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| Gordon realizes the task at hand |
With that daunting task at hand, this weekend's LENOX Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway ranks as the next-best thing to a “must win” race. Last year, Gordon overcame numerous obstacles in a pair of starts at the Loudon, NH, oval. In July, the three-time NHMS winner led 19 laps before electrical problems dropped him from the lead lap. He battled back and was running inside the top five before a blown
right-front tire on the final lap relegated him to a disappointing 11th-place finish.
In September, Gordon led a race-high 78 laps before issues on his final stop left him with only a partial fuel load and forced him to race conservatively in the final laps. Despite have to nurse his car to the finish, the four-time Sprint Cup Series champion finished fourth.
"I feel like Alan (Gustafson)
and our engineers do an excellent job on flat race tracks - especially tracks
like Loudon," said Gordon. "(New Hampshire) is high on my list of
tracks that I feel we can capitalize on."
Along with three wins and three
poles in 34 starts at the 1.058-mile track, Gordon leads all drivers with 15 Top-5
and 19 Top-10 finishes, along with 1,304 laps led.
"I think Loudon is a great
opportunity for us," he said. "We've been very competitive here
recently, and I feel we can be competitive again this weekend, hopefully with a
shot at winning. It's a track that I really enjoy, but it's not an easy one to
get around because of the long straightaways, flat corners and hard braking. I
think the variable banking has made it a little bit easier to run side-by-side
and make passes, though."
With just eight races remaining
before the Chase field is set, Gordon knows that only wins will aid his quest
to earn a spot in the 12-driver playoff field.
"We are not afraid of trying
things with the setup or during the race," said Gordon, who is currently a
distant 17th in Sprint Cup championship points. "We're not afraid to take
some risks. Each race that goes by without a win; the more risk we are willing
to take.
"But I feel like we're still a
long way from being out of this thing.
I believe.
ReplyDeleteAs do I. There's a reasonable window to get into the Chase with one win still. But two would be nice. Three would be better. It can happen. It will be hard.
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