Gordon Ready for Michigan

BROOKLYN, Mich. (June 14, 2003) – While hunting for his fifth NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship, Jeff Gordon knows that consistency can be your best friend, and Michigan International Speedway is perhaps his closest companion. Gordon has 15 career top-10 finishes at Michigan in 20 starts (75 percent), a number matched only by his performances at Pocono, Pa., and Martinsville, Va., despite one extra start each. But the reason Michigan gets the nod in this trio of friends is because of Gordon's 13 top-five finishes (65 percent), including two wins and five runner-up finishes. "I grew a fondness for Michigan since I first started racing here," said Gordon, driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet. "It's very fast and wide, which gives us plenty of room to race without having to rub fenders. It offers three or four different grooves, which lets you find the one that works best for the car -- high, middle or low." Gordon has also finished all but one lap in the June event at Michigan (1,993 of 1,994). "I think that stat is just a combination of the wide track and great cars," Gordon said. "I've been fortunate to be out front a lot here, too. There is no better sight than an open race track in front of you." Gordon finished 13th last Sunday at Pocono and is currently third in the Winston Cup championship standings, 233 points behind leader Matt Kenseth. "I thought we would come out of Pocono with a better finish," Gordon said. "We got behind early with the cut tire and had to fight our way through traffic the rest of the day. "But, I guess I couldn't ask for a better place to regroup than at Michigan."