TALLADEGA, Ala. – Jeff Gordon’s quest for a fifth championship will continue for at least three more races in his final full-time Sprint Cup Series season.
Gordon finished third Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, surviving a wild race that ended when a caution flag waved during a green-white-checkered attempt.
“I had no idea all that crazy stuff was going on behind me,” Gordon said. “Talladega can surprise you at any time. I actually had a lot of fun out there. We had an awesome 3M Chevrolet and it was so much fun battling up front. Even if we got shuffled back a little bit I was able to drive up through there.”
In the process, he safely advanced to the Eliminator Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
“Boy, what a relief,” Gordon smiled. “I know my wife, who’s sick at home, was very relieved as well. We’re in, that’s awesome.”
Eight drivers will compete in the round, which consists of races at Martinsville, Texas and Phoenix, with four drivers advancing to the final race to decide a champion at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
With Dale Earnhardt Jr. eliminated Sunday at Talladega, Gordon will represent Hendrick Motorsports among the final eight drivers. And the driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet SS is ready for the challenge.
“This season’s been a crazy season for us, but since the Chase started, the attitude of this team, the momentum and the execution, the things that we weren’t doing earlier in the year, we’re doing them all right now at the right time,” he said. “I never thought in a million years I’d be looking forward to coming to Talladega to advance through, but boy, I did today. What a great race car, great race team.
“And watch out, we’ve got something for them these next three or four.”