If the blown engine at Kansas Speedway provided a major obstacle in Jeff Gordon’s championship drive, then a 21st place finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway may have put him too far gone to be shot back. Gordon finished a lap down in 21st place after a chain reaction spin with less than 40 laps to go. He trails Carl Edwards by 66 points with just 5 races remaining.

Gordon started 23rd and moved into the top-20 with a pass on Regan Smith on lap 7. He remained in 20th before coming to pit road for a green flag stop on lap 46. He ran in 21st and was unable to gain ground before the first caution on lap 78. He restarted in 23rd, but dropped four spots due to tight handling and ran 27th on lap 90. Gordon cycled through a green flag pit sequence on lap 122 and ran 24th. A debris caution on lap 146 brought the field to pit road. A tire violation sent Gordon to 26th for the restart. He steadily began moving forward and took 21st place on lap 175. After cycling through a round of green flag pit stops, Gordon ran 22nd on lap 200. He moved into the top-20 on lap 203 with a pass on Brad Keselowski.

With 96 laps to go, Trevor Bayne stopped on the track during a cycle of green flag pit stops. Gordon moved up to 13th and restarted inside the top-15 for the first time all night. Gordon caught a break with 47 laps to go when he stayed on the track during a green flag pit sequence and the caution waved for Dave Blaney’s engine. Gordon pitted under caution and restarted in 8th place with 43 laps to go. On the restart, Gordon was clipped by Kasey Kahne in a three-wide situation and spun coming off turn 2. Gordon limped to pit road and fell off the lead lap. After Greg Biffle hit the wall to bring out the caution with 25 laps to go, Gordon restarted in 22nd place. He moved up one spot and finished 21st. It was the first time Gordon finished off the lead lap in back to back races since Homestead (Nov 2010) and Daytona (Feb 2011).

source: gordonline.com

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A Charlotte Spin

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October 17 – – Jeff Gordon turned in perhaps the most disappointing performance of the 2010 season with a 23rd place effort at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Gordon dropped to 156 points behind Jimmie Johnson in the points standings as his title chances nearly evaporated in a single night. Gordon struggled with handling before a battery issue dropped him off the lead lap. A late race pit road speeding penalty sealed his fate on a disappointing evening.

Gordon started on the pole and opted for the outside line. He took off to a comfortable lead before a caution on lap 2 for Ryan Newman’s crash slowed the field. On the lap 7 restart, Kyle Busch powered past Gordon on the outside line off turn 2. Gordon dropped to 3rd after Carl Edwards went by. Gordon re-assumed the runner-up spot from Edwards on lap 10. Gordon dropped to 3rd two laps later after Paul Menard passed. The second caution waved on lap 23 after Kurt Busch spun off turn 4. The leaders came to pit road and Gordon exited with the lead — the benefit of having the first pit stall. Gordon lost the lead to Busch immediately after the restart as Gordon slipped to 3rd when Menard went by. Gordon fell to 4th before the next caution on lap 34 when Jimmie Johnson spun off turn 2.

Gordon moved up to 2nd on the restart by getting around Joey Logano in turn 2. He ran distantly behind Kyle Busch before a round of green flag pit stops on lap 77. A debris caution on lap 106 tightened the field as the leaders came to pit road. Gordon held the 2nd spot through the round of pit stops. He ran distantly behind Busch after the restart before a caution on lap 124 for Kasey Kahne and Sam Hornish’s incident on the frontstretch slowed the field. Gordon came to pit road for fuel and restarted 7th on lap 130. He dropped to 8th when Denny Hamlin passed after a brief battle. Gordon took 7th from Clint Bowyer on lap 142. Gordon fell to 9th battling a loose handling car on lap 150. He came in for a green flag pit stop on lap 177. Track bar and air pressure adjustments followed and Gordon ran in 11th place after the pit cycle.

On lap 191, Gordon drifted up the track and lost power. He switched batteries but went a lap down as Jimmie Johnson went by. Gordon fell to 23rd, and was the first car a lap down. Marcos Ambrose’s spin on lap 203 allowed Gordon to get back onto the lead lap. He came to pit road for a prolonged stop while the crew changed the battery. Gordon restarted 22nd as the last car on the lead lap. He struggled with handling before nearly going a lap down. On lap 239, Robby Gordon’s spin brought the caution and allowed for adjustments on pit road. Gordon restarted in 17th place with 84 to go. However, he slipped to 22nd within two laps of the restart. He ran in 20th before a green flag stop with 40 laps to go. Gordon received a penalty for speeding on the entrance to pit road, and made a pass-through with 38 to go, which dropped him off the lead lap and essentially sealed his fate for the night. Gordon finished 23rd and dropped to 156 points behind Jimmie Johnson. With just five races left in the season, Gordon would likely need Johnson and Denny Hamlin to have at least two sub-par finishes to have a chance at a championship.

source:gordonline.com

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