Jeff Gordon

Bristol Food City 500 At Bristol, Tenn. Lap length: .533 of a mile Car number in parentheses) 1. (20) Tony Stewart, Chevy, op. 2. (16) Greg Biffle, Ford, op. 3. (99) Carl Edwards, Ford, op. 4. (6) Mark Martin, Ford, op. 5. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevy, op. 6. (12) Ryan Newman, Dodge, op. 7. (17) Matt Kenseth, Ford, op. 8. (26) Jamie McMurray, Ford, op. 9. (2) Kurt Busch, Dodge, op. 10. (19) Jeremy Mayfield, Dodge, op. 11. (24) Jeff Gordon, Chevy, op. 12. (42) Casey Mears, Dodge, op. 13. (38)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Jeff Gordon had a once-in-a-decade kind of performance Saturday night in the Pepsi 400. He finished 40th. The last time he placed that low in a race at Daytona International Speedway came a more than a decade ago, in February 1996, when he placed 42nd in the Daytona 500. In that race, Gordon ran just 13 of 200 laps. In the Pepsi 400 on Saturday, he made it 154 laps - and led for 27 - before a four-car collision knocked him out. Also involved in the wreck were Greg Biffle, Mark Martin and J.J. Yeley.

With all the talk about Jeff Gordon, what a surprise to look at the Winston Cup leader board and find Mike Skinner No. 1.It's even a surprise to Skinner."

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- With 11 laps to go, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt, the two most dominating and perhaps, the two most hated, stock car drivers in the past 15 years, took off down the front straight of the Daytona International Speedway on what looked like a ride into oblivion.But it wasn't oblivion that awaited them. Gordon's madcap pass would eventually take him into the lead and to victory in the 41st Daytona 500, and Earnhardt, raging on his bumper, would battle him every inch of the way, before finally settling for second just 0.128 second behind.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Given his stature and standing in NASCAR, it seems odd that Jeff Gordon could be second in the Nextel Cup standings, just six points out of the lead, but a bit ignored by fans and media. The attention this fall has been on Kasey Kahne, the pole-sitter for today's Banquet 400 at Kansas Speedway, as he struggled to get a berth in the championship-deciding Chase for the Nextel Cup despite leading the series in race victories with five. And there's been lots of focus on the resurgent Richard Childress Racing team, with drivers Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton, the current points leader, both in the top five in points after missing the first two Chases.

With the help of his fifth-place finish and Dale Earnhardt Jr. 's 32nd-place finish, Carl Edwards is back in the top 12. It's getting to be the time of year when those standings mean a lot. Sixteen races remain until the Chase for the Cup championship and as these next few races continue, it will be harder for drivers to make up ground. Meanwhile, with a 10th-place finish at Richmond, Jimmie Johnson ceded the top spot in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings to Kevin Harvick.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Ray Grimm smiled shyly from under his dark mustache."I've got the man with the pole," said Grimm, who will win $1 million tomorrow if Jeff Gordon captures the Daytona 500.Gordon's grin was broader."

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Way back in 1977, Richard Petty had this to say about race fans: "They either come to see you win or they come to see you get beat."These days, most of them come to boo Jeff Gordon.It's a phenomenon, given Gordon seems almost perfect. At 27, he is handsome. He is polite. He is successful, gracious in victory and has never had any trouble with drugs or alcohol.Yet, as he stepped out of his brilliant, rainbow-colored Chevrolet in victory lane at Michigan International Speedway last Sunday, boos rained down on him.It was his eighth win of the season, his record-tying fourth straight.

When did NASCAR turn into a supersized version of "Family Feud?" All eyes were on Texas, where the sport made one of its most dramatic pit stops of the season Sunday. Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton got into a push-and-shove scrum after Burton wrecked Gordon, ending his run. Jimmie Johnson's pit crew got demoted and replaced with Gordon's. And through the contentious crossfire, Denny Hamlin emerged as the favorite to end Johnson's four-year run as Sprint Cup champ. It's understandable why Texas turned into Dysfunction Junction.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- In Jeff Gordon, the Daytona 500 has its youngest winner ever. And perhaps its boldest.As six of stock car racing's top drivers -- jammed together nose to tail -- rumbled toward the last 10 laps of yesterday's 500, Gordon made a final series of stunning moves on a day he filled with daring driving.First, he out-drove the intimidating Dale Earnhardt to get in position behind leader Bill Elliott with 10 laps to go. Then, with five laps left, he went dangerously low on the front stretch to get past Elliott and collect his first 500 victory.