Gordon still has goals for 2005

Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are the highest-profile drivers to miss out on the 10-man, 10-race Chase, but Gordon and his many fans were probably the most disappointed because he went into the race last Saturday night at Richmond with a chance to make it into the playoff-style format.

An ill-handling car and a collision with the wall ended Gordon’s hopes, though, leaving him 12th in the standings in a season that has been, to say the least, disappointing.

“I don’t really care where we end up in the standings, we just need to get prepared for next year,” said Gordon, who fell out of contention after winning the season-opening Daytona 500 and two more of the first nine races before his struggles began. “We need to get things turned around so that we don’t put ourselves in the same situation (in 2006).

“This season has been disappointing, but I look forward to the challenge of getting things turned around and battling for wins the remainder of the season. We want to get some momentum on our side and carry it over to next year.”

Gordon pointed out that he and his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team have been in a similar situation in the past and bounced back strong.

With 10 races to go in the 2000 season, Gordon had no realistic shot at the championship. The team responded with one win and nine top 10s to close out the year, and carried that momentum to its fourth championship the following season.

Gordon also pointed out that the late Dale Earnhardt, who captured seven championships, experienced similar pendulum swings. After back-to-back titles in 1990 and 1991, Earnhardt slipped to 12th in the standings in 1992. He then won his last two titles the next two years.

“This is a very competitive sport, and things aren’t going to go your way every year,” Gordon said. “But we are capable of so much more, and we’ll use these next 10 races to try to get back to that level.”

Sunday’s Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway, the first race of the Chase, would be a good place for Gordon to get things turned around, although he finished 25th there in July.

In 21 starts at NHIS, Gordon has three wins, nine top fives and 12 top 10s. He has led the most laps on six occasions for a total of 1,067, 462 more than his closest competitor.

“New Hampshire has been a good track for us in the past,” Gordon said. “We ran well here in July and were battling for a top-five finish before suffering brake problems late in the race. You can certainly look back at that race and say `what if.’

“But we’ve had a number of races this year where we could say that. We’ve also had some races where we just didn’t perform. I want to be battling for a championship next year. Preparation for that begins this weekend.”

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TOMORROW’S CAR: The next generation of race cars is getting closer to reality in NASCAR’s Nextel Cup series.

Nextel Cup director John Darby said the so-called “Car of Tomorrow,” being developed by NASCAR as a safer alternative to the cars currently in use, is scheduled for its first on-track test early in October, probably the week after the Oct. 2 race at Talladega Superspeedway.

“We don’t know where the test is going to be yet, or how many of the new cars will be ready for the test,” Darby said. “It’ll be perhaps a dozen cars or so. Whoever is done. But we’re pretty open to anyone who wants to take part. And there will be a second test later in the fall.”

The early development work on the new cars, which have a higher profile, a bigger driver compartment and use new crushable materials, all with an eye toward keeping the drivers safer, was done by NASCAR’s Research and Development facility in Concord, N.C.

The individual teams are now working on the cars at their own speed, with NASCAR hoping to get them into a race sometime in late 2006 and have all the teams using the cars in 2007 or, at worst, 2008.

Meanwhile, after a year in which Cup teams and drivers had to make major adjustments because of shorter rear spoilers and softer tires, Darby said 2006 is going to be different.

“It will probably be the least number of changes ever,” Darby said. “With the new car coming in 2007, there’s not much sense in making a lot of big changes at this point. Besides, we’re pretty happy with the way things are going right now.

“And no changes mean the teams can massage these cars over the winter and make them even better for 2006.”

Darby also said the escalating cost of gasoline should not have any effect on competition in 2006.

“Racing fuel is not used anyplace else and can be blended, supplied and stored well in advance,” he explained. “There may be enough for all of next year somewhere. Now, when they get beyond that, I can see the costs going up.”

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SORENSON DEBUT: Reed Sorenson hopes to get an early start on his Nextel Cup career at his home track.

The 19-year-old Sorenson will attempt to qualify for the Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga., on Oct. 30. He is a native of nearby Peachtree City.

Sorenson, who is third in the NASCAR Busch Series standings, will move up to a full-time Nextel Cup ride next year, driving the No. 41 car for Chip Ganassi. But the team decided to give him a head start at a track he knows very well.

The teenager won 84 Legends races at the track south of Atlanta, beginning at age 12.

“I am glad that my debut will be at my hometown track,” Sorenson said. “I always want to do well in front of the hometown crowd. I have a lot of friends and family members that come out to the track, and it is a track that has been instrumental in my career since I was a kid.”

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HE SAID IT: “They’re definitely the team to beat, all of them. They’ve just got it going right now. They’re running good, their engine package is good, their aero package is good. We’ll just do the best we can.” — Evernham Motorsports driver Jeremy Mayfield noting that the five Roush Racing drivers — Kurt Busch, Greg Biffle, Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards — in the 10-man Chase should be considered the favorites to win the championship.

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STAT OF THE WEEK: Chevrolet has won 13 of the 26 Cup races in 2005. Ford has won 11 times and Dodge twice.