'Iron man' Gordon falls one lap short

Gordon finished on the lead lap in a battling eighth at Indianapolis, despite a fire during an early pit stop, before flying to Charlotte where he was running well until his Chevrolet got loose and he was lapped.

"It was a tough day for sure," said Gordon after the Charlotte event. "It was very hot today. The biggest thing was the cramps. I got a cramp in my stomach at one time, then the one in my leg. But we knew we had to score some points here. I'm very proud of both Cingular Wireless teams for what they did today. It's been a lot of fun and I feel great. I got a little sweaty but not too bad."

His NASCAR team boss Richard Childress said: "I kept offering to put [reserve driver Kevin] Lepage in there two or three times and he said he was okay. He was determined to finish and run all 1,100 miles. Tonight, I think we had a top 10 car if it hadn't gotten loose."

Gordon said he didn't know much about the fire in the pits at Indy, other than being showered in water.

"I didn't know what the deal was going to be there," said Gordon. "My guys know how to overcome it. They've been doing this for a long time. We didn't lose too much and just climbed back up as best we could. Track position was the key and the pit fire ruined it."