Pitting

Jeff Gordon strong at Richmond but still “disappointed”

I know it’s hard to feel sorry for him.

On the surface, Gordon appears to have everything one could want in life: a happy family, a job he loves, millions of dollars in his bank account — you get the picture.

But when it comes to that job Gordon loves, he’s happiest when he’s winning. And in his last 89 races, Gordon has only won once.

The four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champ came up short again Saturday night, this time at Richmond International Raceway. “It’s a little disappointing we haven’t won some races yet. [But] if we keep doing this, those will come.”

As frustrating as it is to finish second, Gordon said he is pleased with the performance of the No. 24 team this year. “Other than the win column, I feel like we’re dominating races,” he said. “We’re leading at times. We’re leading laps pretty much everywhere we go. We’re running up front. We’re putting ourselves in a position to win late in races. Our pit crew is strong. Everything is going good, other than getting the win.” 

Kyle Busch, who won the race on the eve of his 25th birthday, was the class of the field for most of the evening before fading. But his No. 18 team kept working, and the payoff was a trip to victory lane.

And it was another second-place finish for a disappointed Jeff Gordon.

Chase for the Championship is set — without Kyle Busch

Denny Hamlin finally got his win at his home track, and the Richmond native nearly glowed with delight at his post-race press conference. Hamlin was feeling very confident after taking the first spot in qualifying, but after winning the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 Saturday  night, he said he’s the guy to beat in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series Chase for the Championship.

Unfortunately for Hamlin’s teammate, Kyle Busch, there will be no opportunity to win the Sprint Cup this year. After a stellar season in which he won four races, Busch came up short in his bid to make the Chase by a mere eight points.

Ironically Busch’s big brother knows the importance of eight points. Kurt Busch, who made the Chase this year, won his only championship in 2004 by — you guessed it — eight points.

Matt Kenseth also lost out on his bid to make the Chase after a terrible night in Virginia. Kenseth was one of two drivers who had qualified for each of the championship Chases, but now that honor belongs solely to three-time champion Jimmie Johnson.

Although Johnson was happy to make the Chase, he admitted he was unhappy with the way the team performed Saturday night, saying he “ran like [crap].”

Brian Vickers was ecstatic after making the Chase for the first time in his career. “I’m genuinely going to party hard tonight. I’m not kidding.”

 And who could blame him? Hamlin may have won the race, but Vickers was the big winner Saturday night.

Rain, rain, go away…

Richmond is always a race I look forward to. The combination of a night race run at a short track is every race fan’s dream.

Unfortunately, the dream became a nightmare when rain ruined the party. Arriving at the track bright and early this morning, I wasn’t happy to see the rain start almost immediately. The forecast wasn’t promising, but around 5 o’clock, the sun broke through the clouds briefly and the rain miraculously stopped. Track drying began, and all of the race preliminaries started right on schedule.

But as the drivers began pace laps, the rain began to fall. More than two hours later, it is still falling, and the race was finally postponed.

So I’ll be spending extra time here in Richmond. The race is set to begin shortly after 1 o’clock Sunday. 

Rain at a racetrack is miserable, but it could be worse…this could be a dirt track.