Gordon’s Rainbow Paves Route to California Gold

FONTANA — Any ideas that Jeff Gordon and the Rainbow Warriors might be slipping were put to an end Sunday at California Speedway when the three-time Winston Cup champion scored the most dominating win of NASCAR’s Winston Cup season.

Gordon had failed to finish three of nine previous races, including last week at Talladega Superspeedway, and had fallen 210 points behind in quest of his fourth series championship.

His answer was to lead 151 of the 250 laps of the California 500, including 86 of the last 87, and cruise home in his Chevrolet Monte Carlo 4.492 seconds ahead of series leader Jeff Burton’s Ford Taurus. It was more than twice as large as any victory margin this season.

An enthusiastic crowd of 117,000 also gave Gordon something he rarely hears--a rousing cheer when he took the lead. At most tracks, especially those in the Southeast, Gordon hears more boos than cheers, a common characteristic of stock car fans who seem to hate winners.

Gordon became the year’s first three-time winner, adding the California 500 to the Daytona 500 and Cracker Barrel 500 at Atlanta.

It took a combination of Gordon’s driving talent, a powerful engine put together back in Harrisburg, N.C., and lightning-like pit stops from crew chief Ray Evernham and his Rainbow Warriors crew, so called because of their multicolored DuPont uniforms.

“The last pit stop did it, it’s what put all that space between me and the other guys,” Gordon said. “When it comes to crunch time when the pressure is on and it’s time to make a great pit stop, that’s what these guys do.

“I got to the pits as fast as I could and they did the rest of the work. All day long I could run great in clean air, but whenever someone came up behind me, I had to step aside and let them by.

“The thing had an awesome engine in it and once I got free in clean air I was able to run my line and have a little breathing room.”

Evernham said the team’s final pit stop “was just one of those things when the choreography is perfect and you hit all the lugnuts perfect.”

Despite the total dominance, Gordon gained only 10 points on Burton, reducing the margin to 200. However, he did move from fifth to fourth, taking advantage of Mark Martin’s ill fortune. Martin, who was third at the start of the day, suffered a blown engine and finished 38th.

Nine cars finished on the lead lap, with Pontiac teammates Bobby Labonte and rookie Tony Stewart third and fourth. Stewart, in his first year with NASCAR after moving from the Indy Racing League, climbed to sixth in Winston Cup standings. The last time a rookie finished the season in the top 10 was Jody Ridley, who was seventh in 1980.

“It was a great day, to finish behind Bobby and have a strong run like we did and finish in the top five for the second week in a row,” Stewart said. “I made a rookie mistake down in [turn] one when I tried to pass Rusty Wallace. That about cost us the whole day.

“I had to yell at myself for two or three laps and it took about that long to tell myself everything I did was wrong. I just drove in too hard trying to get by him to race with the leaders. He was racing hard trying to get back on the lead lap. Experience is what the rookie season is all about.”

Dale Jarrett finished a fast-closing fifth after slipping back as far as 18th to maintain second place in Winston Cup points.

“Other than getting the trophy and the money, I feel like we won this race,” Jarrett said. “I thought I would never be able to finish in the top five with 20 laps to go. I was just hoping to finish in the top 15 and not lose too many points.”

Jarrett trails Burton by 55 points.

There were 28 lead changes, of which 18 involved Gordon--either taking the lead or giving it up.

“We swapped the lead quite a few times,” Gordon acknowledged. “If I got the lead and he [Burton] got behind me it would loosen me up and I would have to give him that position if he went for it. If I got up on him, he would get a little bit loose and he’d give me the position.”

Burton had the misfortune of pitting during green flag, high-speed racing on lap 128. When Gordon pitted two laps later, a yellow caution flag came out for Ricky Rudd’s blown engine, and Burton was caught behind the pace car.

“On a day like this, when you get a lap down, get it back and then work your way toward the lead again, you’ve got to go home feeling good,” Burton said.

Some of the most exciting racing came midway through the race when Dale Earnhardt and Wallace were trying to fight off being lapped by Gordon. The three of them seesawed back and forth before Gordon broke loose and kept them a lap down.

Earnhardt, who won last week’s race at Talladega, finished 12th and said, “We were mediocre on the race track and mediocre in the pits.”

Gordon averaged 150.280 mph in winning his 45th race in 199 starts. He earned $155,890 for the 3-hour 19-minute 38-second ride. There were five caution periods for 23 laps, three for one-car wrecks involving Johnny Benson, Rudd and Joe Nemechek.

In postrace comments, Gordon seemed intent on refuting the thought that this has been lessthan a successful season, despite a broken engine at Rockingham, N.C., and wrecks at Texas and Talladega.

“Any time you win the Daytona 500 you’re not having a bad year. Then you put Atlanta and California in on it, I don’t see how it can be a bad year from here on out.

“This one was special because I enjoy coming out to California. It’s my home state and I have a lot of friends out here and that helps with the motivation.”

Gordon was born and raised in Vallejo until he was 15 when his stepfather moved the family to Pittsboro, Ind., so young Jeff could accelerate his racing career. In California, he was not permitted to race sprint cars because he was too young.

This was Gordon’s second California 500 win in three years. He won the inaugural in 1997.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

THE TOP 5

1. Jeff Gordon: Chevrolet

2. Jeff Burton: Ford

3. Bobby Labonte: Pontiac

4. Tony Stewart: Pontiac

5. Dale Jarrett: Ford

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COVERAGE

Racing luck turned bad for Jeff Burton when winner Jeff Gordon’s wait for pit stop wound up gaining him a lap.

Page 11

NOTES: Page 10

RESULTS: Page 10

ELSEWHERE: Page 11