Doubters? Fatherhood? Nothing slows Gordon down

Jeff Gordon won his second straight race and the sixth of the season Saturday night at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR

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CHARLOTTE -- Last year, two former Nextel Cup champions were writing off Jeff Gordon but this season's he's proved them wrong, with the No. 24 team likely headed toward picking up a fifth Cup at the year-end banquet at the Waldorf-Astoria.

Go back and look at the comments by Darrell Waltrip and Rusty Wallace, who are retired from driving but are currently expert commentators on network broadcasts. Both of them said Gordon had lost focus and spent too much time vacationing in exotic locations.

At the time Gordon was in the middle of a 14-race slump. Some people began to wonder if that was all he had for the Series. His new marriage and lifestyle were said to be more than a mere distraction.

He's now shrugged all of that off, including the common wisdom that becoming a parent would slow him down.

The proof was in four wins and domination of the points standnigs in the first 26 races this year. Under the previous points system he would probably be sewing up the title with races remaining on the schedule. Now he has two wins in a row and a comfortable points lead. With five races to go, if he isn't the favorite, then you're not paying attention.

Going back to 2006, Gordon and crew chief, Steve LeTarte, were in the "getting to know each other" phase. This year, along with the backing of the mighty Hendrick Motorsports organization, they have meshed and the win at Lowes Motor Speedway was a perfect example of that.

As they approached Saturday night's 500-mile race, just a finish was the modest goal after three years of failure there. Consider that Gordon's win was his first at the 1.5 mile track known as the "Beast of the Southeast" since 1999. The momentum of the win at Talledega, the preceding weekend, and a little help from teammate, Jimmie Johnson, in the form of an unforced error, put Gordon in a position to win in the closing laps although he was not the dominant driver that Johnson was, and is at the track.

Let's take a little look ahead. Gordon's worst finish in the last nine races at Martinsville is ninth. He won four of those races, and finished second twice. He crashed at Atlanta Motor Speedway in April, 2005, but in the last 10 races there he finished in the top-10 six times, including one win. Likewise he's got six top-10s at Texas Motor Speedway in the last 10 races. Then there's eight top-10s at Phoenix in the last 10 races including a Car of Tomorrow win there this spring. At Homestead there's been five top-10s in the last eight starts.

Of course, bad luck can strike at any time, and Gordon himself, would be the first one to say the championship is far from sewn up but this writer disagrees.

In Gordon's own words the championship itself doesn't matter, he's in a zone of his own, that's why this writer is saying it's his to lose now. That's why he can say: "I don't care what happens with the championship, this is my year, just because I'm being a father. And even with the wins that we've had so far and the kind of year on and off the racetrack for me personally, it's just been the most incredible year."

No Jeff, it's just another example why you and your team are once again the team to prove some experts wrong.

Key Moment

There were two. Of course when Johnson hit the wall and opened up the race for any number of front runners. Then, it was after the next-to-last restart, when polesitter Ryan Newman took over when Gordon stumbled, only to hit the wall himself. That allowed Gordon to win under the green-white-checkered flag final laps.

Hot Numbers

Johnson led for a race-high 95 laps. ... This was Gordon's 81st Nextel Cup Victory, he's now sixth on the all-time list. "The King" Richard Petty leads with 200, followed by David Pearson (105), Bobby Allison (85), Darrel Waltrip (84) and Cale Yarborough (83).

Surprise Star Of The Chase

It's Clint Bowyer, whose proving that inclusion in the Chase was no fluke starting with his win at New Hampshire. While bigger stars are fading he's still third in the points 78 behind Gordon and 10 behind Johnson.

Spinning My Wheels

There was sad news with the death of Ray Cooper, 53. who was battling cancer. His last assignment was a manufacturers' representative for Dodge, and before that Chevrolet. His behind-the-scenes job, may have been unnoticed by the fans. Before his illness he was an iron man at the races helping journalists and broadcasters obtain interviews and observations of the drivers. Without his work many of us would not have the full-picture of what his drivers and owners were thinking.

He possessed an easy smile and a razor-sharp wit. Although he could cut you with a word it never was with malice, usually he'd just smile and carry on. That's racing humor. A true gentlemen in the media center. Cooper knew what we needed because he started out as a journalist covering 467 consecutive events in a 15-year stretch earning numerous awards along the way. His passion for NASCAR racing burned not one degree cooler than any other driver, crew member, owner or official. His loss will be felt by the entire community.