Jeff Gordon ‘never dreamed’ he’d be racing for championship in last season

Will Kevin Harvick win two in a row? As a fan of yours for over 15 years, I know I am of a younger generation of fans that loves you and your racing ability.

NASCAR’s annual title contenders news conference was a feel-good affair Thursday as all four drivers played nice and lauded each other with platitudes.

“It’s been a wild year, starting with Kyle’s accident (at Daytona)”, said Stevens, 37, who paired with drivers David Ragan, Matt Crafton and Erik Jones before Busch returned to win four of his first nine starts.

The championship will be decided Sunday and go to the highest finishing driver of the final four in the Chase. Kevin Harvick is the defending race (and series) champ and is vying to become the fifth driver since 1980 to win back-to-back Cup titles.

“It’s not just another week; it is championship week with a lot on the line”, Harvick noted. Martin Truex Jr. starts 11th (30.946, 174.498).

In August of a year ago, Truex’s long-time girlfriend Sherry Pollex was diagnosed with Stage III ovarian cancer. Like I said, McReynolds is still going to be a big part of the broadcast team, so FOX will still have that crew chief perspective albeit in a likely somewhat reduced capacity. Gordon’s first lap, 174.672, immediately looked vulnerable in 18th, though he said over the radio he thought the vehicle felt good. The payback ultimately cost Logano a spot in Sunday’s finale.

“I think this past year our performance has been where it needed to be and I think we are ready to make the next step”, team co-owner Len Wood said. I don’t think that’s a huge surprise. Garone is alone. I ask how he’d describe Truex to a friend.

In the first race of the Eliminator Round at Martinsville, Kenseth seemed to intentionally wreck Logano, who had led most of the race. But Harvick has had the best finish among these four drivers in 17 races, including four times in the Chase. “This moment is about the championship but it is also paying respect to Jeff in his last race”, Harvick commented. The race was delayed seven hours by rain, then called 93 laps from the finish when another storm rolled in.

Harvick said he wasn’t concerned about his relatively slow run. Kurt Hansen, the host of Race Central, put it this way: “He’s not just racing against three other cars”. “I mean, if I could have scripted this thing in January or February, I don’t think I could have scripted it quite the way it’s going”. Jeff has had an enormous positive impact on NASCAR and its growth, popularity and legitimacy in being compared to the NFL, NBA, MLB, etc. Jeff helped bring us to a national, if not global, stage. But, O’Donnell stressed the race would not start unless NASCAR felt it could run it to completion.

“It was tough to be at home, lying in my bed and watching other guys race my vehicle”, Busch said.

Kyle Busch has a new contract with Joe Gibbs Racing, which also got sponsor Mars Inc.’s M&M’s brand to extend its deal.

Loeb will instead switch to Citroen sister brand Peugeot to compete in the 2016 Dakar Rally, his first attempt at the gruelling two-week cross-country race.

Gustafson, 40, said there is “added incentive to send Jeff out on top, as we believe he deserves – and we’re working hard to do that”. I’m always looking for open mic nights. “With the way this track is, you will have time to work your way to the front. I think our balance was, too”.

Truex drives for a single-car organization, Denver, Colorado-based Furniture Row Racing, and before this year has never been a contender for the title in NASCAR’s premier series.