This weekend Jeff Gordon hopes to continue his momentum from Darlington Raceway and break into Victory Lane for the first time in 2008. The driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet jumped three spots in the series standings after his impressive 3rd place finish at the Track Too Tough To Tame, securing his spot in the top-12 in points. Heading into this weekend's Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Gordon hopes to win-back-to-back races (Gordon won last October's Bank of America 500) at the speedway Hendrick Motorsports considers its home.

Gordon has three wins in the illustrious 600-mile event at Lowe's, including his dramatic first career victory in 1994. Yet so far in 2008, Gordon and his No. 24 team have been 50/50 when it comes to getting this new car to work on intermediate tracks like Lowe's. Earlier in the year, Gordon was able to earn top-5 finishes at California and Atlanta, but suffered a horrific crash in Las Vegas and an extremely disappointing 43rd (only the second of his career) at the Texas Motor Speedway.

Extensive testing and long hours in the shop have seemed to help this team adjust and learn more and more about this new car and what it takes to make it handle perfectly. Crew Chief Steve Letarte explained, "You can test all you want, but the best test is race conitions - and we got to experience that last weekend [in the All-Star Race]." Gordon was never really a contender in the four-segment event, but the team was able to learn a great deal.

"The tires are very heat sensitive, and there is definitely more grip at night when the track is cooler," the four-time Cup Series champion explained. "But, at least for me, it seems the first lap on new tires is 'edgy'."

"Once the tires get up to temperature, they seem to be consistent and provide good grip."

Last year's outing did not last long for Gordon, as a hard crash on the frontstretch destroyed the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet and ended his night very early. Gordon is hoping he finds the handle he needs to stay up front and remain a contender all night in an attempt to give Hendrick Motorsports back-to-back wins in the Coca-Cola 600 (Gordon's teammate Casey Mears was last year's winner).