Time running out for Gordon, Stewart to crash Chase

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[July 31, 2015]  By Jonathan Ingram, The Sports Xchange
 
 Winless Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart are having classically bad Sprint Cup seasons - each in his own way. Both are struggling to make the Chase for the Sprint Cup, NASCAR's version of the postseason.

For Stewart, it's a worst case scenario. If he doesn't win a race, he's out. And, his best finish in 20 races has been a sixth place at the Bristol Motor Speedway. He's led races only twice for a total of 14 laps. His best start was fourth at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway last weekend

The Indy race seemed to sum up the odds being stacked highly against Stewart. He was fastest in the first round of qualifying, but lost the balance on his Stewart Haas Racing Chevy in the second round, missing the pole. In the race, a questionable pit strategy call by crew chief Chad Johnston mired Stewart in the pack, preventing any chance of contending at the finish.

The down-at-the-mouth Stewart continued his lack of confidence litany after qualifying at Indy, where new high downforce rules noticeably helped him.

"I have said all year that it could change in a week and it doesn't ever mean that after this weekend it's not going back to where it's been."

Dour words from a three-time champion whose teammates, Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch, are both locked into the Chase and are considered contenders.

Where Stewart and his crew chief simply haven't adapted to this year's low downforce and lower horsepower rules, Gordon's Hendrick Motorsports Chevy entries have been fast. But a garden variety of driver errors, mechanical malfunctions and just plain bad luck have hurt him.

After driving poorly in qualifying at Indy and then getting collected in an early race crash, Gordon now finds himself in the precarious position of trying to eke into the Chase on points if he can't find victory lane. With six races to go, he is in 12th place in points. Ryan Newman, Paul Menard, Paul Menard and teammate Kasey Kahne are all within striking distance and trail Gordon by no more than 17 points. Kyle Busch will soon gain a position in the Top 30 in points and become Chase eligible. Depending on whether other drivers gain entry by victory, Gordon could fail to make it on points should he have another finish like Indy.

Gordon led laps and was a contender early in the season at the Daytona 500, then at Martinsville, Va. and Talladega, Ala. A poor restart killed Gordon's chances in the season opener. Then, penalties for speeding on the pit road took him out of contention at both Martinsville and Talladega, which was round 10. He led a total of 161 laps in those races and came up empty-handed.

As for the bad luck, in the Las Vegas race Gordon won the pole, but then got collected in a practice session accident, forcing him to a back-up car and a start in the rear. On the mechanical side, a loose wheel cost him two laps at Bristol before a remarkable comeback to third place. Whether it's a matter of confidence, momentum or other teams gaining ground, Gordon has also started to remark on a lack of balance in his Chevy entries since the 13th round at Dover. He's led only three laps since then.

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In contrast to Stewart's lack of confidence, Gordon, celebrating his final season before retirement to the broadcast booth, has been his usual upbeat self other than complaining about the balance of his car from time to time. "We're struggling with the balance," he says.

It's not unusual for celebrated veterans to temporarily lose the handle under a new set of rules. When Goodyear switched from bias ply racing tires to radials in the 1992 season, champions Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Rusty Wallace each won just a single race. But both drivers bounced back the following year and battled each other for the championship, Earnhardt Sr. winning six times and Wallace winning 10 races.

When the Car of Tomorrow arrived in 2007, most drivers and teams adapted well with the exception of Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Much like Stewart's problems, perhaps, some of the difficulties fell to Earnhardt Jr.'s crew chief, Tony Eury, Jr.) But nobody in the COT era could figure out how to beat Jimmie Johnson to the championship for five straight years. The combination of the new Chase format and the COT left many veterans sidelined when it came to the championship.

Looking ahead, the best chance for Stewart, who is 26th in points, to gain Chase entry may be at the Michigan International Speedway, where the same high downforce package used at Indy is scheduled to be used again - although NASCAR reserves the right to alter those rules. Stewart is also a good road racer, but balance problems would play havoc on the Watkins Glen International circuit.

Then there's always a fuel mileage gambit possible at the Pocono Raceway this weekend if the handling woes continue.

Given Gordon's season thus far, it would be difficult to count him out at any of the remaining six races when it comes to securing a win. And, he's always been a good points racer when it comes to balancing aggression with keeping an eye on a good finish.

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