Jeff Gordon did not find Lady Luck in Las Vegas this past weekend. It started out well but ended badly in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup series Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Gordon in his final full time season was celebrated by the speedway Friday given his own blackjack table as a gift. Later in the day, Gordon went out and scored the pole for Sunday’s race, his first career pole at Las Vegas.
Saturday though his luck began to change. In the closing minutes of the final practice Gordon was running on the apron when Danica Patrick spun in front of him. Gordon couldn’t avoid her Chevy and the two made contact. The damage was too much and Gordon was forced to a backup car. The switch meant he would have to give up his pole and start Sunday in the rear of the field.
Sunday Gordon began methodically working his way through the field. Just after the 10 lap mark, Gordon was inside the top 20 and continuing to move forward making it as high as the top 10 at one point. On lap 172 however his hopes for the win ended. His Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson blew a tire. Gordon tired to avoid Johnson who bounced off the wall but made contact with Jeb Burton. MORE>>>
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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