From the April, 2007 issue of Stock Car Insider

Jeff Gordon Re-Writes History! - SCI April 23rd Issue

Next stop on the Nextel Cup Schedule is Talladega Superspeedway, Bam-da-Lam

The driver's standings could get a complete over-haul next week as NASCAR heads to Talladega Superspeedway. With only seconds often separating 1st from 40th at restrictor plate tracks, a driver can stand to gain or lose many positions depending on where he is in the draft. And, of course, you can never forget the "Big One"; the wreck that takes out multiple cars due to the close proximity of the cars in the draft traveling at speeds approaching 200mph!

Of all current drivers with 2 or more career starts at Talladega, Kurt Busch has had the most success. In 12 starts, Busch has an average finish of 11th.

Other drivers to note:
Dale Jarrett - Average finish of 12th
Tony Stewart - Average finish of 12th
Dale Earnhardt Jr - Average finish of 13th
Kevin Harvick - Average finish of 14th

Next Week's Schedule:

Nextel Cup: @ Talladega Superspeedway (all times EST)
04/27/07 - 03:05pm NASCAR Nextel Cup Practice - Aaron's 499
04/28/07 - 10:15am NASCAR Nextel Cup Qualifying - Aaron's 499
04/29/07 - 01:00pm NASCAR Nextel Cup Aaron's 499

Busch Series: @ Talladega Superspeedway
04/27/07 - 04:05pm NASCAR Busch Series Qualifying - Aaron's 312
04/28/07 - 02:00pm NASCAR Busch Series Aaron's 312

Craftsman Truck Series: @ Kansas Speedway
04/27/07 - 02:30pm NASCAR Craftsman Truck Practice
04/28/07 - 01:30pm NASCAR Craftsman Truck Qualifying
04/28/07 - 05:00pm NASCAR Craftsman Truck Race

See complete 2007 NASCAR Schedule

Jeff Gordon Updates His Place in the History Books!

Jeff Gordon moved closer to the top of NASCAR's history book by capturing his 59th career pole, and 76th career victory at Phoenix. The 59th pole ties him with Darrell Waltrip for 4th in all-time poles while the 76th victory ties him with the late Dale Earnhardt for 6th in all-time wins. While Jeff Gordon's success in NASCAR is completely attributed to him, he owes the 76th victory to crew chief Steve Letarte. In the last pit cycle of the Subway Fit 500, Gordon found himself trapped on pit-road when the last caution of the race came out. While Gordon almost drove through pit road to beat the pace car and stay on the lead lap, crew chief Letarte ordered Gordon to pit anyway. `I almost drove through the pit. Steve made the call and I love him. He's as sharp as can be. He's so cool under pressure' said Gordon. Letarte knew that his team could complete a pit stop and still allow Gordon to get out in front of the pace car. In the end, Gordon was able to come out on the lead lap with 4 tires and fuel before the other lead lap cars had a chance to pit. Once the pit-stops were fully cycled, Gordon was the leader. In the end, split-second ingenuity on the part of Letarte put Gordon in the lead. If Jeff had driven through pit-road, he would have found himself an insurmountable number of positions down and unable to capture his first win ever at Phoenix International Raceway.  Shop for Jeff Gordon merchandise Penske Racing Starting to Make Big Strides! While the results in Saturday's Subway Fit 500 do not show it, Penske Racing is making a comeback. The closing laps prior to the final caution found drivers Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman running in 5th and 6th positions respectively. Unfortunately, after making early pit stops on the final cycle of the race and then going down a lap when the final caution of the race came out, both Busch and Newman were sent towards the end of the field. Kurt Busch suffered from a similar setback last week in the Samsung 500 where he challenged for the lead at certain points in the race only to finish in 11th. None-the-less, with both teams now showing they can run with the top dogs, its obvious Penske is on a comeback. Expect both Kurt and Ryan to continue running well in the remaining Car of Tomorrow races. Of all teams, Penske has most embraced the new COT and has performed more tests with the new cars than any other team in NASCAR!  Shop NASCAR merchandise Subway Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway Recap NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow got the validation it much needed at Saturday night's Subway Fit 500 at Phoenix. In the closing laps of the race, both Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon made daring passes to claim the lead. If those same passes were made with the "Car of Yesterday", the lead driver would have been spinning out of control into the outside retaining wall while the trailing car breezed by for the lead. With the new rear spoiler and front splitter, the new COT's are no longer as aero sensitive with cars trailing on the rear bumper. The front splitter diverts air around the side of the cars providing lateral stability down the sides of the car while the straight rear spoiler provides more down force. This all helped lead to one of the more dramatic finishes to a race this year! How the top drivers faired: Jeff Gordon put on his best performance in recent time after his crew chief, Steve Letarte, made an ingenious decision to stay on pit road when the final caution came out. By being in the pit box closest to the scoring line, the #24 team was able to execute a pit stop and allow Jeff to pull out in front of the pace car to stay on the lead lap. Jeff assumed the lead when the other lead lap cars pitted under caution, and was able to capture his 76th career victory. Tony Stewart must have been smoking hot at the conclusion of the Subway Fit 500. One of NASCAR's brashest drivers was out-raced by Jeff Gordon in the closing laps. However, the 2nd place finish by Stewart gave him a much needed boost. Smoke jumped two spots in the standings and now sits in 7th place. Dale Earnhardt Jr had a mediocre day, but mediocrity is what the most popular drive in NASCAR needs at the moment. After failing to finish 3 races this year, the 19th place finish on Saturday boosted Jr. to 15th place in the points. Jimmie Johnson is exhibiting the same championship form he had last year. The reigning champion finished in 4th place, his 5th top 5 finish of the year. He now sits 4th in points. Mark Martin’s streak of top 5 finished came to end when the semi-retired driver finished 12th in the Subway Fit 500. Mark Martin still sits in 10th place after taking 2 weeks off earlier in the year. See complete 2007 NASCAR Schedule