rolling last year and I believe they will get back on track very soon. There's just too much talent and garage information to be shared between Hendrick drivers for Jeff's bad luck to continue much longer.
Firing someone for the sake of a shakeup would probably hinder things at this point. They just have to ride it out, keep working on the setup, and hope that they can at least stay close to the top 12. I'm a Jimmy fan, but I hope they do.
rhettt: I agree with what you are saying about Jeff's competitiveness. I saw him last year when he was cohosting Live with Regis and Kelly just a couple of months after his daughter was born. He really made a point of saying that his family has changed him as far as the sport is concerned. He made a few innuendos about ending his driving career sooner rather than later. I hope not anytime soon though :)
So, what are you trying to say about Gilliland? Just because he wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth and given the best equipment available since he was ten years old - he's doing pretty good for a guy trying to revive a dying race team without a spnonsor and if it wasn't for Kenseth being a punk and spinning him at Martinsville, he might be a lot closer to Jeffy in points than he is now... Maybe Jeffy just isn't catching any breaks right now. It doesn't mean you go blaming it on just anyone unless you know for sure they're the problem. Personally, I think it is funny that Jeffy is stinking it up like he is. It's good for him to feel a little of what it's like to not be in the Top Five for a change. I just wish his little brother JJ would join him and then it would be a perfect NASCAR world.
We are 7 races into a 36 race season. There's too much racing left at this point to fire anyone. Sure, HMS won half the races last year, but did anyone, except possibly the HMS fans, and #24 fans specifically, expect the same this year? Successive championships in any sport are difficult. It's just very hard to repeat. Take it from me, a Spurs fan.
Don't give up the ship Gordon fans. He's a great driver. I'm not a fan of his, but his record speaks for itself and he deserves the respect a four time champ should get. It's just too early to panic. Respectfully.
Jeff Gordon should fire Jeff Gordon. He obviously cannot communicate effectively the "feel " he wants in the car. I am sure his team members only do to the car what Jeff tells them he wants. Get a clue. Do you suppose that one of the helmeted crewpersons is really Teresa Earnhardt sabotaging yet another team. As for your assertion that Gordon is the best, I would almost concur , if not for talent like Smoke, Robbie Gordon and ten or twelve other drivers including Jimmie Johnson (and grudingly) Earnhardt Jr. I suspectMr. Pressbox has rainbow sheets and matching underroos. The best? Ha
To those asking about if JG has lost some fire or being cautious since the birth of his child..... Remember when he wrecked out at Vegas this year (I think is was vegas), but it was on that restart, he damn sure drove that car into the corner like he wanted to win then!
I think alot of drivers are driving a little bit different after watching JG last year. Seems like more of them are more content with just a decent place, than competing for a win. This will probably hold true until later in the year
Has anyone forgot how well Jeff did last year. Just because he became a father dosen't mean he just gave up. By the way he hasen't anything to prove to anyone he still is the winniest driver out there I don't think anyone racing today will match his record. You can't take any of his accompolishments from the guy he still is a great driver and a great spokesman for the sport NOT JR
Yes : Jeff Gordon needs to fire himself for the bad example he sets for the sport...He isn't Dave Pearson or Richard Petty or Junior Johnson who gave it the all even when they had a bad hair day for the sport and fans...Jeff is a baby.
So Jeff has a bad race...so its time to fire somebody? B.S. this might be the most ridicious artile ive ever read. Jeff Gordon has a championship caliver team and you know they are goin to rebound. Now if he keeps this up all year then you know its time for changes...but one race??? WTF! Hes had top 5 race cars at every other race except where he finished a respectable 11th at bristol...so please
Give me a break! You think just because Gordon had a bad race someone should be fired? What are you nuts? Maybe he was giving bad info to the crew? Did you evere think about that? Or do you think Mr. Perfect can not make a mistake?
Every driver has a bad race now and then! GROW UP!!
I am a freelance writer in the Kansas City area. I focus mainly on football (pro and college) and NASCAR. I hate anything and everything that falls in line with mindless bandwagon following.
I believe sports is about passion, not just about rooting for who is hot. People will respect you more if you stick with something through the hard times.
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