Jeff Gordon desires to race at Richmond International Raceway - NASCAR Update
Four times NASCAR Sprint Cup Winner, Jeff Gordon has a strong desire to race on the Richmond International Raceway (RIR), as he is ready to face the challenge again in the Crown Royal presents the Matthew and Daniel Hansen 400.
The No. 24 driver of Hendrick Motorsports loves racing on the 0.75 mile short track. Gordon does not have much success on short tracks, as compared to others at intermediate tracks. He has won twice on the RIR, which is enough to boost up his confidence
for the upcoming race.
While talking to the media, Gordon said, “I love Richmond, and I don’t know of another driver that doesn’t like this track. But it is a very challenging short track.”
The track has always behaved strangely during the race, as the conditions between sundown and night creates various challenges for competitors on a short track.
This year’s first race on the track is scheduled to take place on Saturday night, April 30, 2011.
Gordon is well-aware of the upcoming challenge and added, “The track will change a lot from the start of the race to the end, so we’ll need to keep up with those changes.”
Gordon is a veteran on the 0.75 mile RIR track with two wins, but that was back in the late 1990s. It has been almost over a decade that he has not won on the track, but his performance has been remained well so far. Last year, he had put on a spirited effort
in the same race at RIR, but finished as the runner-up. Overall, the No. 24 driver has 14 top-five and 23 top-ten finishes on the D-shaped asphalt track.
The Hendricks driver has been impressive throughout the years at the RIR, which enables him to know all the key ingredients to win Saturday’s race.
Gordon added, “One of the keys to going fast here is getting the DuPont Chevrolet to turn the middle of the corner. But it’s tough to get the car to turn the middle without getting the car too loose in and too loose off.”
He has shown a remarkable performance on RIR in last four years and after eight starts, he has finished in the top-five four times and has no worst finish than the 12th
place.
Gordon, competing for the Sprint Cup championship, is currently on 13th spot on the points’ table after participating in all eight races. This season, he has set up decent pace after breaking his 66 races win-less streak, as he finished thrice
in the top-five.
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