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Sunday, 05 April 2009 17:07 |
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 Few figured Jeff Gordon’s winless streak would come to an end at Texas Motor Speedway, but the four-time champion proved them all wrong. At a track he had never won on, Gordon was finally able to put all the criticism behind him and visit Victory Lane. It had been forty-seven races since the driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet had taken the checkered flag first and Sunday’s extensive burnout proved he has not lost his touch.
After losing the lead under green to Carl Edwards, Gordon’s break came when the caution flew when David Stremme lost control of his No. 12 Dodge. The leaders hit pit road for the final time and the No. 24 crew got the job down with a lightning fast stop to get their driver out first. Restarting in the lead, Gordon dropped the hammer and drove away from the mess behind him.
With teammate Jimmie Johnson closing in on him as the laps wound down, Gordon never looked back as he took his first victory since Lowe’s Motor Speedway in October of 2007 and his first at the Texas Motor Speedway.
Roush Fenway Racing’s Greg Biffle, who was strong for much of the afternoon, charged through the field late in the running to move up to the third-spot, while Tony Stewart continued his great start to the season with a fourth-place finish. Daytona 500 champion Matt Kenseth rounded out the top-5.
Leading the most laps and taking the win, Gordon was able to extend his points lead to 162 over Johnson (who moved up two spots following his runner-up finish).
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