Jeff Gordon is a four time Cup Champion, currently comfortably perched in second place in the all time wins column. Tony Stewart is a two time Cup Champion, currently the only driver to win under both the "old" format and the "new" Chase format.
Arguably, they are the two best drivers in the Cup series today. In any event, the pair are the only active drivers with more than one Championship.
This year, they are both finally back in the Championship Title hunt at the same time. In 2005, Gordon missed the Chase, while last year, Stewart missed out.
In February, 2006, I wrote a blog about how Stewart's success possibly was hindering Gordon's winning a fifth Championship.
In short, these are the facts: Gordon's last Championship came in 2001. Since then, he has not finished higher in the Championship points than 3rd. Stewart, during that same time period, has won it all twice, and finished second to Gordon in 2001. Both spent one season outside the top 10 due to their failure to make the Chase. Both regularly win more than one race each season.
Prior to Stewart's Cup debut in 1999, Gordon had a hot streak going: from 1996 to 1998, he won at least 10 races each year (with a 13 win season in 1998) and he had over 21 top five finishes in each of those years. Since 1999, the most wins Gordon could put together in a season was 7 and the most top 5 finishes is 18. In the 1992-1998 seasons, Gordon amassed 3 Cup trophies, 42 wins, 100 top 5 finishes, and 123 top ten finishes.
However, this is how their careers compare since 1999.
Gordon Stewart
Wins 37 32
Top 5's 128 116
Top 10's 185 185
Chmps 2001 2002, 2005
Top 5 pt fin. 4 4
(Stats in above chart from Nascar Scene, Mike Hembree, and through first 26 races of this year)
Granted, several other talented drivers have regularly won during this timeframe (Think: Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Kurt and Kyle Busch, and Ryan Newman).
But Gordon's momentum cooled at the time Stewart arrived on the scene, in 1999. Did the wheels fall off Gordon's car then as the result of losing chief wizard, er, crew chief Ray Evernham? Or was it Stewart's aggressive style that hindered Gordon's Drive for Five?
Regardless if you love or hate Gordon, or love or hate Stewart, these two giants have the potential to gin up viewership and amp up the rivalry. The race at Louden gave a taste of what could be coming as these two tussle over every position.
So, is this the year that the two actually go head to head again for the Championship?
I, for one, would love to see it happen.
After all, who can forget the 2005 love tap at Dover or the 2001 pit road spin at Bristol? Or the Watkins Glen crash and conference in the garage in 2000? Or even the twin spins at Watkins Glen this year?
And this time, I think Stewart better look out on the confrontations in the garage - remember the Matt Kenseth shove at Bristol last year? Gordon means business. But then, so does Stewart.
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