Originally Posted on Foxsports.com on February 3, 2006.
Jeff Gordon is a four time Cup champion, winning in 1995, 1997, 1998 and 2001. To date, Gordon has 73 wins in the Cup series. Since his last championship, Gordon has been mounting a "Drive for Five" - his fifth Cup championship. However, since his championship in 2001, he has not finished higher than 3rd in the point standings.
Gordon had a hot streak going in 1996 through 1998 - he won at least 10 races each year (with a 13 win season in 1998). He had over 21 top five finishes in each of those years.
Then in 1999, things started to go downhill for Gordon - the most wins he has had in a season is 7 and the most top 5 finishes is 18. Aside from the championship in 2001, Gordon hasn't finished higher than 3rd. In the 1992-1998 seasons, Gordon amassed 3 Cup trophies, 42 wins, 100 top 5 finishes, and 123 top ten finishes. In the 1999-2005 seasons, Gordon won 1 Cup trophy, 31 wins, 99 top 5 finishes and 146 top 10 finishes. A record any racer would kill to have, but a bit off the pace Gordon had set in his early years.
2005 was a dismal year for Gordon - a mere 4 wins, 8 top 5s, and 14 top 10 finishes. He finished the lowest he has since his rookie year - 11th in points.
Why the sudden stop in his success? Maybe because Tony Stewart joined the Cup series in 1999. Stewart stormed in and finished the year with 3 wins (the most ever by a rookie). He finished 4th place in points that year. Gordon finished 6th.
Since Stewart started racing in the Cup series, he has finished four years ahead of Gordon in points - including winning two championships to Gordon's one during the time they were racing head to head. While Gordon still has more wins over the period Stewart has been in Cup (31 vs. 24), Stewart has the edge on top 10 finishes (149 vs. 146).
Granted the parity of Cup racing has improved in recent times - and Hendrick Motorsports, Gordon's team, probably had an edge in the mid-1990's in technology and team dynamics. Gordon also lost his crew chief, Ray Evernham, in 1999. And there have been several drivers added to the series since 1999 who have regularly won races, and finished well (Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Jimmie Johnson, Greg Biffle, Ryan Newman, and Kurt Busch to name a few).
But Gordon's decline in wins, and top finishes started in 1999 - when Stewart hit the scene. It seems the answer to Gordon's failure to get a 5th championship is that Stewart is stealing points from him!
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