For periods of time, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart dominated the competition at Watkins Glen International. Stewart owns a track-record five wins (2002, 2004-05, 2007, 2009), while Gordon comes in second with four (1997-99, 2001).
Both could use a return to their winning ways at the Central New York road course on Sunday. Stewart needs a visit to Victory Lane in the next five races to make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. At 12th on the Chase Grid, a comfortable 83 points above the cutoff line, Gordon will likely make the postseason. Still, a win would give him momentum. Also, if/when Kyle Busch makes the top 30, Gordon’s cushion shrinks. A DNF could doom him.
While Gordon’s loop stats at The Glen are mediocre by his standards (10th-best driver rating, 85.4; 12th-best average running position, 17.075) Stewart’s are elite by any measure. The No. 14 Chevrolet driver boasts series-best totals in average running position (5.661), driver rating (120.4) and average green flag speed (120.785 mph).
Jeff Gordon, a four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and five-time winner at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, will have a day and parade in his honor on Thursday, July 9, in Pittsboro, Indiana.
Gordon is wrapping up his final full season behind the wheel and visiting on his “Victory Tour” in advance of a final appearance on July 26 at the Crown Royal Presents the Jeff Kyle 400 at the Brickyard.
When Gordon was 14 years old, he and his family relocated to Pittsboro to further Gordon’s racing career. The driver went on to superstardom and members of the Pittsboro community continue to follow their hero in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
In conjunction with the town of Pittsboro, IMS is holding a parade in Gordon’s honor on Jeff Gordon Day (as designated by the town) at noon on Main Street. Fans are encouraged to line the parade route. A merchandise trailer stocked with Gordon items will be on site.
Following the parade, a stage presentation will be held at Scamahorn Park at 12:30 p.m.
NEW YORK – After months of waiting, the moment finally came – Jeff Gordon revealed that he will once again drive a Chevrolet featuring the iconic rainbow paint scheme that kicked off his NASCAR Cup Series career.
The No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet SS will hit the track for the Aug. 22 night race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
“It is such an iconic paint scheme,” Gordon said while revealing the car on CBS This Morning. “It is when I got introduced to NASCAR with – now Axalta, used to be DuPont – they are the ones who came out with this bright-colored paint scheme and the fans love it.”
Gordon said he noticed right away that the scheme resonated with a certain segment of his fan base.
“Especially young fans, they were attracted to this car because it was so bright it always stood out,” he noted.
But fans of all ages were celebrating the return of the scheme – within minutes, #Rainbow24 was a trending topic throughout the United States on Twitter.
“I know they love it,” Gordon smiled. “The reason why we are bringing it out is because Twitter, Facebook and social media — they want this car out on the track.
“So it is exciting for them, exciting for us and for me to get to drive it again – it has been a long time, since 2000.”
Gordon won three of his Cup championships driving the rainbow paint scheme, and now in his final full-time Sprint Cup season with the car making a triumphant return, he wouldn’t mind going out on top once again.
“I want to go out still being competitive,” he said. “I’d like to be a little more competitive than we’ve been this year, but we still have a lot of races left to go and I feel confident we’ve got a team that we can end on top.”
“Thank you for letting us unveil this car to the fans,” Gordon said. “I know they are thrilled about it.”
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Rainbow returns for Jeff Gordon
BY GRAY CALDWELL
NEW YORK – It’s back.
At long last, thanks to Axalta, Jeff Gordon’s No. 24 Chevrolet SS will once again sport the iconic rainbow paint scheme.
Tuesday on “CBS This Morning,” Gordon broke the news, unveiling the Axalta Chevrolet SS in New York.
He will race the special Axalta car at Bristol Motor Speedway on Aug. 22.
To celebrate the scheme’s return, let’s take a look at the rainbow Chevy – which Gordon drove from his very first start in 1992 through the 2000 season — by the numbers.
1: Rookie of the Year trophy
1: All-Star Race victory
3: Cup Series championships
17: Different tracks where Gordon earned at least one win in the rainbow scheme
33: Pole positions earned
52: Trips to Victory Lane
129: Top-five finishes
166: Top-10s recorded
10,708: Total laps led
1,000,000: Dollars earned for winning the Daytona 500, Charlotte 600 and Southern 500 in 1997.
With the scheme revealed, we’re less than two months until the #Rainbow24 returns to the track one final time.
For periods of time, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart dominated the competition at Watkins Glen International. Stewart owns a track-record five wins (2002, 2004-05, 2007, 2009), while Gordon comes in second with four (1997-99, 2001).
The Final Lap Weekly 