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Gordon closing in on Darlington win records
Jeff Gordon, who qualified second on Friday for tonight's Southern 500, has done his best to tame her over the past 17 of her nearly 60 years. But a racer has to be wired a certain way to find success at Darlington.
"This is a nail-biter, white-knuckle experience qualifying here," Gordon said. "I knew in practice when I made my last qualifying run just how hard I was pushing it and on the edge. We made a couple of adjustments and then you see the lap times following and guys running faster than what you felt you couldn't have gone any faster with it in practice.
"I didn't run a second lap just because it took everything I could to run that one lap. I came in and very rarely are my hands shaking when I get out of the car. My heart was pounding and my hands were shaking. It was just that kind of experience."
The Kid was just 21 when he ran his first Darlington Cup race. In his fifth start on the 1.366-miler he won the pole for the 2005 spring race. When the Cup tour returned that summer, Gordon seized his first of five Southern 500s — a record he shares with local hero and three-time champion Cale Yarborough.
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Gordon's seventh Darlington win came in 2007 in his 27th start. He's three victories shy of David Pearson's 10-win record at Darlington. The Silver Fox accomplished that feat over in 37 races at the age of 45 in 1980. Gordon was only eight at that time, but he was already winning races and setting track records in quarter midgets on the West Coast.
Now 37, Gordon's 82 victories place him sixth on the all-time Cup win list. A win for Gordon tonight would not only surpass Yarborough for Southern 500 victories, it would tie the four-time champ with Yarborough for wins.
"I was able to spend some time with Cale a few years back at an event at the track," Gordon said. "It was neat to hear him tell stories about racing here during that era.
"The cars have changed, the speeds have changed and the asphalt has changed, but I don't believe the driver's thinking has changed one bit. You race the track here, not the other competitors."
Gordon has earned a deep respect for Darlington over the last two decades. Gordon preferred the old surface before last year's repaving. Despite the new characteristics, "it's smoother, it's got a lot more grip and the tires don't fall off like they used to," the changes to the car and the composition of the competitors, Darlington continues to challenge the champ.
"It's narrow," Gordon said. "This place can bite you in a second. And I think a great team always plays out on a track like that and that's what helped us win those races and that's what's going to hopefully help us win this weekend."
The opportunity to win a fifth championship would mean more to Gordon right now than closing in on Yarborough or even Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip, who are tied for third on the all-time Cup win list with 84 victories. Gordon is clearly humbled by his accomplishments.
"Any time you do anything that Carl Yarborough has done or surpassed what he has done, you're doing something very historical and impressive," Gordon said. "I'm still amazed at the wins that we've had over the years and the championships and the Southern 500's and everything from here on out is icing on the cake."
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