Jeff Gordon

Jeff Gordon
Jeffery Michael "Jeff" Gordonis an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver and currently an announcer for Fox NASCAR. He formerly drove the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in 23 full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series seasons between 1993 and 2015, and currently serves as a substitute driver for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionRace Car Driver
Date of Birth4 August 1971
CityVallejo, CA
CountryUnited States of America
I would love to see Jimmie get in position where I could get behind him and help him all I can. I am going to work as hard as I can to get myself into that position. He certainly has helped me plenty of times, and I want those guys to win the championship and I'm going to do everything that I can to help them.
We're all trying to win races and we're all out trying to occupy the same amount of real estate. I would expect we're going to see more and more of it.
I think from what I've seen so far, the guys are doing a fantastic job. We've just been seeing this trend more and more over the last six, eight years of rookies just being able to come in and perform well, win races and put consistency together and also come in with strong race teams.
My goal every year is to win the championship and when you don't do it ? or even make the Chase, as was the case last year ? it leaves you feeling a little empty. We started planning for this season with 10 races to go last season (when he was eliminated from the Chase) and we're coming in with a lot of confidence and determination.
We were riding high for a long time. It overshadowed the areas that we were weak. It doesn't mean you're going to make the Chase or win a championship. Take anything positive and use it for your team to work together and build confidence. It's good for anybody, doesn't matter who it is.
It's not that we should win a championship every year, but we certainly should be contending. That doesn't mean it's going to happen every year. But when it's not, we're not living up to our potential.
We've got a points system that's built on consistency, and then we change how it's structured to make this exciting 10-race stretch, but then it's still about consistency. The guy could finish top-five every weekend in those last 10 races and still win that championship. It's very possible that it could happen.
We know that after Richmond (the 26th race) comes, we've got to be in the top-10 and when we are, we'd better be set on 'kill' to go out there and lead laps and win races.
You learn from your mistakes. I think (Johnson) made a couple of mistakes then I think he was over-criticized for some things that really weren't his doing. I think he's always been a smart race-car driver, and that's what it takes to win races at this type of track.
When you win four championships, you create a lot of expectations that you are supposed to be in the mix every year. This year we fell short, but no matter what people believe or what the perception is, we are doing everything possible to get back in there next season.
There's always pressure on everyone. It doesn't matter if you're trying to get into the top 35 in points or just trying to make the race or make the top 10, or if you're leading the points and trying to win a championship. There's extreme pressure throughout the field. You might be in a position where you don't know if you have a ride next year, you might not have a sponsor. There's always pressure on all of us.
A year like that makes you hungrier. It's not that we should win a championship every year, but we certainly should be in contention to win races on a fairly consistent basis.
That's just good TV. Don't listen to that. When you're inside the car, you've got no idea if you caught the wind or not.
The way the championship points are structured, winning is not the most important thing. It pays the most points, but a top-five these days is almost as good as a win.