Only wins count for Gordon

The driver standings will change for the top twelve drivers who make the Chase for the Championship in a few weeks, all of them starting the last ten races with 5000 points plus 10 extra bonus for every victory in the first 26 races of the season.

Gordon has four wins thus far, as has his teammate Jimmie Johnson. That being the case and despite the latter being seventh in the drivers' standings right now, 595 points behind Gordon, they would both start the Chase tied for the lead of the championship with 5040 points each.

"It's all about wins right now," Gordon says about the next four races, starting with Michigan this weekend. "We want to get as many bonus points as we can before the Chase starts. Essentially, second place pays the same amount of points for us the next four races that last place does - nothing."

In fact, Gordon could even miss the next four races and he would still be making the Chase, and probably leading it when the final ten races start at Loudon. He has an 855-point gap to twelfth placed Kurt Busch and is 344 ahead of Denny Hamlin, who ranks second.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver will have his crew chief Steve Letarte back behind the pitwall this weekend after serving a six-race suspension following technical infringements on Gordon's car at Infineon Raceway earlier this year.

"Jeff Meendering did a tremendous job filling in for Steve, but it'll be great to have Steve back," Gordon said. "I've been impressed with Steve's ability to call a race, and he has given me great cars this year."

Gordon did not win a race during Letarte's absence, but he still managed to get six top-ten results, coming close to winning last weekend's race at Watkins Glen before spinning with two laps to go. However, he scored more points than any of his rivals in those six races.

Coming into this weekend's race at Michigan, Gordon will be looking for his fifth win of the year and his third at 2-mile oval where he finished ninth in June.