The Associated Press
Jeff Gordon raised his arms in triumph in victory lane after finishing first in the 5-Hour Energy 500 on Sunday at Pocono Raceway.
LONG POND, Pa. | Jeff Gordon is pushing 40, far removed from the cocky kid who shot to superstardom and helped put NASCAR on the mainstream map.
Gordon took the checkered flag Sunday in the 5-Hour Energy 500 at Pocono Raceway and moved into a tie for third on NASCAR’s Sprint Cup all-time victory list. Gordon’s 84 wins tie him with Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip, and he tied Bill Elliott with five wins on the 2 1/2 -mile triangle track.
“There’s no doubt, I’m blown away with what I’ve accomplished,” said Gordon, who won in February at Phoenix International Raceway and has multiple victories in a season for the first time since 2007.
He hit a rough patch after his Phoenix victory, but a change in the Chase format this year put an added emphasis on wins. That stamps Gordon as a contender for his fifth Cup title.
Gordon, who won Cup titles in 1995, 1997, 1998, and 2001, got his first victory at Pocono in 1996. He won again in 1997 and 1998, then a rain-shortened race in 2007.
“When you see what he’s done in his career, not just this decade, not just in the 2000’s, but all the way back to the ’90s, he’s a true legend in this sport,” Kurt Busch said.
Busch, who started on the pole, finished second, and Kyle Busch was third.
Kyle’s Busch fun was short-lived. NASCAR announced his No. 18 Toyota failed postrace inspection because the left-front end was too low. His car will be taken to NASCAR’s research and development center.
Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top five, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. continued his rebirth with a sixth-place finish.
Gordon was helped Sunday once some of the early contenders fell off. Denny Hamlin, who led early and has four wins at Pocono, ran into tire woes and dropped back to 19th. Carl Edwards lost his grip on the points lead — his 40-point lead was sliced to six — when a bad engine knocked him out early. He finished 37th.
Once those two were out of contention, the 500-mile race belonged to Gordon. The Busch brothers tried to catch him, but just didn’t have enough in the end.
“I’m giving it all I’ve got and I just can’t close the gap,” Kurt Busch said.
Gordon was behind the wheel this week for the 2-hour drive from his New York City apartment to the Poconos.
He said he loves it any time he can get himself to the track.
No doubt, he loves it even more when he can park in victory lane.
OTHER RACING
•BUTTON MAKES LAST-LAP PASS IN CANADA: Jenson Button took advantage of Sebastian Vettel’s last-lap slide and won the rain-soaked and rain-delayed Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday in Montreal. Button, who worked his way up from last place, sped past when the rear of Vettel’s car slipped wide while navigating a chicane on the backstretch.
•AUDI WINS TITLE AT LE MANS: Audi No. 2 held off a charging Peugeot No. 9 and won the 24 Hours of Le Mans on Sunday in Le Mans, France. Andre Lotterer, Marcel Fassler and Benoit Treluyer drove the Audi car to victory.
Leawood’s Scott Tucker and his Level 5 Motorsports team finished 10th overall and third in the LMP2 class.
BIG WINNERS
Jeff Gordon’s victory Sunday at Pocono moved him into a tie for third place on Sprint Cup’s all-time victory list.
Jeff Gordon’s victory Sunday at Pocono moved him into a tie for third place on Sprint Cup’s all-time victory list.
| Driver | Years | Wins |
| Richard Petty | 1958-92 | 200 |
| David Pearson | 1960-86 | 105 |
| Jeff Gordon | 1992- | 84 |
| Bobby Allison | 1961-88 | 84 |
| Darrell Waltrip | 1972-99 | 84 |
Posted on Sun, Jun. 12, 2011 11:08 PM
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