Gordon’s success breeds love for LVMS

Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2002 | 10:22 a.m.

It took only three hours last spring for Las Vegas Motor Speedway to move to the top of Jeff Gordon's list of favorite tracks.

Although Gordon had qualified well in three previous NASCAR Winston Cup races here, he had struggled to a 17th-place finish in the inaugural race in 1998 and a 28th-place showing in 2000.

Despite a third-place finish in 1999, and his admitted love for the town, Gordon said he never felt confident racing in Las Vegas.

"Up until last year, it was kind of lower down on my list (because) we hadn't had a lot of success here," Gordon said during a break in testing Monday at LVMS. "But after last year's victory, this (track) is high on my list."

Gordon went into last year's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 wondering if his luck ever was going to change here after he qualified 24th -- his worst starting position in four races at LVMS.

Gordon fought his way through the pack, finally grabbed the lead on lap 225 and then stayed out front for 33 of the final 43 laps en route to his first victory in Las Vegas.

Not only did Gordon earn nearly $370,000 (the winner's share of the purse), he took home a $1 million check from series sponsor R.J. Reynolds' "No Bull 5" bonus program.

More importantly, though, the win set the tone for what would be a remarkable season in which Gordon posted six wins, 24 top-10 finishes and captured his fourth NASCAR Winston Cup championship.

Looking back on his 2001 season, Gordon said it is impossible to underestimate the significance of his victory at LVMS.

"I think it was huge; it definitely set the tone for us," Gordon said. "This track was awful for us and we really had no confidence at this track and by winning that race, it not only turned our confidence around, it took it to a whole new level for the rest of the season.

"I think it was really a turning point for this team in general and was what really got us started in a championship run."

While Gordon may have mastered the 1.5-mile LVMS oval last year, he said it was important for his Hendrick Motorsports team to test here this week.

"This is a track that offers a lot of information to us -- not just for this racetrack, but also for other racetracks," Gordon said. "It's a good downforce track so we can try a lot of things with shocks and springs to see where we've made improvement over the winter, and if we need to make more before we get back here.

"Not to mention the weather in Las Vegas is pretty good this time of year. It's a good place for us to know that we can get a good, solid test in and get ready for our season to start."

Gordon said he is eager to get to Florida for next month's season-opening Daytona 500 after having a successful test there earlier this month.

Jimmie Johnson, a Winston Cup rookie who will drive a Chevrolet co-owned by Gordon and Rick Hendrick, turned the fastest lap in testing at Daytona (183.816 mph) and Gordon was fifth fastest at 183.262.

"Hendrick Motorsports did a great job over the off-season preparing for the restrictor-plate tracks, with the new rules," Gordon said. "Chevy seemed to be pretty good and we hope that's still the case when we go back down there in February."

This year's Daytona 500, Gordon admitted, will be different than any of his previous nine starts in the "Great American Race" because it will be the first since Dale Earnhardt lost his life on the final lap of last year's race.

"I'm excited because it's Daytona and it's our Super Bowl event but I'm also going to have a lot of memories of Dale there -- both good and bad," he said.

"I really look forward to getting back there and going to our Super Bowl event and all I can do is think of the positive things that Dale meant to me and this sport."