The First Reid: Gordon Hones In On Two ‘Unreachable’ Records
By Reid Spencer
On Saturday night at Kansas Speedway, Jeff Gordon won the 89th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race of his career—third-most on the all-time list.
Inevitably, in Gordon’s post-race press conference, the number 105 also came up. That’s the number of NASCAR Sprint Cup races won by NASCAR Hall of Fame member David Pearson, who is second in career series victories behind Richard Petty’s 200.
Appropriately, Gordon shrugged off the suggestion he might reach Pearson’s total, asserting that he’s more concerned with victory No. 90 than victory No. 105.
Given that Gordon has won eight races total since winning six in 2007, such concern makes sense.
Don’t forget, though, that Gordon is moving closer to another milestone he’s likely to achieve. Currently, Ricky Rudd holds the “iron-man” record of 788 consecutive Sprint Cup starts. Gordon is second at 736, and if he takes the green flag for every event this season and next, he’ll have 797 consecutive starts, eclipsing Rudd.
Gordon’s consecutive start streak is remarkable for running unbroken from the start of his career. Since his Sprint Cup debut in the final event of 1992 – the legendary Atlanta Motor Speedway race that also was Petty’s final run — Gordon has never missed a Sprint Cup race. There are growing numbers of fans and reporters who cover the sport who have never seen a Sprint Cup race that didn’t include Jeff Gordon
After Saturday night’s race, Gordon said the cars crew chief Alan Gustafson is giving him make him feel like a 25-year-old.
If that means 20 more years of Gordon in the Sprint Cup Series, all the better.
@nascarcasm
• Give Jimmie Johnson and the #48 team credit for earning a top 10 in a car that was worse with the clutch than Tony Romo.
• Scary moment with the No. 1 car hitting the wall and going up in flames at Kansas Speedway. But we sincerely appreciate Jamie McMurray’s assistance in providing a brief moment of illumination on the backstretch.
• Very indicative of the year Clint Bowyer is having when the upside of your day is people saying “Well, at least I’m pretty certain THAT spin wasn’t deliberate…”
• Lights go out during Super Bowl? Game delayed. Lights go out during NASCAR race? They continue on. This begs the question – are football players athletes?
(Follow @nascarcasm on Twitter. His unique views on NASCAR are his own – but chances are you have figured that out by now.)
NASCAR Numbers
1: The number of cars on the lead lap of Saturday night’s 5-Hour Energy 400 when Clint Bowyer spun to cause the first caution. Brad Keselowski was the only driver who hadn’t pitted under green at that point, creating an unusual circumstance where second-place Kevin Harvick was the free-pass beneficiary.
1: The number of laps led by Kyle Busch in Saturday night’s race at Kansas Speedway. Busch’s progress toward the career milestone of 10,000 career laps led has been slowed of late. Busch, who needs 28 more laps led to reach 10,000, has been out front for a total of two laps in the last four races.
7: The career-best NASCAR Sprint Cup Series finish for Danica Patrick in Saturday night’s 5-Hour Energy 400 at Kansas Speedway. Patrick ran competitively against the best drivers in the sport and climbed as high as third in the running order before posting the top-10 finish.
11: The number of consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races this year in which six-time champion Jimmie Johnson has not gone to Victory Lane. His streak of 11 straight winless races to start a season matches his career longest. In 2003, Johnson didn’t win until the 12th race of the season, at Charlotte.
4: The record number of NASCAR Sprint All-Star races won by Jimmie Johnson, who is the two-time defending champion as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Saturday night’s million-dollar non-points shootout. Johnson took the checkered flag in 2003, 2006, 2012 and 2013. Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt are the only three-time winners.
NASCAR, Etc.
Jeff Gordon’s win now makes it nine different winners in the first 11 races, the most since 2003, when there were 10 different winners in the first 11 races. … Danica Patrick’s seventh-place finish at Kansas was a career-best, bettering the eighth-place run she scored in last year’s Daytona 500. The finish was the fourth best by a female driver in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history, and fell just short of the best all time (fifth by Sara Christian at Heidelberg Raceway in 1949). … Twenty-two drivers will fire their engines on Saturday night, signaling the start of the most thrilling all-star event in all of sports – the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. Nineteen drivers are locked in, all by way of a win in 2013 or 2014. Fans will learn the names of the final three participants on Friday night. Two will enter via the Sprint Showdown, the top two finishers of which will advance into Saturday night’s “big show.” The final spot will belong to the Sprint Fan Vote winner. Fan voting is open until 7 p.m. (EDT) on May 16, coinciding with the green flag of the Sprint Showdown. Votes can be cast by downloading the NASCAR MOBILE application, visiting NASCAR.com/SprintFanVote, or by visiting The Sprint Experience, located in the midway at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Tweets of the Week
Jeff Gordon
@JeffGordonWeb
(After winning at Kansas.)
What a huge weight lifted off this team’s shoulders.
David Gilliland
@DavidGilliland
(After crash at Kansas.)
Just got the ALL GOOD to race! Time to go racing again!!!!! Big credit to NASCAR and the safety of our sport!!!
Jimmie Johnson
@JimmieJohnson
#Moms rule!
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
@DaleJr
Happy Mothers Day to all the Moms out there. To my mother Brenda Jackson…love, care and support.
Darius Rucker
@dariusrucker
Singing the national anthem at the @NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race! Gonna be crazy fun to be there
Victory Junction
@VictoryJunction
Today, and every day, we celebrate the dreamer behind our story. We miss you, Adam. TY for inspiring so much love. (Posted May 12, 14th anniversary of Adam Petty’s death.)
Tom Jensen FOXSports.com
@tomjensen100
Remembering the late Adam Petty today and thinking of the whole Petty family.
Orange Cone
@TheOrangeCone
This is a sport built on people. There are so many people with a great sense of humor and a great ability to give back. #respect
Tom Jensen FOXSports.com
It’s Sprint All-Star week. It’s about to get real busy here at @NASCARONFOX
Tune-In: NASCAR On Television, May 12-18
Monday, May 12
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 1
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FOX Sports 2
7 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Race at Kansas (re-air), FOX Sports 1
2:30 a.m. (Tue), NASCAR Now, ESPN2
3 a.m. (Tue.), NASCAR Camping World Truck Race at Kansas, FOX Sports 1
5 a.m. (Tue.) NASCAR Race Hub Special (re-air), FOX Sports 1
Tuesday, May 13
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 1
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FOX Sports 2
2:30 a.m. (Wed.), NASCAR Now, ESPN2
Wednesday, May 14
7 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Race at Kansas (re-air), FOX Sports 2
10 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Race at Kansas, FOX Sports 1
12 p.m. NASCAR Race Hub Special (re-air), FOX Sports 1
1 p.m., NASCAR K&N Pro Series Race at Stockton (re-air), FOX Sports 1
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 1
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FOX Sports 2
2:30 a.m. (Thu.), NASCAR Now, ESPN2
Thursday, May 15
10 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Race at Kansas (re-air), FOX Sports 2
4 p.m., NASCAR K&N Pro Series Race at Stockton (re-air), FOX Sports 1
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 1
2 a.m. (Fri.), NASCAR Now, ESPN2
Friday, May 16
10 a.m., NASCAR K&N Pro Series Race at Stockton (re-air), FOX Sports 1
11 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Final Practice, FOX Sports 1
Noon, NASCAR Sprint Showdown Practice, FOX Sports 1
1:45 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup All-Star Race Practice, FOX Sports 1
3:30 p.m., NASCAR Live, FOX Sports 1
4 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Showdown Qualifying, FOX Sports 1
5:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Qualifying, FOX Sports 1
7 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Showdown Race at Charlotte, FOX Sports 1
8 p.m., NCWTS Set-Up, FOX Sports 1
8:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race at Charlotte, FOX Sports 1
3 a. m. (Sat.), NASCAR Sprint Showdown (re-air), FOX Sports 1
4 a.m. (Sat.), NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race at Charlotte (re-air), FOX Sports 1
Saturday, May 17
8:30 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Showdown Race (re-air), FOX Sports 2
11:30 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race at Charlotte (re-air), FOX Sports 1
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Showdown Race (re-air), FOX Sports 2
2:30 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay, FOX Sports 1
7 p.m., NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race Qualifying, FOX Sports 1
8:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte, FOX Sports 1
3:30 a.m. (Sun.), NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte, FOX Sports 1
Sunday, May 18
9 a. m., FOX Sports 1 on 1: Jimmie Johnson, FOX Sports 1
9:30 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte, FOX Sports 1
Noon, NASCAR K&N Pro Series Race at Stockton (re-air), FOX Sports 1
1:30 p.m., NNS Countdown, ESPN
2 p.m., NASCAR Nationwide Series Race at Iowa, ESPN
4:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte, FOX Sports 2
Midnight, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race at Charlotte (re-air), FOX Sports 2
1 a.m. (Mon.), NASCAR Nationwide Series Race at Iowa, ESPN2
2:30 a.m. (Mon.), FOX Sports 1 on 1: Jimmie Johnson, FOX Sports 2
This Week
NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
The Next Race:
NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race
The Place:
Charlotte Motor Speedway
The Date/Time:
Saturday, May 17, 8:30 p.m. (ET)
TV: FOX Sports 1
Radio: MRN,
Sirius XM Channel 90
NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES
The Next Race:
Get to Know Newton 250
The Place:
Iowa Speedway
The Date/Time:
Sunday, May 18, 2 p.m. (ET)
TV: ESPN
Radio: MRN,
Sirius XM Channel 90
________________
NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES
The Next Race:
NC Education Lottery 200
The Place:
Charlotte Motor Speedway
The Date/Time:
Friday, May 16, 8:30 (apprx.) (ET)
TV: FOX Sports 1
Radio: MRN,
Sirius XM Channel 90
National Series Standings
This year, wins matter more than in any season in the 65-year history of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Essentially, a win locks a driver into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
2014 Winners
Pos Driver Wins
1. Kevin Harvick 2
2. Joey Logano 2
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 1
4. Brad Keselowski 1
5. Carl Edwards 1
6. Kyle Busch 1
7. Kurt Busch 1
8. Denny Hamlin 1
9. Jeff Gordon 1
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Pos Driver Points
1 Jeff Gordon 394
2 Matt Kenseth 379
3 Kyle Busch 373
4 Dale Earnhardt Jr 368
5 Carl Edwards 367
6 Joey Logano 346
7 Jimmie Johnson 340
8 Ryan Newman 332
9 Greg Biffle 328
10 Brian Vickers 327
11 Brad Keselowski 326
12 Denny Hamlin 318
13 Kyle Larson # 318
14 Austin Dillon # 306
15 Kevin Harvick 302
16 Kasey Kahne 294
NASCAR Nationwide Series
Pos Driver Points
1 Chase Elliott # 339
2 Elliott Sadler 338
3 Regan Smith 336
4 Trevor Bayne 308
5 Ty Dillon # 308
6 Brian Scott 277
7 Brendan Gaughan 250
8 James Buescher 244
9 Chris Buescher # 229
10 Ryan Reed # 225
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Pos Driver Points
1 Matt Crafton 120
2 Timothy Peters 112
3 Ron Hornaday Jr. 112
4 German Quiroga 109
5 Johnny Sauter 105
6 Ryan Blaney 101
7 Jeb Burton 98
8 Ben Kennedy # 96
9 Darrell Wallace Jr. 90
10 John Wes Townley 87
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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