Gordon gives up on title hopes

Heading into the season finale at Homestead next week, Gordon needs to win the race and have Johnson finish the race outside the top 20, something that would require the reigning champion to hit trouble at some stage during the race.

While the scenario is not one that could be discarded, for Gordon it is unrealistic to think of it, especially when Johnson is on a roll that has taken him to his fourth consecutive victory in as many races.

"It's over," Gordon said about the championship. "Even if we win it, it's because they had problems. And while we'll accept it, we don't want to do it that way.

"And those guys have flat-out killed everybody. You've got to give credit where credit's due. Those guys deserve a lot of credit.

"We didn't step up and win the races when we needed to. We gave them a run for a while and now we've got to figure out how to get the best finish we can at Homestead and end this season off on a positive note going into the off-season."

Gordon and his crew chief Steve Letarte chased a good balance all day and were unable to pose a serious threat for Johnson. Already by lap 20, the 48 car had overtaken Gordon's for third place after starting sixth.

"I'm just disappointed that we missed the handling again and we were so strong here the last time that I thought it would go like that again and we just weren't there all day. We struggled with it.

"They're doing the job, they can win the championship and we haven't. I thought it was our year, I really did. But the way things have been going here lately I just don't think it is."

The four-times Nextel Cup champion was critical of Kevin Harvick after he made contact with the RCR driver 52 laps from the chequered flag. The incident cost Gordon an extra pit stop under caution, which dropped him down the order and further behind Johnson.

"You can't touch Kevin Harvick because if you touch him he's got a short fuse," Gordon said. "He gets pretty upset. He rubbed on me because I was racing him too hard, I guess. I didn't like it either.

"So I rubbed back on him and I thought we were going to all wreck. So it is what it is, but that didn't affect us in any way about where we finished today."

Gordon scored his 29th top-ten finish of the season at Phoenix, which is six more than Johnson's tally. However the reigning Cup champion far outweighs him in victories with ten wins to Gordon's six.