From the April, 2007 issue of Stock Car Insider
Jeff Gordon Updates His Place in the History Books!
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| 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.
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