Homestead-Miami Speedway last track standing for Team DuPont

HOMESTEAD, Fla. (Nov. 17, 2009) – Team DuPont conquered Indianapolis, California and Kansas in its first attempt. Michigan, Phoenix and Texas are the three that required more than 10 outings. Now only Homestead-Miami Speedway remains to be conquered by Jeff Gordon and his No. 24 team, and they are looking to do so in the 400-mile NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event on Sunday. This will be Gordon's 11th Cup start at the 1.5-mile track. “A win in this race would be huge for us,” said Gordon, who has five top-five finishes and eight top-10s in 10 starts at the Florida track. “This is the last race of the season, and a win gives you confidence and bragging rights over the offseason. And we’ve never won here before.” Since their arrival full time in NASCAR’s top division in 1993, Gordon and the No. 24 team have adapted quickly to the varying tracks that comprise the championship. It has taken an average of only 6.4 starts per track for Gordon and Team DuPont to capture wins on 21 of the 22 tracks currently on the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule. In addition to those tracks, Gordon also won at North Carolina Motor Speedway in Rockingham, N.C., in his fifth attempt and at North Wilkesboro in his eighth -- and final -- start at the North Carolina short track. “It would be nice to say that we’ve won on all the tracks, but we want to do it for ourselves -- not because of a statistic,” said Gordon, an 82-time race winner. “It’s a victory that has eluded us so far. Our mile-and-a-half program has been good this year, so we are definitely looking forward to this event and possibly battling for the win.” Gordon, who is third in the standings, is 169 points behind teammate and leader Jimmie Johnson. Since 161 is the maximum number of points that can be made up in one event, Gordon will be eliminated from championship contention when Johnson takes the green flag on Sunday. But points are still on Gordon’s mind heading into the season finale. “We could possibly finish second in final points,” said Gordon, the four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion who trails teammate Mark Martin by 61. “And there are some guys right behind us that could possible overtake us. We know that a Hendrick Motorsports driver will be this year’s champion. Hopefully, we can make it a 1-2-3 finish in the final standings.”