Jeff, lucky or just good???

[PERCHJR]

Boy I would hate to take away anything from Jeff and his team but come on can we please finish a race??? Oh and how handy was that yellow yesterday when Ryan was about to pass him for the win, HUH can we say "RIGGED"!!! I would hate this thread to turn ugly but I have been pretty quiet all year, and just wanted to voice my opinion!!!

PERCHJR

[VMS]

Good call on the crew chief. They got off sequence in pitting, which I thought was going to be the end-all for them for the race, but then a caution came out and he stayed out... Put him in the lead. Luck of the call on that one...nothing more.

He definitely did NOT have the car to beat, and he would have been goin gbackwards if the rain didn't start when it did. One more lap and it would have been Newmann.

Interesting you mention the caution just so happening to come out right before that... One end of the track was pretty wet...

Steve

[Coach Dog]

Yesterday he played his cards right and a some luck helped. But I'm a believer that you create your own luck much of the time, and yesterday the TEAM made all the right calls and they are defintely on a roll. GO 24! It's a good thing there's a chase format this year otherwise this season would already be over.

[Meaney]

how can you call that GOOD...it was all luck

[lawdog]

meaney, he was leading the race twice before and had led for quite a while when the caution came out to end it, obviously they had a decent car and made a GREAT call to pit when they did. Luck is involved in every win for every driver, whether its their good luck or someone else's bad luck. Lady Luck is a big part of racing.

[Eric Wettschreck]

I am in no way a Jeffy fan. However, that was just flat out good pit/race strategy, and a little luck.

[OUTDOORNUT]

There was a race yesterday? I was busy watching LPGA, F1, Bull Riding, & Martha Stewart. Anything has to be more enjoyable than this crude they call NASCAR. Atlest Mikey and Dale sat and watched the race over a hot Domino's Pizza.

[Coach Dog]

You are right lawdog. He put himself in a position to win, and once you do that, you need luck, in which he got. It's not like he was running 30th all day and then got lucky to lead a lap right before the rains came.

[HOF#13]

I agree Lawdog, and I'm no Jeff Gordon fan. He and his team are good and had their car in good position. They took a gamble and luck was on their side. That's how it goes. As much as I hate to admit it, this #24 bunch has been right a lot more than they have been wrong this year. Other teams took chances of their own on Sunday, and luck was not on their side. That's racin'.

[xedge2002]

I'll agree that Gordon's crew chief made a great call in pitting out of sequence. I may be mistaken but weren't they saying yesterday that Jeff wanted to come in to get some fresh rubber but his CC talked him into staying out because he thought it would start raining anytime?? If that is true that is a really great call by the CC.

[Harmonica Bear]

It was a great call. If they pitted with every body else they knew they would have to pit one more time anyway before the 1/2 way point. By staying out they got the all important "track position" knowing they would have to pit as well, but so would everybody else. The call was making that bet the race would be 1/2 way and start raining within their pit window. Some luck involved there, but a great call.

[LMITOUT]

The only time Gordon led was when he stayed out and everyone pitted. He didn't earn that by passing everyone under the green flag. If the race would have went any longer he may have finished in the 20's if he was lucky the way his car was fading mechanically. Hard to say for sure, but having little to no brakes was going to catch up with him during that long race. So, thats probably where most of the luck came in on his part that it was called before his car finally failed.

The best part was that the rain held off long enough for Johnson to blow a tire and finish 42nd!

[eyepatrol]

I never saw the race as I was out cutting a big'ol tree down the whole day. Typically though, most races that are won on a rain shortened day are won by those who made the right pit/no-pit call. From what I saw in post-race interviews, Hamlin had a fast car, but changed all 4 tires. Just one example of a crew chief making the wrong call with a good car.

There isn't too much else I can say about the race though. I walked in about the time when they announced it would be called.

[Meaney]

Quote:

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Lady Luck is a big part of racing.

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ahh, so then I was right.

[lawdog]

No Meaney it wasn't "all" luck. They ran 106 laps and Gordon led 26 of those. That's more than 100% luck based upon just pit strategy.

If they had no talent and a junk car, they would have been passed in one lap or they would have just finished something like 9th in that race yesterday!

[Uncle Bill]

looking at the big picture, the strength of the hendricks teams are starting to fade. Johnson slips to 4th in the points. Gordon can no longer win on his own. He needs luck, happenstance, and again, a helping hand from NACAR, to determine his future. His car for the third week in a row was junk.

The big slide is just around the corner......right into the tank.

Get the #24 crying towels and excuse jars ready.

[PierBridge]

Quote:

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looking at the big picture, the strength of the hendricks teams are starting to fade. Johnson slips to 4th in the points. Gordon can no longer win on his own. He needs luck, happenstance, and again, a helping hand from NACAR, to determine his future. His car for the third week in a row was junk.

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[lawdog]

AMAZING the state of denial here. His car has been "junk" for three straight weeks (apparently getting caught in someone else's wreck makes your car junk huh???) and yet his points lead is up to 240+ points and he got a win in there. Wow, this must be the greatest race team to ever get on that track if they can do that with "junk"!!!!!

[Coach Dog]

Been hearing those same remarks for years and when the Gordon haters really start speaking up and complaining, he just ends up winning the championship again and again. His car was junk a week ago because he got caught in that wreck, but a case could be made that he had the best car, or at least a top 5.

[Meaney]

Quote:

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No Meaney it wasn't "all" luck. They ran 106 laps and Gordon led 26 of those. That's more than 100% luck based upon just pit strategy.

If they had no talent and a junk car, they would have been passed in one lap or they would have just finished something like 9th in that race yesterday!

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you know what...I dont really care. I just love getting you guys going yea, I do agree that Gordon is a good driver as well

[yaggie]

I can agree with the luck but thinking NASCAR can make it rain is a reach.

[harvey lee]

As long as it rained it was good, but luck it was. Where would he have been if the race would have went another 30-50 laps. Sometimes you have to make a guess and sometimes it works out. This time it did.

[Sifty]

Could agree with you more Harvey Lee.

If the race would have continued I belevie he would have finished closer to the 48.

Sifty

[JohnMickish]

You ever notice that the better you are the luckier you get? Makes a guy wonder how much "luck" there really is? I think that in this case his spotter is better than the other spotters out there and made the right call. Not all winning calls are made in the pits or involve actually touching the car you know. 2 tires, 4 tires, gas or no gas, if your stategy is different than the other drivers all of those calls made during a race all have the potential to bite you in the butt if they don't work out right, this call was no different, it just worked out right.

[fishonnopeoff]

So, what you are saying is he got lucky then......