Team Gives Gordon Great Combo at ‘Favorite Track’

BROOKLYN, Mich. (June 17, 2005) – Jeff Gordon has posted six victories at three different tracks on the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series circuit: Daytona Beach, Fla., Darlington, S.C., and Martinsville, Va. Five times he has visited Victory Lane at Bristol, Tenn. At Indianapolis, Infineon and five other tracks, the four-time NASCAR Cup champion has four wins. So which venue on the circuit is his favorite? Michigan International Speedway. “I love racing here,” said Gordon, who has only two of his 72 career victories at MIS. “The track is so wide and there are so many grooves in the corners that the car doesn't have to be perfect. “We will be looking for the best possible balance on the DuPont Chevrolet. If it's not perfect, though, there are a lot of areas around the track to search for a different line to make the car work better until the next pit stop.” Along with his two wins, Gordon has achieved four poles, 14 top-fives and 17 top-10s in 24 starts at the two-mile speedway. His average finishing position is 9.2 while his average start is 9.5. Gordon is the only active driver to have finishing and starting averages better than 10th. “I think that Hendrick Motorsports offers a great combination for tracks that are big and fast like Michigan,” Gordon said. “You need good horsepower and cars that handle well through the corners, and we seem to do well when it comes to that combination.” While handling is crucial at most tracks on the circuit, Gordon and Team DuPont are looking to find a balance at the impound races -- selected events where the cars are impounded after qualifying. This Saturday, NASCAR will once again impound the cars prior to Sunday’s Batman Begins 400 at Michigan. “We are still trying to find the balance at these impound races, whether or not to put an emphasis on qualifying because track position is so important,” Gordon said. “But having a good race setup is more important than qualifying. “It's a balancing act that we haven't quite conquered... yet.”