Jeff Gordon Still Winless, And Can’t Quite Explain Why

It’s been well-documented that Jeff Gordon has yet to win a race this season. But why is that?

Why has Gordon, who has won 82 career races, failed to return to Victory Lane since the spring Texas race last year?

“I look at this season and it’s strange because I feel like we’re stronger this year than we’ve been in so many previous years – years that we’ve won a race or two or three,” Gordon said Friday at Richmond. “Those races seem to come our way and this year they haven’t. And you don’t know really how to explain that.

“The racing gods? Luck on your side? Races are just more competitive? Who knows what it is. But, the facts are the facts.”

Another fact is that no driver has ever won the championship without winning at least one race. And time is running out for Gordon to get to Victory Lane this season, despite being second in points.

Gordon said while it may be mathematically possible to win the title with no race victories, “realistically” it isn’t.

“I think for us, for the No. 24 team, we’re going to have to win,” he said.

As many fans recall from earlier in the season, Gordon has been close. In several races, Gordon had what seemed like the dominant car, only to lose.

So in that respect, the four-time Cup champion believes he can “still win multiple races before this year is out.”

“Rick Hendrick and I were having a conversation about this the other day,” Gordon said. “We’ve won what, 82 times or something. You can go back through those 82 wins and think of several when you were sitting there as a third-, fourth- or fifth-place car and all of a sudden you’re in Victory Lane. How the heck did we get here?

“And then you go through years like this year where I feel like Texas and Vegas and a bunch of tracks where we were the dominant car and here we are not in Victory Lane so far this year. That’s just the way racing is, I guess.”

Despite the negative attention that may come with a winless streak, Gordon isn’t pouting. In addition to being second in the point standings, Gordon has the second-most top-five finishes, the third-best average finish and the fourth-most laps led.

“We’re still on the upside with overall numbers so we’re not complaining too much,” he said, “but we just want to get it done this year.”