Team DuPont gears up for Kansas

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (September 23, 2008) - Two-time Kansas Speedway winner Jeff Gordon knows where Victory Lane is located at the 1.5-mile track -- he just hopes to find it during Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event. Particularly, Gordon and Team DuPont are looking for the right setup that will provide the necessary speed for Gordon to challenge for the win. Last year marked the partial introduction of the “Car of Tomorrow” into the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule, and Gordon secured wins in the Chevrolet Impala at Phoenix, Darlington, S.C., and Talladega, Ala. This year, use of the COT is mandatory at all tracks, and Team DuPont has struggled to figure it out on intermediate tracks. “We haven’t been up to par on these types of tracks this year, but we’ve been working real hard on our mile-and-a-half program,” said Gordon, who is eighth in the standings and 118 points behind the leader. “We had a great test in Kentucky last week, and I think we learned some things there that we can apply to Kansas. “If any track is similar to Kentucky, it’s Kansas," Gordon added. "I’m really looking forward to seeing if what we learned last week translates over to Kansas. We’ve been searching all year trying to find that feel and comfort level in the cars because the speed will come along with it. And when a team finds it, they can continue to work on it. When a team – like ourselves – has not been able to find ‘it,’ it just shows how difficult it is to find.” Along with his wins at Kansas in 2001 and 2002, the four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion has four top-five finishes and five top-10s in seven starts. But this will be the first time Gordon drives the No. 24 Chevrolet Impala SS at the Kansas track. “This year, you can throw everything out the window,” Gordon said. “This will be the first time we’ve raced the Impala at the track, and I feel like all the testing we’ve done at Kentucky should transfer over to Kansas better than any track we go to. “The success we had here the first few years is not necessarily what will provide success at Kansas this year. But getting the car balanced and comfortable where you can carry momentum through the corner is what we’ll be looking for this weekend. “I think the fans can expect a great race. The groove has widened out and there is less grip now, and that should make this weekend’s race exciting.”