Jeff Gordon: All Washed Up?

By Matthew Pizzolato

Matthew Pizzolato

Photo Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR Difficult Times For Jeff Gordon

Jeff Gordon has always been a source of controversy since he debuted in NASCAR in 1992. As far as the fans are concerned, there is no middle ground when it comes to the driver of the Dupont sponsored 24 car, they either love him or hate him.

Some of his most recent wins, especially when he passed the late Dale Earnhardt on the all-time win list, were marred by fans throwing trash onto the track as Gordon crossed the finish line and celebrated his victory.

Regardless, Gordon has a resume that most drivers would kill for. He has 81 career NASCAR victories, placing him sixth on the all-time win list, has won the Daytona 500 a total of three times, and is a three-time winner of NASCAR’s All Star Race.

However, his most recent finish at Watkins Glen seems to sum up his season thus far. After starting the race in sixth place, Gordon came home a dismal 29th.

His Michigan result was no better. Involved in an accident with his teammate, Jimmie Johnson, Gordon hit the wall and finished 42nd, causing his chances of making the Chase to take a severe hit when he dropped from sixth place in the standings to ninth as a result.

Though the accident with his teammate clearly wasn’t his fault, Gordon chose to place the responsibility for the accident on his pit crew and his spotter.

"We should have come out of there (the pits) in the top five, and just running our own race," Gordon said in an article by Ed Hinton of ESPN.com. "Instead, we're back there in the middle of the whole mess and trying to run three-and-four-wide, and that's what happens."

Yet, rather than facing the music, he seems more willing to blame others for his poor finishes this season, as he did after the Michigan race, but his pit crew and his spotter weren’t behind the wheel of the car.

Gordon has yet to win a race in 2008, and that fact seems to bother him, as he told Joe Mink of Gannet News Service.

“We've had an up-and-down season. I really want to keep my streak of winning at least one race (every year) since 1994.”

Instead of keeping his streak alive, Gordon should be focused on making the Chase. If not, he would lose any chance of winning another Cup points title, something he has not done since 2001.

Gordon is not the same young, hotshot driver he used to be. Though he still claims to have the same desire to win, it no longer seems to be as intense -- as it was in the past. He has come close to victory several times this season but has been unable to seal the deal. What could be the reason for his sudden lack of focus?

The recent birth of a baby girl has many critics wondering if Gordon’s desire to win has waned and his focus has changed, and it is only right that it should. With a new family to support, Gordon no longer seems willing to take the same risks he used to take earlier in his career, and who can blame him?

Despite the recent controversy, something that Gordon is quite used to by now, he has a decent chance of making the Chase this season, though he still finds something to complain about.

"I don't want to be where we are in the points right now," Gordon said in the ESPN.com article, "but in some ways this is an easier position to be in, because we can go out there and run hard every weekend. We can take chances and do things that maybe get us our win.”

Regardless, after such a stellar career, Gordon has nothing to lose if he were to walk away. Driving for Rick Hendrick gives Gordon the best equipment in NASCAR. His only limitation seems to be his desire to win.

With possible retirement looming on the horizon, what will Gordon do if he fails to make the Chase this season? Will he be content to ride around posting decent finishes and collecting his millions while struggling to get his elusive win just to keep his streak alive or will he walk away after this year to spend more time with his family?

If you would like to learn more about Matthew, please check out his web site at matthew-pizzolato.com.

You can contact Matthew Pizzolato at .. Insider Racing News

The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.