DOVER, Del. (June 2, 2005) - While they experienced mixed results in the month of May, Jeff Gordon and Team DuPont are looking for one thing on the four very different tracks the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series will visit in June -- consistency.
May began with a visit to Victory Lane at Talladega Superspeedway for the four-time Cup champion. At Darlington, he finished second and moved to second in the point standings. The month ended on a sour note with finishes of 39th and 30th at Richmond and Charlotte, respectively, and Gordon now sits fifth in the standings, 231 out of the points lead.
"Overall, I'm happy with the performance of this DuPont team, but we need to get some consistency on our side," said Gordon, who has three victories in 12 races this season. "We ran well at California before the motor let go, and wrecks at Atlanta, Richmond and Charlotte definitely hurt us.
"We need to put together some strong runs that also include strong finishes."
This Sunday, NASCAR's premier series will visit the one-mile high-banked concrete surface of Dover International Speedway for the MBNA RacePoints 400. The three remaining races in June will occur at the relatively flat 2.5-mile Pocono Raceway, the 2.0-mile D-shaped banked Michigan Speedway and the twisting 10-turn road course at Infineon Raceway.
"I really like the upcoming schedule, the variety of tracks we'll be visiting," Gordon said. "I think it's fun and exciting, and each track poses unique challenges.
"Obviously, I love the road course events and we've had a lot of success on them. Pocono is unique, and Michigan and Dover are two of my favorite tracks.
"Plus, Dover is in the backyard of DuPont. It's great to see the support of the employees when we visit their headquarters leading up to the race."
In 24 starts at Dover, Gordon has achieved four wins, two poles, 12 top-fives and 16 top-10s. His four wins tie him with Mark Martin and Ricky Rudd for most among active drivers, while his 2,117 laps led are the most among active drivers. In fact, he averages 88 laps led per event at the track nicknamed "the Monster Mile."
"Our goal each and every week is to lead laps and win if we have the chance," Gordon said. "If we can't win, then finish in the top five.
"Our hope is that we can do that, beginning this weekend, on a consistent basis."