NASCAR Sprint Cup races are not supposed to be easy to win, and for four-time champion Jeff Gordon that is abundantly clear.  The driver leading the series standings started Sunday’s Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 at the Martinsville Speedway from the pole and looked as if he was going to end the longest winless streak of his career, however the former champ was forced to settle with a disappointing fourth.

After starting on point, Gordon jumped out to an early lead and dominated the opening stages of the event.  Pulling away from the competition, Gordon methodically worked his way through traffic as others fought for position behind him. 

Leading the majority of the opening 155 laps, Gordon’s first major challenge came in the form of Virginia-native Denny Hamlin.  The two fought for the top spot for the next two hundred laps, with Hamlin finally taking the advantage on Lap 349.

Despite running up front the entire event, Gordon and crew chief Steve Letarte fought an ill-handling car for much of the day.  While the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet looked strong around the track, the driver struggled to get the car to roll the center of the corner – something essential at a track such as Martinsville.

In the end, Gordon was shuffled out of the top-two and eventually passed by Tony Stewart for the third spot.  Mired behind lapped traffic on restarts late in the race, Gordon was never able to make another charge for the win and was force to settle with a fourth-place finish as teammate Jimmie Johnson celebrated in victory lane.

“I was good in clean air and there at the beginning when it rubbered up, we were just too tight,” Gordon pointed out.  “Jimmie (Johnson) is just so good. That whole team is just so good, and so is Denny (Hamlin). I was just really impressed with him today. We were the third best car. Unfortunately on that last restart, I just couldn’t get around the lapped cars and catch Tony (Stewart). But still another great top 5 for the DuPont Chevrolet and a heck of a race for the win and I think the fans certainly got a great show. I’m thankful for them to come out here at Martinsville. So now we’ll leave the short tracks and go to Texas. We seem to be better at those tracks than we are at short tracks. I’m looking forward to seeing what we have there.”

With his strong yet disappointing run, Gordon maintained his points lead over Clint Bowyer heading into Texas.  One of only two tracks the veteran driver has not won at (the other is Homestead), the Texas Motor Speedway has been a thorn in Gordon’s side for years.  In 2008, the driver of the No. 24 had one of the worst outings of his career, finishing 43^rd.

This year however, Gordon is looking to put the past behind him and turn the table of the track that has bit him so many times in the past.  With an eye on the big picture and focused on earning his fifth Cup Series title, Gordon knows each weekend needs to be a good points day.

Heading into next week’s event, Gordon’s winless streak continues.  The last time the former champion visited victory lane was in October 2007 at the Lowe’s Motor Speedway.  After Sunday’s fourth-place run, Gordon is well aware he needs to start sealing the deal at the end of the day.

“It is great to run in the top-five but if we are going to contend for the championship especially in those final 10 races, we got to start winning races,” Gordon explained.  “I am not really concerned with this streak of how many wins we haven’t had in a row. I am more concerned with what we have to do this year to win races and win this championship. You certainly don’t want to give that No. 48 momentum. I know that we are capable of winning. We have a team capable of it. I thought we were going to do a lot better than we were today.”