Unexpectedly, Jeff Gordon is the lone Hendrick Motorsports driver remaining in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
When the Chase for the Sprint Cup began last month, a quarter of the field was comprised of Hendrick Motorsports drivers.
But after the completion of the second of four rounds, only Jeff Gordon remains in title contention, as Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne were all eliminated last Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway. This was an unexpected development, especially for Johnson and Earnhardt, who were considered strong contenders to advance to the championship finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
That puts the onus on Gordon to carry the Hendrick banner for the remainder of the Chase with each of his teammates pledging their support of the No. 24 car -- be it sharing chassis setups or not racing Gordon harder than necessary unless it's for a win.
"They're very supportive," Gordon said. "They've mentioned it to me already of how much they want to see us get that championship. So, it's great to have their support. And we've been in this situation before to help, certainly with the No. 48 (Johnson) and we do all that we can to give them valuable information by being competitive each weekend if the opportunity presents itself.
"I think that the only difference is that we're not racing them for the championship, so how you race one another when you race for a championship obviously, every split second counts and you race one another extremely hard. And I think if those guys have a chance at winning they're still going to race hard."
There might, however, be only so much Gordon's teammates can do to help him win a fifth championship. When it comes to setting up a car, only he and Earnhardt enjoy similar setups favoring a tighter-handling chassis. Meanwhile, Johnson and Kahne like a looser car, making sharing notes problematic.
"It's tough to really help, especially from the 48's standpoint," Johnson said. "We've had different setups under our cars throughout the year. We're relatively far apart on the whole setup side of things. Outside of them painting a 48 car for us and us running it to give them direct info, that's the only way we can help."
Not that Gordon needs any advice to win a championship, but Johnson stressed that "over-thinking" and relying too much on outside help can actually be a hindrance. The defending and six-time Cup championship believes not deviating from the formula that's worked all season is the best gameplan.
"I wouldn't be surprised if they keep to themselves and do what they can," Johnson said. "That's what got them in this position and that's what's going to win them a championship."
That Gordon's quest begins at Martinsville, a track where he's always at his best, gives him a distinct advantage. In addition to eight career Martinsville wins -- tied with Johnson for most among active drivers -- Gordon owns an average finish of 7.0.
A win Sunday would automatically advance Gordon to the Homestead championship race. But Gordon isn't treating the Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500 like a must-win. The focus instead is on just getting a good finish and avoiding the mayhem typically associated with racing on NASCAR's shortest track.
"I think we're in a situation where this is a great track where we can win it, but getting a really good finish and getting it started off right is also almost as important," Gordon said. "Hopefully we can end the day on a positive note and just continue to carry that momentum that we have here in Martinsville and really kind of put our stamp on our championship contention and chances for Homestead."
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