Gordon: I’d swap Daytona success for shot at title

Gordon, who won the 'Great American Race' in 1997 and '99, finished only ninth in the 2000 standings - his lowest placing since his sophomore season in 1994. Gordon's Hendrick Motorsport team lost ace crew chief Ray Evernham to Dodge's fledgling Winston Cup development at the end of the 1999 season and it has struggled for consistency since.

But the Indiana-born driver says that he and replacement crew chief Robbie Loomis are now ready to fight for title number four.

"You can put all your eggs too much in one basket when it comes to Daytona," said the Chevrolet driver. "We've stopped doing that, cos it hurt us. We've been focusing on places like Las Vegas and Homestead - the intermediate tracks and the short tracks - more than we have for Daytona. And that's because we've realised that its places like that we're we'll win or lose a championship."

Gordon lines up third in the first of today's twin 125-mile qualifiers, the races that determine places three to 30 of the grid for Sunday's '500', but says a midfield finishing position on Sunday will be fine by him.

"If it's your year, it's your year," he said. "Things don't necessarily have to go well at Daytona. In '95, when we first won the title, we didn't finish very well here. It's not how you start the season off, it's how you continue week in and week out.

"Okay, that's not to say that we don't think Daytona is a big race, but during the winter we've tried to spread our time and effort over the whole season, not just Daytona. And if you come out of here 43rd in the points, that makes it tough, so I figure I'll be happy at leaving here 20th or 25th."

NASCAR's scoring system awards points down to the 43rd and final starting spot, meaning consistency is at a premium. A driver winning a race and leading most laps earns 185 points, but a driver who finishes 20th and leads a lap will still earn 108 points.