Jeff Gordon stands with his No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet after the new paint scheme for 2012 was revealed during the NASCAR Preview Presented by Sprint on Jan. 21, 2012, in Charlotte, N.C. - Photo Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (January 21, 2012)

But the irony goes beyond the song title. Gordon’s first Cup Series start was seven-time champion “King” Richard Petty’s final Cup Series start at the season finale in Atlanta in 1992. The torch seemed to be passed that day as Gordon went on to accumulate four championships in his first nine full seasons and now is third on the all-time win list with 85 career victories. David Pearson is second with 105, and Petty reigns with a record 200 wins.

Prior to Gordon’s entry, modern-era NASCAR champions were mostly veteran drivers with last names such as Earnhardt and Waltrip who competed at race tracks positioned primarily in the Southeast. Gordon, a 21-year-old Vallejo, Calif., native who cut his teeth in open-wheel short track racing, achieved great success quickly and grew with the sport as world-class race facilities started to spring up in large markets across the country and network television broadcast contracts brought NASCAR live into more homes than ever. Both the sport and Gordon surged in popularity.

Even the sponsorship was revolutionary at the time. DuPont, a global Fortune 500 company best known for brands such as DuPont™ Kevlar®, Nomex®, Teflon® and Tyvek®, took a chance on a young, unproven rookie driver to showcase its automotive finishes in brilliant fashion and entertain tens of thousands of customers at race events annually. And over nearly 20 years of sponsorship, Gordon has been recognized by DuPont top management, the employee population, DuPont brands, business units, and functional groups as a valuable corporate asset and spokesman.

“Jeff Gordon has been the ideal ambassador for the DuPont brand for nearly two decades,” said Scott Coleman, chief marketing and sales officer for DuPont. “He is a consummate professional and a true champion both on and off the track.

“And Hendrick Motorsports, which holds the NASCAR Cup Series title for 10 of the last 17 seasons, is a leader in engineering, innovation and safety employing the best talent in the industry. Those qualities mirror those of DuPont — a leader in science, innovation and safety with world-class employees.”

Fast forward to 2012 — Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports and DuPont are now celebrating their 20th full season together — the longest currently running driver/owner/sponsor partnership in NASCAR. And although “veteran” Gordon now has to keep up with young talented drivers who break records on a regular basis — the trio is still winning races and contending for championships.

“If anybody would have told me when I was a teenager living in Indiana racing open wheel sprint cars and midgets that not only would I be racing at this level, but having the success — and the longevity of success — that we have had, I would not have believed them,” said Gordon. “If Rick Hendrick and DuPont didn’t take that chance on me almost 20 years ago, I honestly don’t know if I’d be where I am today.

“I’m very fortunate to have an incredible sponsor like DuPont that has invested so much in me and this No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team. To stick with one driver and one team through all the highs and lows, and to still be here with us today celebrating our 20th full season, is really incredible.

“I’m looking forward to taking this special DuPont 20 Years paint scheme to Victory Lane this year to thank all of the amazing DuPont employees and customers who I’ve come to know like family and who have supported me loyally over the past two decades.”

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DuPont™, Kevlar®, Nomex®, Teflon® and Tyvek® are trademarks or registered trademarks of DuPont or its affiliates.

Source: Performance PR Plus for Team DuPont, Press Release

2011 Jeff Gordon - Photo Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DUPONT CHEVROLET met with members of the media today at Phoenix International Raceway and discussed the new surface at Phoenix, Kyle Busch’s penalty and other topics.

WHAT CHALLENGES DOES THE NEW SURFACE HERE AT PHOENIX PRESENT? “The challenges that are going to come along with the tire that Goodyear brought here and the surface and who can react the quickest to getting the speed as well as not making mistakes. I really commend the race track for their efforts coming into this weekend as we’ve been able to follow — they drug the tires and running all the laps with the different types of cars around here to help widen out the groove and get the grip level where we need it to have some very exciting side-by-side racing this weekend. I’m looking forward to getting out there on the track and seeing the changes that have happened from when we were here at testing to here today.”

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT JIMMIE JOHNSON’S FIVE CONSECUTIVE CHAMPIONSHIPS IF HE DOES NOT GET A SIXTH CHAMPIONSHIP? “Yeah, it’s been incredible. It’s something that I don’t know if you’ll ever see done again in this sport. I said this a while back that before they won a championship they were just right on the edge of winning that championship and I said that once they win one, watch out, these guys are going to go on quite a roll. Now I didn’t anticipate five in a row and I don’t think anybody could have. It’s just to me a sign of a great team. When the chemistry is there and you’ve got great equipment like we have at Hendrick, you’ve got a great crew chief in Chad Knaus as well as Jimmie Johnson being a great driver among the other members of that team — they have come together and click like they have. They go on quite a run. It’s something you only see every so often. I don’t know if we’ll ever see five in a row, but you will see from time to time where a team is just that good for a long period of time. I think this will be a year where they learn a lot, they grow a lot from and they might even make them stronger.”

WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE A CHAMPION ONE YEAR AND THEN NOT THE NEXT YEAR AND HAVE TO NOT SIT AT THE HEAD TABLE AT THE BANQUET? “It’s been a while since anybody knows what it’s like to see anybody else up there. My wife just thought it was the Jimmie Johnson event because ever since we’ve been married he’s been the champion. I think it’s going to be unique and different for everybody to see somebody else up there on that stage. We’re seeing a heck of a battle for this championship right now and it’s going to be exciting to watch the next couple of races. It’s hard for me because I didn’t win five in a row. I think it’s a little different when you win five in a row and then you have to adjust. There’s no doubt that I think that Jimmie is very appreciative and that whole team is of everything they have accomplished, but at the same time, I think it’s hard for you not to become accustomed to being the man at the banquet, which is a great place to be. You get treated like a king. As I mentioned, this will be a growing season for them and experiences that are either going to make them hungrier and stronger or could be that thing that stops them from continuing on. I think that they are the kind of team that is going to come back strong.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK IT IS LIKE FOR CARL EDWARDS TO SEE TONY STEWART COMING ON SO STRONG IN THE CLOSING RACES OF THE CHASE? “Sometimes that can be the down side to having the start of a strong season. It seemed to me that Carl (Edwards) started the season really, really strong and it seemed like some other teams caught up to them, but they’ve been able to maintain consistency and be strong with that being the case. I think everybody is surprised by Tony Stewart. I didn’t think anybody expected Tony Stewart to be — I don’t think any of us would say, ‘He’s going to win four of the first eight races.’ When you saw that interview that Tony did where he said, ‘I hope somebody else is in the Chase and not us because there’s other guys that deserve to be and we don’t even deserve to be in it.’ I paraphrased that and probably didn’t get the quote exactly right, but close enough. I think he meant that. I think that they felt that way at that time and that was leading into the Chase. Whatever they found, whatever they’ve done — you just can’t ever count out a great driver and champion like Tony and that team. It’s been pretty impressive and I think it’s been very surprising to Carl (Edwards). I think last week surprised Carl a lot. I think he expected not to do well at Martinsville and came out of there with a top-10, which he was pretty happy about, but I think that he expected to go to Texas and be the dominant car. Yet, Tony was the dominant car. I think that sent quite a message and that’s why I say these last two weeks are going to be very interesting.”

DO YOU THINK KYLE BUSCH’S PENALTY WAS FAIR FROM NASCAR? “I kind of ran through my head to try to figure out what the different between what Jeff Burton did and what Kyle (Busch) did. I think that the difference was that Jeff Burton wasn’t on any kind of probation earlier in the year or the year before or the year before. He wasn’t a focus — he’s a driver that doesn’t do things like that very often and he didn’t have a track record. I think that we kind of were able to settle it sort of face to face on the race track and there was nothing done from that point on and I was fine with that and I think Jeff was fine with that. We understood the situation. I think in this situation it’s a little bit of history as well as they were carrying a little more speed at the time and the cameras were all right there on the situation. I think that to me, it’s just more than anything, it’s the incident itself as well as kind of trying to make a statement. It doesn’t seem like there’s been enough to get Kyle’s attention to say this is unacceptable. I’m not saying he’s ever done exactly that before, but other things before that probably led into it to say to NASCAR, ‘This can’t happen again.’ There’s also a lot of talk about safety right now in motorsports. I think the timing of it as well as how it was handled as well as past history all kind of accumulated to that stiff of a penalty. At Martinsville we expect those types of things. It’s Martinsville. It’s a short track and guys are bumping and banging and tempers are flaring. Those things happen. The other thing is that it happened under caution. That’s a big deal. When the caution is out, NASCAR takes that very, very seriously. Track workers or vehicles could be moving onto the track putting other people in danger as well as a driver, you don’t prepare yourself to get into a wreck once the caution comes out. You sort of relax. I think they took all those things into account.”

IS THERE MORE RETALIATION WITH THE CAR RATHER THAN IN THE GARAGE?: “I don’t know. I feel like when you’re in a race car and somebody hits you, you’re ready to hit them back. It would be no different than if you were walking down the street and somebody came up and shoved you, you’re going to shove them back. If somebody punches you, you’re going to punch them back. It’s just kind of your instincts. It’s no different when you’re inside a race car.”

CAN MOISTURE UNDO WHAT HAS BEEN DONE TO IMPROVE THIS RACE TRACK? “Yeah, it’s a concern. It’s something that we don’t need — rain. I think that what they have done definitely seems like it’s an improvement. I won’t know until I get out there on the race track. Just watching a little bit of what went on yesterday and today, it seems like there’s a lot more room for error, which in the test there was very little. That’s a good thing. Hopefully, if it does rain, it’s doesn’t rain hard enough to wash that away.”

CAN KYLE BUSCH LEARN FROM THIS INCIDENT AND TURN IT INTO A POSITIVE?: “First of all, it would be a huge loss to the sport if Kyle Busch is not out there. I don’t think that’s going to happen. He is extremely talented and he’s entertaining. You have to give him not only the fact that he can win races, but he can do it in an entertaining way and I think that if this doesn’t teach him the ultimate lesson than nothing will. I would certainly have to believe that this would be an eye opening experience. Sitting out Saturday and Sunday and seeing the magnitude — I’m sure at first he was pretty shocked at the magnitude of this incident. I think once he saw that — it had to have gotten his attention.”

IS IT STRANGE TO HAVE A TRACK CHANGE THIS MUCH IN THE MIDST OF A CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE? “I think all of us, we all say, ‘Why not do it after the season?’ We don’t know the circumstances. There’s a lot of decisions that are made and it’s not just on a whim. People, they think about it at the track and NASCAR and everybody, I’m sure came together trying to figure out the best time to do the resurfacing. Obviously they made a decision that it needed to be done. They had to do it and with having two races spread out the way that they have it, I guess they felt that during the off season it wasn’t the right time for them. I’m sure it’s something that many of us would disagree with, especially with how much it is going to change things for the championship, but I think it’s their choice and they’re decision that we all don’t know all the input that went into making that decision so we live with it.”

WAS IT INEVITABLE THAT A PENALTY WOULD HAPPEN AND THAT A LINE WOULD APPEAR WITH THE ‘BOYS HAVE AT IT’ RULING? “This is the thing that I disagree with and I guess it’s for debate is this, there’s no clear line. Yes there is — you just saw it. Your just saw, that was the clear line and there is a clear line. When you know that you didn’t do the right thing then you know there are consequences. I think NASCAR — when the caution is out, that’s one. The next one is when you’re on a mile-and-a-half race track running 190 miles per hour. I think that for that incident (Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski) — I don’t know why it was handled, but in my opinion, that was a clear line. I’m not saying, to me that is clearly something that I know if I do that, there’s going to be a penalty. There was a penalty, it’s just wasn’t very severe. They parked the 99 I think at Atlanta when that happened. The incident at the next race, the Nationwide race, that was pretty deliberate, but you could still kind of say they were racing. The caution was not out on either one of those incidences. To me, the caution flag being out is a huge part of crossing the line. There’s plenty of times when guys deliberately wreck one another — it happens all the time. But a lot of times when that happens, it’s a judgment call. It’s not a judgment call when the caution comes out.”

DOES THIS PUT MORE EMPHASIS ON THE IMAGES IN THE SPORT WHEN A SPONSOR THREATENS TO LEAVE? “I guess you could call it image — to me, sometimes we think we’re bigger than the sport and sometimes we think we’re bigger than our sponsors and we are not. That is very, very clear. I think in this instance, Kyle’s (Busch) emotions just got the best of him and that’s the thing that I think is the line here is that Kyle’s going to have to learn to control those emotions in those moments or it will cost him his sponsor and ultimately will cost him the ride because I can tell you who’s going to come first. It’s going to be the sponsor, especially when it’s a sponsor of the caliber of M&M’s/Mars. When you have a company like that who wants to step back, that’s going to get everybody’s attention and this is an expensive sport. You cannot afford to lose sponsors, especially to that caliber. I think that this is pretty much the final draw right here in how Kyle’s going to make decisions going forward because I think the next step will be that they’ll lose a sponsor and I think the driver is going to go — and I’m not saying just this case, but any case. Driver is going to go before a sponsor. We used to always say crew chiefs go first, then drivers — let me tell you, sponsors go last. They ultimately make the decisions.”

About Chevrolet

Founded in Detroit in 1911, Chevrolet celebrates its centennial as a global automotive brand with annual sales of about 4.25 million vehicles in more than 120 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. The Chevrolet portfolio includes iconic performance cars such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long-lasting pickups and SUVs such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers such as Spark, Cruze, Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including Cruze Eco and Volt. Cruze Eco offers 42 mpg highway while Volt offers 35 miles of electric, gasoline-free driving and an additional 344 miles of extended range. Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com .

-Team Chevy, Press Release

Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet, stands in the garage area - Photo Credit: Chris Trotman/Getty Images for NASCAR

AVONDALE, Ariz. (November 8, 2011) –

Gordon was first to the checkered flag here in the spring, and afterward he was first to dig up a section of the front straightaway to begin reconstruction on the one-mile layout. The new design includes a new surface, and changes to the first two turns and back straightaway.

“It’s an unknown for all of us,” said Gordon, driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet. “It’s a new surface and we’re using a new tire. It’s basically a whole new race track.

“(Turns) 1 and 2 have changed quite a bit. Turns 3 and 4 really did not change a whole lot, other than the surface. And the back straightaway is completely different – there is no comparison of that part of the track to anything we race on anywhere else. “It’s going to be tricky – there’s no doubt about that.”

In 25 starts at the Arizona track, Gordon has two wins (2007 and 2011), three poles, 10 top-fives and 18 top-10’s. But a new era on the track starts with this Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500.

“I hope we are able to get a second groove worked in,” said Gordon. “I think that is going to be very important because you walk a fine line between having great track position and maintaining speed, and making it hard for other guys to pass. If you get a foot outside of the preferred groove, you might be in the wall or you could lose a lap. It takes that long to get back in the groove, clean the tires off and get back up to speed.

“That is what can make this race very interesting and very challenging.”

Gordon enters the penultimate race of the 2011 season eighth in the point standings. But the new-look track could alter the look of the standings.

“To me, Phoenix is the unknown with the new pavement,” said Gordon. “I think we’re all going to be anxious to see not only how the race goes, but how this championship unfolds. If you get a foot outside the groove, it could ruin your entire day – and those aren’t variables a championship contender would like to factor in.

“These conditions could shake things up in a big way.”

- Performance PR Plus for DuPont Motorsports, Press Release

Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet, stands in the garage area - Photo Credit: Chris Trotman/Getty Images for NASCAR

KANSAS CITY, Kansas (October 4, 2011) –

In 11 starts, Gordon’s two wins (2001 inaugural event and 2002) at the 1.5-mile track tie him with Tony Stewart and Greg Biffle for tops in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. But Gordon leads the pack with eight top-fives and nine top-10’s, and his 8.1 average finish is best among drivers with more than one start at the Kansas track.

“This has been a great track for us and I can’t wait for this weekend’s race,” said Gordon, driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet. “I hope we run like we did earlier this year.

“If so, it gives us a chance to make up some points.”

Gordon was in contention for much of June’s 400-mile event here, but he was forced to stop for fuel near the end of the race. A trio of drivers conserved enough gas to beat the four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion to the checkered flag.

“I feel like Kansas is where we really turned the corner this year with our 1.5-mile program,” said Gordon. “We ran really strong and I felt like we had a shot at winning that race.”

The No. 24 team gained momentum with that performance. Gordon entered the June Kansas race 16th in the standings and 121 out. Seven races later, he was up nine spots and had gained 56 points on the leader. Therefore, with seven races remaining in the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, Gordon’s ninth-place standing and 19-point deficit is far from insurmountable.

“I guess we are somewhat fortunate,” Gordon said. “We’ve had only one good race out of three, but we’re down only 19 points. That doesn’t have to be made up in one event. Seven races is a lot of races.

“But every race is important. It doesn’t matter what track you are going to and what your past experience or stats are there. It’s all about what you do these next seven weeks. That’s all it boils down to.

“And I think this No. 24 team is strong enough to put a string of seven good races together.”

DuPont Motorsports Logo

LOUDON, N.H. (September 20, 2011) –

In July at “The Magic Mile,” Gordon led by more than three seconds before his No. 24 Chevrolet lost power at the halfway point of the 301-lap event. The three-time NHMS winner then lost a lap on pit road while the crew replaced the battery.

The real issue was the alternator not charging the battery, so Gordon was forced to limit electrical use the remainder of the event. He battled back from a lap down to atop-five position, but the right-front tire blew on the penultimate lap and Gordon limpedto an 11th-place finish.

“We had a fast car that day, and I’m really looking forward to going back there this weekend,” said Gordon. “Even after losing the lap because of the battery change,we were still able to work our way up through traffic pretty well.

“I wasn’t able to run any blowers (because of the electrical issues) and I think that’s what blew the right front at the end of the race. Hopefully, we don’t have anyissues like that Sunday.”

He did experience several issues during his 24th-place finish in the rain-delayed event at Chicago on Monday. Gordon battled back from a lap down after a tire issuebefore the fuel cell ran dry in his No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet two laps from the checkeredflag. He finished 24th and is now 11th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pointstandings, 25 markers out of the lead.

“That is not how we wanted to start the Chase,” said Gordon. “We battled hard throughout the event, and that’s what we’re going to do at New Hampshire and the other eight races.”

In 33 starts at the 1.058-mile track, Gordon has three wins and three poles. He also has 14 top-fives, 18 top-10’s and has led 1,226 laps – all tops in those categories.

“I do feel confident whenever we race here, but a lot of that is the car and the setup,” said Gordon. “This track has some very unique things that make it challenging, though. It’s flat, and there are some bumps getting into the corners.

“While we ran well here a few months ago, we’ll see what we have on Friday when we unload. Hopefully, we’ll be just as competitive and battling for the win come Sunday.”

A win would certainly re-charge Team DuPont for the final eight races of the 2011 season.

- Performance PR Plus for DuPont Motorsports, Press Release

Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet, stands in the garage area - Photo Credit: Chris Trotman/Getty Images for NASCAR

Joilet, Ill. (September 13, 2011) –

Gordon won each of his four NASCAR Cup Series championships during season-long points battles, but he has yet to win one under the 10-race “Chase” format.However, he enters the 2011 version with momentum on his side.

“I haven’t felt like this in a long time and I love the position we are in as a team,”said Gordon. “We led the most laps at Bristol, and we led the most laps and won at Atlanta. We definitely have momentum on our side.

“I don’t feel that anybody has shown more strength than we have in the past 10races.”

And statistics reflect that. Gordon has one win (Atlanta), four top-fives and eighttop-10’s in the past 10 races. He has led 471 laps – 214 more than the nearest competitor – and scored 30 more championship points than his nearest rival during that span.

“We have some confidence right now, but we also know it’s going to be tough during the Chase,” said Gordon, who is now third in the standings and only three markers out of the lead since points were reset following race No. 26. We have to step up our game and we know there are a few tracks we have to improve at.

“If we can do that, we have a great shot this year.”

In 10 starts at the 1.5-mile track, Gordon has one win (2006), one pole (2004),six top-fives and seven top-10’s. But this year marks the first time the track has hosted a“Chase” event.

“I’m excited about starting the Chase in Chicago this year,” said Gordon. “This week, the Chase drivers are spread out all around the country going to different places to promote the Chase before we end up in Chicago for additional media opportunities. Then it’s off to the track.

“It’s a great track. It reminds me a lot of Kansas, and we ran really well there earlier this year. I’m excited about our chances at Chicago.

“The plan is to start off the Chase on a positive note.”

While Gordon will again be driving the familiar No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet at the Illinois track, gold ribbons will adorn the hood of the Impala.

“September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and, with the support of DuPont, the gold ribbon – a worldwide symbol for childhood cancer – will be featured on the car,” Gordon said. “That ribbon serves as a symbol for those children battling cancer, and a sign of support for parents and caregivers.

“And a memorial for lives lost.”

- Performance PR Plus for DuPont Motorsports, Press Release

DuPont Motorsports Logo

RICHMOND, Va. (September 7, 2011) –

A new section of SAFER barriers along the entire inside backstretch wall hasbeen installed at Richmond International Raceway in time for this weekend’s NASCAR races at the three-quarter mile oval — an improvement in safety equipment that will keep drivers protected should they take a hit like Gordon did on April 30.

When the DuPont Chevrolet was sent spinning after contact with another car latein the race, he slammed driver-side into the inside retaining wall, not only ending Team DuPont’s night early, but knocking the wind out of its driver. Gordon was vocal that all walls – including inside retaining walls – should be equipped with SAFER barriers. Richmond International Raceway officials announced on July 1, 2011, that SAFER barriers would be added to this section of track that was previously exposed.

This is not the first time Gordon has influenced the addition of SAFER barriers oninside walls. “Soft walls” were added to the inside retaining wall at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2008 following the “hardest hit [he’s] ever taken,” as described by the four-time champion.

“I hate that I’ve been the one that has pointed out the areas that need SAFER barriers installed at some of our race tracks,” Gordon said. “I don’t want to be the onewho points out those areas to anybody else the rest of the season. I am happy that Richmond installed more SAFER barriers though.”

Another unique connection Gordon has had to the addition and improvement ofthis safety feature is through his relationship with longtime sponsor, DuPont.

DuPont, a global science company that deems safety a top priority, has teamed up with Owens Corning to combine two products that meet the special needs of SAFER barrier technology. Through combining DuPont Formacel® foam expansion agent with Owens Corning Hydrovac ® technology, a special foam was created. Working in concert, the two technologies have been engineered to meet the dynamic requirements of impact while meeting the wide range of elements to which the SAFER barrier is exposed.

In March of this year, Midwest Roadside Safety Facility at the University of Nebraska completed the qualification testing to certify the use of the new Owens Corning Foamular® with DuPont Formacel® foam expansion agent on all NASCAR and IRL tracks. As existing SAFER barrier is refreshed and as new SAFER barrier wall is added, the new Foamular® will be used.

“NASCAR has done such an amazing job at researching, developing and implementing new ways and technology to keep all of the drivers safe out there,” said Gordon. “And I’m proud to drive for a sponsor like DuPont that prides itself on safety and now has a hand in these developments.”

This weekend, Gordon and DuPont have made their impact on Richmond International Raceway before even arriving for the race.

- Performance PR Plus for DuPont Motorsports, Press Release

2011 Jeff Gordon high fives fans - Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR

RICHMOND, Va. (September 7, 2011) –

Gordon, who started sixth here earlier this year, ran in the top three for much ofthe event. But his night ended abruptly after contact with another car sent the DuPont Chevrolet spinning hard into the inside wall.

“I hit it a ton,” Gordon said. “And I always seem to find the spots without theSAFER barrier.

“I think Richmond was one of the first tracks to install them, and they’ve alwaysworked hard to make this track as safe as possible. It’s good to hear they haveaddressed that area and added the softer walls.”

After that type of frightening accident, you might expect apprehension during thereturn trip. But that is not the case for the four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion.

“I cannot wait for this race,” said Gordon, who scored a historical 85th win atAtlanta on Tuesday. “I really think our short-track program is strong right now, and wewere so competitive here in the spring.

“I hated how that race ended for us.

“I think this weekend offers us another great opportunity to earn the three bonuspoints for each win going into the Chase. Those points earned in September can bevery valuable come November.”

Gordon, who has two wins, five poles, 14 top-fives and 23 top-10’s in 37 starts atthe three-quarter mile track, has already clinched a spot in the 2011 “Chase for theNASCAR Sprint Cup.” But wildcard spots are still available, and that new wrinkle maymake an already exciting race even more so.

“With the new wildcard rule, it could get crazy on the track – and off the track with some of the pit calls and strategies,” said Gordon. “On the track, I’m sure I’ll be made aware of drivers that are in a ‘must-win’ situation.

“With pit calls, we may see some stretch fuel mileage or stay out for track position or only take right-side tires.

“Some may be in a ‘must-win’ situation, but we’re in a ‘want-to-win-really-really- bad’ situation.”

- Performance PR Plus, Press Release

Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet, stands in the garage area - Photo Credit: Chris Trotman/Getty Images for NASCAR

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DUPONT CHEVROLET met with members of the media at Michigan International Speedway and discussed going to Woodward Dream Cruise for Chevrolet, plans after racing, Jeff Gordon Foundation, racing at Michigan and other topics.

IS IT MORE IMPORTANT TO THINK ABOUT BIGGER THINGS IN THE WORLD THAN JUST RUNNING AROUND IN A CAR?: “You know one of the great things that I loved about NASCAR when I first got involved was as a young driver coming up, you want to do everything you can to fit into the sport, to represent sponsors well and you start looking around at other drivers and they’re an influence on you. Immediately, I was being introduced to children from the Make a Wish Foundation that were at the race track whether it was through Geoff Bodine or Kyle Petty or other drivers. I went to local children’s hospitals and met children. That was even back into the Nationwide Series, when I was in the Nationwide Series so I got introduced to giving back and doing all that I could whether it be meet or try to put a smile on a child’s face that might be suffering from an illness or a disease like this. By getting introduced to it early on, it’s become somewhat of a part of my routine and it’s something that’s obviously grown over the years by creating my own foundation. It’s something that I’m proud of and I try to put a lot of effort into. Obviously, my priority when it comes to my work is to put as much effort into driving the race car as I can and so over time I’ve learned how to structure my schedule to do what I feel like I need to do to be competitive in the race car as well as be able to be a good Dad and put as much time as I possibly can fit into the schedule into getting behind programs like the ‘Sounds of Pertussus,’ taking a trip to the Congo with CGI or a bowling tournament in Indianapolis. To me, it balances me out and I think it makes me a better race car driver by being able to incorporate children and the important causes that are out there that I’ve been able to get behind.”

Audio: 2011 NSCS Pure Michigan 400 Pre-Race Press Conference with Driver Jeff Gordon

WHAT IS YOUR LONG RANGE PLAN FOR YOUR CAREER OUTSIDE OF RACING?: “How much time do I have in here? This could be a long day. As a race car driver, I can tell you that most of what I’ve done throughout my life has been instinctive and taking advantage of opportunities when they came my way and tried to make good decisions with those opportunities. Racing has certainly provided a tremendous amount of opportunity that has been very rewarding and fulfilling in my life. That’s kind of where I’m at right now is that I know that I’m not at the beginning of my career, I’m certainly closer to the end. I’m not saying that I’m there yet, but I’m definitely closer to it. I’m starting to build what that model is going to look like when I’m no longer driving. Obviously, my foundation is very important to me and the work that I’m doing there. My primary focus is pediatric cancer research and that’s where my efforts are going to be driven most of the time. Again, an opportunity comes up like the CGI trip to the Congo and it opened my eyes up to things that are happening globally. We are also looking at some pediatric cancer research and treatment globally, which I am hoping to go to Rwanda with that in December. As an equity owner in Hendrick Motorsports, racing has always been a part of my life and I don’t see how when I’m no longer driving the car, that I’ll ever be able to step away from it completely because I just love it. I’m a fan of it. I’m a partner with Rick (Hendrick). I love the sport and all forms of motorsports, but particularly NASCAR. There’s no doubt that I want to continue to be a part of it in a big way and I can’t really answer that question today because my main focus is on driving, but I’ve been fortunate again through an opportunity with Rick Hendrick to be a bigger part of our organization than just a driver. We’re talking about what that will be in the future.”

HOW DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO THINK OF YOU WHEN YOU STOP DRIVING?: “I don’t believe in retirement to be honest with you. I don’t think there is such a thing as retirement. I think that racing — it’s going to be hard to top what I’ve done in racing, but I will certainly try in other ways because when I get behind something, I try to do it 100 percent and I want to be successful at it. I want to make a difference. All I can say is that right now it’s hard for me to really do the things that I want to do with the children’s charities because I am so limited on time. When I have more time, I would love to do more and I think that I can make a bigger impact because right now I feel like we’re just scratching the surface with a lot of the things as it relates to children and whether it be something like Pertussus or even the pediatric cancer that I’ve talked about. I think that again, racing is always going to be a part of my life and so whatever I do within racing after driving, I want to certainly be as successful as I can at it and bring what I’ve learned and my experience of all these years as a driver, knowing what the behind the scenes are with Hendrick Motorsports that I’ve been able to experience and play a role in hopefully making Hendrick Motorsports continue to be successful. But I can’t guarantee that’s going to happen. I don’t know. We haven’t made all those decisions yet. Certainly I know that my work with my foundation is going to increase in a big way when I’m not driving. I know that for a fact.”

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON YOUR SEASON THUS FAR?: “I’m really excited to be back here in Michigan. It’s one of my favorite tracks and always has been one of my favorite tracks. Had an opportunity with Chevrolet yesterday to go down to the Woodward Cruise and that was awesome. Seeing all those old classic cars and just had a blast waving the green flag for that as well as seeing the future of cars and what Chevrolet has done over the last 100 years because we got to wave the green flag to about 50 Chevy Volts that went down Woodward, which I don’t know if they’ve ever had any electric cars going down Woodward so it was pretty cool to hear the silence and then hear the rumble of the old classics. This track means a lot to me. I know if means a lot to the manufacturers and I feel like we really did not get the most out of our team and our car the last time we were here and I feel like since then we’ve really picked up our program as a team. The cars — how competitive they are and so I think this is hopefully the beginning of a fun weekend for us.”

HOW FAR CAN THE STRATEGY CHANGE WITH GREEN FLAG PIT STOPS ON OVAL TRACKS LIKE WE HAVE SEEN AT ROAD COURSES?: “You can take more risk these days certainly because of the lucky dogs, wave arounds and all those things, but I think it really comes down and I’m no crew chief and there’s a lot of reason why I’m not, but I think that most of the crew chiefs would tell you that it’s about the lap times. About how long it takes you to get down pit road, do a pit stop and come back out. It really, to me, I feel like it’s crucial not to lose a lap. I think that’s taking too much risk and on a road course, it’s pretty easy. It’s a minute, 12 seconds — I think that’s what we were running last week or something like that during the race. It’s easy not to lose a lap. I think on road courses, that’s the philosophy is you want to pit just before the caution comes out, which killed us last week because we were coming the lap that the caution came and that right there lost us 15 spots. I think that there’s definitely tracks that you can push that envelope. Pocono is another one of those. Michigan here, you’re right on the edge. This is a fast race track. I think the lap time might just be a little bit too quick for you to be able to pull that off here. I’m not saying some guys aren’t going to try, but I think you’re just right there on that edge where maybe you could do two tires and get away with it in the closing laps. You could maybe do something like that.”

WHAT CHANGES CAN THEY MAKE TO WATKINS GLEN TO MAKE THE TRACK SAFER?: “I look at Watkins Glen and put them in the same category as I do with Richmond. We saw several incidents prior to my incident this year at Richmond where cars had hit that inside wall — there wasn’t a SAFER Barrier there, the cars came back out into oncoming traffic and fairly severe hits. I think it just made them reevaluate it and sometimes that’s what happens. The experts look at it and there’s not enough data to tell them that there needs to be a SAFER Barrier there. I know it’s easy for us to say there should be one everywhere, but we’re not making those decisions. We don’t know what all goes on behind the scenes. The cost and whatever else it may be. I think that Watkins Glen needs to go through that same process. They need to be reevaluated. We’ve seen now more than one or more than two occasions where cars have gotten into that outside wall and while the wall did it’s job in absorbing the impact, to me the way it shot the car back out there is absolutely something that this day and age, we’re smart enough to know that we can’t have that. I really do hope that they reevaluate the angle of that wall and try to find a way or a new way to engineer it. I’m sure that David Ragan would second that and (David) Reutimann.”

HOW HAS THE PERCEPTION OF BRAD KESELOWSKI CHANGED AMONG SPRINT CUP VETERANS?: “He certainly has. I look at him just earlier this year and it seemed like he wasn’t even on the radar. I think Penske deserves a lot of credit and whether Brad (Keselowski) and Kurt (Busch) play a big role in that as drivers is important. You can only make your teams better when you’re getting good information. You have to give credit to the drivers, but they’ve definitely gone to work. They were way off the pace earlier in the year and they’ve turned the corner and have really become, to me, a factor in the championship for this year. I think Brad’s performance is also an indication of that. I think what makes the Pocono win and his performance even last week so impressive is because of what happened at Road Atlanta. I think I’ve always felt like Brad’s a really good race car driver. He’s proven that in the Nationwide Series. He’s had some success in the Cup Series and now you look at Brad and you go, ‘Okay, their performance is better.’ He’s a lot tougher than I thought he was. I think that he’s definitely got — and that can build your confidence and momentum. Your confidence as a driver, your momentum as a team and they’ve got that right now. He told me prior to the race Monday, but he told me this I think on qualifying day. He said, ‘I don’t think I’m going to make it through this weekend, it’s really hurting.’ I don’t know if that extra day helped him or what, but he made it through and he was really strong. I think Penske has really got their act together. I don’t know what they found, but they definitely went down the right path and they’ve gotten it together. I think Brad is really being recognized now as a driver that we all thought he was when he came into the Cup Series because of his Nationwide performance and now he’s backing that up.”

WHY ARE THE DRIVERS NOT MORE PROACTIVE IN MAKING SURE THE TRACKS ARE SAFE ENOUGH?: “I’m with you Mike (Mulhern). I’m with you loud and clear. We’re doing what we can. To me, I’ve done all that I can as a driver inside my cockpit and we at Hendrick Motorsports building the seats that we build and we put a lot of effort into safety. I think that we could probably do a better job of coming together and sending that message to the race tracks and NASCAR and we all know the struggles that come along with that. We choose to leave it in the tracks and NASCAR’s hands and they’ve improved greatly. Don’t get me wrong. You look and there are SAFER Barriers everywhere we go now for the most part. It’s not as easy as you think. It’s something that we all try to learn from.”

DO YOU DRIVE DIFFERENTLY AT MICHIGAN AT AGE 40 THAN AT AGE 21?: “It’s only a week or two weeks. I didn’t drive any different at Pocono. See this is where I’m getting older, my memory is going. Certainly didn’t drive any different last week at Watkins Glen and I’m not going to drive any different this week. We’re having a great year and we have a great team. So far, 40 has been good. This whole year. I love working with Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) and every week I go into those debriefs and come away thinking that we’re going to wear them out this weekend. Then you go through the paces of the weekend to do everything you can to have a fast race car. 40 right now is treating me really good with a great wife and two wonderful little kids and life is good on and off the race track.”

About Chevrolet

Founded in Detroit in 1911, Chevrolet celebrates its centennial as a global automotive brand with annual sales of about 4.25 million vehicles in more than 120 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. The Chevrolet portfolio includes iconic performance cars such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long-lasting pickups and SUVs such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers such as Spark, Cruze, Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including Cruze Eco and Volt. Cruze Eco offers 42 mpg highway while Volt offers 35 miles of electric, gasoline-free driving and an additional 344 miles of extended range. Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com .

- Team Chevy, Press Release

Dupont Motorsports Logo

BROOKLYN, Mich. (August 16, 2011) –

Like, on Friday.

Through 22 races in 2011, the 84-time winner has one pole (Talladega) but anaverage starting position of 14.5. That average is the lowest of his 19 full seasons onthe circuit, but it is something Gordon and the team are working hard to correct beforethe “Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup” begins after race No. 26.

“Qualifying better is something this team – including me – has to do better,” saidGordon. “It’s possible to not qualify well and still win like we did in Phoenix, but it’s mucheasier to have a strong finish after starting at or near the front.

“There are so many advantages gained by doing so like a better pit stall pick,less traffic to work through and ‘cleaner’ air. I think the likelihood of getting collected insomeone else’s wreck drops, as well.

“Improving our qualifying is definitely something we are focused on right now.”

Their next chance to make gains in that department is this weekend’s PureMichigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway (MIS). Gordon has always enjoyedracing at the wide two-mile track, and his statistics appear to echo that. In 37 starts, thefour-time NASCAR Cup Series champion has two wins, five poles, 18 top-fives and 23top-10’s. One more top-five finish ties him with Richard Petty for second all-time at MIS,two behind Cale Yarborough.

“I love racing here because of the wide corners where you can run from the bottom to the top,” said Gordon, who is seventh in the point standings with two wins in 2011. “This is a really fast track with a high average speed, and you are in the corners for a really long time each lap. Ideally, you want to be right on the edge of tight and loose in the corners.

“But even with all that room to run side-by-side down the straightaways and through the corners, qualifying well on Friday can make the race easier to manage on Sunday.

“This race is 400 miles, but it seems to go by quick.”

- Performance PR Plus for Team DuPont, Press Release

Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet, stands in the garage area - Photo Credit: Chris Trotman/Getty Images for NASCAR

Halfway to the “Chase” after race No. 13 at Kansas Speedway in June, Gordonwas 13th in the point standings and 121 markers out of the lead. With a win, two runner-up finishes and seven finishes of 11th or better in the eight races since, the 84-time winner has moved up to seventh and is now 52 points from the top spot. Maybemore importantly, though, is the fact Gordon is now 50 points ahead of 11th-place – a“cushion” of more than one race – in his attempt to secure one of the coveted “Chase”spots.

“It’s definitely nice to have that gap to 11th,” said Gordon, who celebrated sonLeo’s first birthday Tuesday. “It gives us the opportunity to take more calculated risksfor a race win.

“It’s important to stay in the top 10, though, because bonus points for wins areonly awarded to those inside the top 10. Any points advantage you can get will be worthit.”

Earlier this year, Gordon finished second at Infineon Raceway – the only otherroad course on the Sprint Cup Series schedule. But the tracks are polar oppositesaccording to the four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion.

“Watkins Glen is a much faster and more aggressive track while [Infineon] is a finesse track,” said Gordon, whose nine career road course victories rank first all-time. “Here, you have to attack the track – without making too many mistakes.

“It’s easy to make mistakes here because you have so many turns and braking zones and obstacles with the down shifts – like wheel hopping in turn one. It’s just really, really difficult to get deep into turn one, not overshoot the corner while also not wheel hopping the rear tires.”

In 18 starts at Watkins Glen, Gordon has four wins, two poles, six top-fives, nine top-10’s and is the all-time lap leader with 227. During the annual visit to the New York track, the plan is to make an impression on and off the track with the DuPont Chevrolet.

“The DuPont Motorsports website is being re-launched on Thursday, and we have some cool things going on with that at Watkins Glen and in the future,” said Gordon, who has two wins in 2011 (Phoenix and Pocono). “I think the fans will really like some of the exclusive content that will be available there.”

While fans will now have access to more content, Gordon is looking for more followers – like 42 of them – come Sunday.

- Performance PR Plus, Press Release

2011 Jeff Gordon - Photo Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DUPONT CHEVROLET, met with members of the media at Kentucky Speedway and discussed racing at Kentucky, Safer Barriers, Kansas Speedway re-paving and other topics.

TALK ABOUT COMING TO KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY: “It is very exciting to be here for numerous reasons. Obviously a new track so the unknowns, even though we have tested here in the past, but, I think for the most part, it is just a market that is new for the Sprint Cup Series that I think opens us up to some great exposure and an incredible fan base. To me, I just love the electricity around a new event. You’ve seen for years the Nationwide races run here and them pack the stands and all the excitement the fans have. You have heard them talk for years about having a Sprint Cup event and now here we are. It is definitely a very exciting weekend and one that all the competitors want to come away with the trophy being that is it the inaugural event.”

TONY (STEWART) SAID YESTERDAY HE THOUGHT THEY NEEDED MORE SAFER BARRIERS HERE ESPECIALLY ON THE INSIDE WALLS, WHAT IS YOUR THINKING? “I was just making a comment after last week’s announcement by Richmond (International Raceway). ‘I wonder what other tracks don’t have Safer Barriers.’ Then I came here and saw the inside wall. Hopefully that is the only time I notice it this weekend. You understand that they have put a lot of effort, you can tell they’ve put a lot of time and money and effort into getting this race track ready. Hopefully it’s not an issue. We’ll see. There is definitely some areas out there that could be addressed. Right now, the way that this track is, I see that the inside is not as much of an issue as maybe it is at some other tracks. But, we’ll have to get through a race and I’m hoping I’m not the crash-test dummy this weekend.”

Audio: 2011 NSCS Quaker State 400 Pre-Race Press Conference with Driver Jeff Gordon

WHY DO YOU THINK THERE ISN’T A DOMINANT DRIVER AT THIS POINT IN THE SEASON? “That is a very good question because when the season started, I thought that Carl (Edwards) had the ability to put that together or a Roush driver. They, to me, seemed to be the strongest when the season started. (Kevin) Harvick, I think their team has been very strong, but his performance has not been up to maybe what I thought it could be, but, yet, he has three wins. He’s been there at the right time. So that is the sign of a good team; that they are in the right place at the right time. Then you have the No. 48 (Jimmie Johnson) and the No. 11 (Denny Hamlin) that have been off to a little bit of a slow start. It’s hard to say. The cool thing about that is there is no clear-cut favorite right now that just shows all the signs of this is the team to beat for championship which I think makes it very exciting as we get closer and closer to the Chase to see who is going to step up and take control of this championship. I think it is really wide-open right now.”

DO YOU THINK THE PERCEPTION IS A LITTLE BIT OFF BECAUSE WE ARE SO USED TO SEEING THE NO. 48 WIN, ESPECIALLY LAST SEASON, BUT BECAUSE HE HASN’T BEEN TO VICTORY LANE AS MUCH AS HE HAS IN THE PAST, MAYBE PEOPLE JUST ASSUME THAT THERE ISN’T A DOMINANT DRIVER? “Maybe. You assume there is a dominant driver when someone is dominant. The No. 48 and No. 11 last year were very dominant. Right now, there is no stand-out, dominant driver. But, that’s not to say it won’t still happen or come. Certainly when it relates to the No. 48, and I would probably through the No. 11 in there was well, you can never count them out. When it’s time for the Chase, whether it be leading into the Chase, who gets momentum. Or, when the Chase starts, who really takes off and that is the beauty of the Chase. We usually have seen at this point, somebody show more dominance than what we’ve seen this year. I still, and again, you cannot count the No. 48 out and you can’t count the No. 11 out, but there are definitely some guys out there. I think that the No. 99 (Edwards), they were very strong at the end of last year. They just showed that they were going to be one to beat this year and they have done that, but, for some reason, I think some of the teams that were behind, have caught up. I don’t know if they have progressed as much as other teams have because they already had an edge on us when the season started.”

TALK ABOUT THE FEELING OF WINNING OF AN INAUGURAL RACE: “It is definitely special because you always get recognized as that. It is a stand-out win because it is the inaugural event and you can only do that once. You can win at a track several times, but winning the very first race is something special. We’ve been very fortunate to do that three times. We have had great success at inaugural events. We are certainly hoping to make this another successful inaugural event.”

WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO ANNOUNCEMENT YESTERDAY TO RE-PAVE AND RE-CONFIGURE KANSAS SPEEDWAY? “There are those tracks that I think are just…they absolutely have to be repaved. This one (Kentucky Speedway) would be one of them. It is very rough here. While I really like the surface, the roughness is kind of a must. Kansas, to me, should not be re-paved. But it might be a foundation issue. It might be a drainage issue. There’s deeper stories behind the scenes that we maybe don’t know as competitors so they do what they need to do. I’m not a fan because the new pavement that exists out there is so smooth and is not very abrasive. Goodyear has a very difficult time building tires for the new re-paves because it just generates so much heat, but they don’t dissipate the heat by having abrasiveness. I just wish we could talk to the companies that are doing the paving and find a way to put some abrasiveness into…and a lot of it…is just in the aggregate. The aggregate that is in the newer pavement is so small and very little of it is at the surface. So that is what has caused a lot of issues. But, it lasts 10 times as long as the old pavement. I think that there is certainly for whatever reasons the tracks feel it is necessary to do that, but, I wish there was a way to meet in the middle on it, because, to me… The variable banking certainly will help. We saw that at Homestead (Miami Speedway). But, you’re still going to have a very fast race track. A very smooth race track which a lot of times makes for less side-by-side racing in the first event of two. I love the surface at Kansas, so I think that is one of the reasons why Kansas stands out to me. It is a great surface right now. To me it is perfect. You are slipping and sliding. You are running up against the wall, in the middle, at the bottom. How can the racing get much better than it is at Kansas, in my opinion.”

ARE YOU GOING TO DEVELOP ANY OF THE YOUNGER DRIVERS IN THE SPORT?: “If I recognized a talent and I was introduced to him and was able to spend some time with them, absolutely. I think that our sport, it thrives on new, young talent and I don’t know if we’ve seen enough of it in recent years. You look at how many Cup drivers are in the Nationwide Series and the Truck Series and we need to make sure that these series and even further down are developing new up and coming drivers. They are certainly out there. Just need to see them get the opportunity and get the chance. Right now I’m more focused on driving the No. 24 Chevrolet so I don’t really have the time to do that right now. If I recognize somebody then I certainly would try to help them out and maybe one day I will have more time to be involved in that side of the business.”

HOW MUCH DO YOU HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WITH THE CAR ON A NEW RACE TRACK?: “I think it’s different if you’ve never been there before. Like the Brickyard, California, even Kansas – nobody had ever been there really. This is different. You’ve got Nationwide drivers who have been here before. We all tested here for years. I probably haven’t tested as many laps as a lot of the other guys in here. It still wasn’t a new, new race track to me. Just because of the time that has been spent here. This is a little bit different, but still racing here is different than testing here and having that test date yesterday was valuable in trying to figure out what it’s going to take and that’s probably the biggest challenge is what is it going to take. Even yesterday with testing, you might be able to put one or two good laps together and maybe you could even put 10 good laps together, but how are the tires going to wear, how is the track going to change as it rubbers up – maybe the groove moves wider. What is it going to take to win. I don’t think anybody truly knows that right now. That adaptation and figuring that out on the fly as we go throughout the weekend as well as through the race. I think it is usually, typically a sign of a very strong team that knows how to adapt to that and they usually have the most success.”

WHAT MAKES SOME TRACKS HAVE MORE INCIDENTS IF IT IS NOT DIRECTLY RELATED TO RACING ROOM? “You can look at racing room in a couple different ways, you can look at it as multiple groove race tracks or you can look at our race cars that we have today and how aero dependent that we are today – more so than we ever have been. And the competition I think is much closer than it’s ever been. When they went to this car, that’s basically what they did was tighten up the box and the areas where you get the advantages over the competition so what did that do, that made the field that much tighter from the number one spot all the way to the tail end. To me, when you’re traveling the same speed as the guys around you or very close to it, it’s much harder to pass and so what happens is that if you feel that your car is even a little bit better, if you can’t complete the pass or if somebody really makes life difficult on you, then your frustration level goes up and your patience runs out and then you start having to use the bumpers to get the job done. That’s when the tempers flare.”

WHAT LEVEL OF CONFIDENCE DOES YOUR WIN AT POCONO GIVE YOU FOR SATURDAY’S RACE? “There is no doubt – even yesterday, we have greatly improved our mile-and-a-half program. I think that while Pocono is not a mile-and-a-half, you can in some ways look at it and sort of race it like it is. Big, long straight-aways, but you have to get through the corners good there. They are high speed corners and that’s what we have here and I thought we were very competitive yesterday while we still needed a few things to be one of the best cars out there, we were very competitive. That to me is just the biggest sign that we’ve made great strides, we’re working in the right direction and I’m really excited and proud of the team for stepping that up and getting me comfortable at these types of tracks. Coming here now with confidence that we can be competitive and have a shot at the win. We saw that at Kansas and we followed that up since then. That’s really exciting for us and certainly has us ready for this race this weekend to show that some more and like I said, I thought we had some signs of it yesterday and today should help us even further that. Now that we looked at the data and everything from last night and how we can make improvements to even be a little bit better here today. But you’re right, this track is very rough, it’s got a lot of grip, it’s fast and so you can use some of those same tools that you use at Pocono. Hopefully we get the same results.”

HOW DO YOU ADJUST YOUR CAR FOR A BUMPY RACE TRACK AND HOW DO YOU RACE WITH THE BUMPS? “Yes. If you can find a way around the bumps, great. This is a pretty unique line that you run here. You really are wide into turn one, which helps you get around some of the bumps. When we get into the race, you’re going to have to run those other lines if you’re going to pass. You’re going to have to go low. You’re going to have to go through the middle with some of the bumps or you’re going to have to go higher to try to find ways around it. Most of it’s in the setup of the car. It’s just how you spring the car, shocks, the more aggressive that you get with the setup for downforce, the more the bumps with affect you. That’s what we were looking at last night with our data and what we’ll be playing around with today. Just trying to find that package that compliments the bumps the best, but keeps the best aero platform in the car to maximize the downforce, which hopefully with maximize corner speed, which hopefully will maximize speed in general.”

About Chevrolet: Founded in Detroit in 1911, Chevrolet celebrates its centennial as a global automotive brand with annual sales of about 4.25 million vehicles in more than 140 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. The Chevrolet portfolio includes iconic performance cars such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long-lasting pickups and SUVs such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers such as Spark, Cruze, Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including Cruze Eco and Volt. Cruze Eco offers 42 mpg highway while Volt offers 35 miles of electric, gasoline-free driving and an additional 344 miles of extended range. Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

- Team Chevy, Press Release

Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet, stands in the garage area - Photo Credit: Chris Trotman/Getty Images for NASCAR

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DUPONT CHEVROLET met with members of the media at Infineon Raceway and discussed importance of qualifying, road racing and other topics.

HOW IS YOUR CAR SO FAR?: “Practice was interesting. The track is definitely hard to get a hold of. We ran a couple race runs and then we put in the qualifying trim. Lacking a little bit of speed and grip there. We made a big gain there on that last run. If we can make another gain like that for this qualifying session, we’ll be alright.”

HOW IMPORTANT IS QUALIFYING HERE?: “I think on a road course, it’s probably more important than anywhere else we go. You probably heard nothing but how important track position everywhere is that we’ve been going. It tells you that it’s huge here. If you don’t have track position then everybody kind of goes in that mindset then we work on pit strategy. That’s not a fun way to run this race. It’s really, truly about track position. I think more so on this track than on any other, usually track position does have more of an indication of how much speed is in your car compared to ovals where you can make your car a lot better in the race. If you qualify bad at some places like ovals, then you can still be a good car for the race. Here, it’s usually a pretty good indication of what kind of speed you have as a driver and as a car where you qualify.”

Audio: 2011 NSCS Toyota/Save Mart 350 Pre-Race Press Conference with driver Jeff Gordon

WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT LAST YEAR’S RACE?: “Disaster. It was just one of those terrible days where I made a lot of mistakes, no doubt made a lot of people unhappy and been trying to move on from it ever since. Thanks for bringing it up though.”

HOW DO YOU EXPECT THOSE PEOPLE TO RACE YOU ON SUNDAY?: “I’ve tried to apologize to the ones that I really made mistakes with. There were some racing incidents that went on that day too that was just racing and that you just move on and race one another however you race one another. I have to approach the race the same way I do any other race and just go out there and do everything I can to get the best finish I can. Not put too much effort into thinking about what those guys have planned or whatever. I’m sure if they’re in a position to kind of get back what happened then I’m sure they will. My goal this weekend is not to allow myself to get in that position.”

HOW MUCH MORE AGGRESSIVE DO YOU HAVE TO BE AT INFINEON?: “It’s just different kind of aggressiveness. You’re talking about aggressive braking and driving into the corner hard and really getting the car slowed down and out-braking other cars with the down shifts. In that sense, you have to be aggressive when you’re passing somebody or trying to prevent somebody from being passed. The rest of this track is about not being aggressive. This is a very finesse race track. There is just a couple areas that you can drive deep in the corner. The rest of them it’s about not making mistakes. I think coming into turn 11, yeah, you can be aggressive there, but other than that you have to be careful being aggressive here.”

HOW IS YOUR PERFORMANCE THIS SEASON IMPACT HOW YOU APPROACH THIS RACE?: “We’ve had quite a bit of confidence coming in here. We had a good test at Mid-Ohio and just had this second win in Pocono. We feel like we’ve really improved our program. We really focused on short tracks over the off season and now as we’ve gotten in the season, more mile and a half program. What I love about this team is when they go to work on an area, they’ve gotten results. We, as a team have shown those results in the progress. We’re working on the road courses and right now I’m looking at it and saying that we’re not quite there yet, but we’ll see where we end up this weekend and then really, truly evaluate it.”

HOW SHOULD THE COMPETITION LOOK AT YOU THIS WEEKEND?: “I don’t think you can ever count us out. We’re fighters. We never – we go out there to put the fastest race cars on the track we can. I think this is one of those tracks where practice is not always the best indication of where everything is at. I think there’s no doubt we’ve lost a little bit on the road courses. We’re going to work real hard all weekend long to get that back. We still have plenty of time to do that. I think anybody knows that if we get ourselves in position up front that we are definitely a team that can win this race.”

DO YOU STILL FEEL LIKE YOU’RE THE KING OF INFINEON?: “I think right now there’s definitely a couple guys that I would say are really dominating the road courses and I think those guys are the ones that I would focus on if I was – it’s certainly who I’m focused on. That’s (Marcos) Ambrose, (Tony) Stewart, Juan Pablo Montoya – Kurt Busch is always pretty strong on road courses and he looks good here today. Those are guys that I would say right now because to me it’s only about what you’ve done lately. Our stats are great and we come in here with confidence and we love the road courses, but I don’t think we’re the car to beat right now. I hope that’s different on Sunday.”

DO YOU HAVE TO RACE INFINEON WITH A SHORT TRACK MENTALITY?: “What happens is now double-fie restarts definitely ramp up the aggressiveness. There’s preferred lines and then there’s basically being offline. If you happen to get put in position where you’re offline then you’re going to fight, claw, scratch for everything you possibly can. Especially in the closing laps. There’s no doubt in the closing laps, if you get caution flags, it’s as aggressive or more aggressive than a short track.”

ARE YOU MORE LIKELY TO TAKE A CHANCE HERE WITH THE AGGRESSIVENESS?: “Anytime you take more risk and you heighten the aggressiveness, you’re more chance to make mistakes. Plus this is a track where there’s two passing zones and so you want to take advantage of those areas when you’re in them. That’s going into seven and 11. Now what guys have done is because on the restarts you get kind of stacked up and guys start blocking that move and prevent you from making and that gets frustrating over time. Eventually somebody’s going to have to react in a different way to make the pass work if they’re a lot faster than that car ahead of them.”

IS THIS THE MOST IMPORTANT TRACK TO WIN THE POLE?: “I think they’re all important, but I think the road courses are extremely important. I think track position is probably more important here than anywhere else and I think being on the pole proves more about what kind of car you have. More so than other tracks we go to. When you’re on an oval, for whatever reason, you can qualify on the pole and still be a 15^th or 20^th place car. You can qualify 35^th and be a winning car. On the road course, it’s not usually like that. You don’t usually see or find a guy that qualifies 30^th or 35^th here and all of the sudden he finds a second and a half in the race.”

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE A THIRD ROAD COURSE IN THE SEASON AND WHICH COURSE?: “Sure, that would be great. I love the road courses. I love the two that we have and I guess if you want to look at a complete championship – we have short track, superspeedway, intermediates and why not have a road course in there. I’ve always dreamed about racing at Laguna Seca and that’s one of the premiere road courses in the country, but I don’t see that happening. That’s more of a dream.”

WHAT HAS NORTHERN CALIFORNIA DONE FOR YOUR CAREER?: “I never raced at Sonoma in my entire life I lived here. I wasn’t road racing so this was all foreign to me. Everything else around here, Sunnyvale, Hayward and even moving down south into Pomona – that’s where racing was at for me. Watching sprint car races as well as doing the quarter midget racing and go-kart racing myself. If it weren’t for those opportunities and those race tracks and the kids I raced with and my parents getting me into it, I certainly wouldn’t be standing here racing at this track.”

WHAT DID YOU LEARN AT THE DAYTONA 500 TO USE NEXT WEEK?: “Just the bump drafting. That you can push all the way around the race track now. I think when we go back to Daytona, it will be about the temperature, the track and whether the grip has gone away at all and whether we can still do that. I’m expecting – right now I’m expecting us to be able to do that so it’s going to be about finding a partner, a drafting partner to work with and me and Mark (Martin) obviously worked well together at Talladega so we’ll have to look at maybe going that same route for Daytona.”

DO YOU ENJOY THE TWO-CAR DRAFTING?: “You know it’s not really about whether you have an opinion or like it, it’s just the way it is. If you want to be good and have a shot at winning, then you have to learn how to do it well. You have to learn how to cool the engine and you’ve got to find somebody that you can stick with and they can stick with you all day to be there at the end to win the race.”

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH SCOTT PRUETT?: “I’m a huge Scott Pruett fan. One of the things growing up around this area when I did race go-karts, which I didn’t do a lot of go-kart racing, but when you did and you went to the race track and Scott Pruett was there, he was like a legend. You just looked up to him like he was the ultimate. To see what he’s done through his career and still to this day be one of the premiere road racers in the world in my opinion and he’s a great guy. To me, I kind of knew we probably weren’t going to need a fill in driver, but I just to me, if you’re going to have one, why not have the best. I definitely had one of the best road racers standing in for me if we did need him.”

HAVE YOU TRIED SCOTT PRUETT’S WINE YET?: “We talked a lot about wine. I haven’t had his wine yet, but I hear it’s good.”

About Chevrolet: Founded in Detroit in 1911, Chevrolet celebrates its centennial as a global automotive brand with annual sales of about 4.25 million vehicles in more than 140 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. The Chevrolet portfolio includes iconic performance cars such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long-lasting pickups and SUVs such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers such as Spark, Cruze, Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including Cruze Eco and Volt. Cruze Eco offers 42 mpg highway while Volt offers 35 miles of electric, gasoline-free driving and an additional 344 miles of extended range. Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

- Team Chevy, Press Release

2011 Jeff Gordon - Photo Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR

Gordon, a native of Vallejo, Calif., has a busy weekend planned. On Friday, he will practice and qualify the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet at Infineon while also traveling the world as Jeff Gorvette — assisting buddies Lightning McQueen and Mater — in Disney- Pixar’s new release Cars2.

On Saturday after practice, Gordon and family will celebrate daughter Ella’s birthday (she turned four years old on June 20). On Sunday, the all-time leader in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series road course victories will attempt to reach double-digit wins at Infineon and Watkins Glen International combined.

“There’s no doubt this is probably my favorite weekend of racing, regardless of what happens on the track,” said Gordon. “It’s just a magical time for me with my daughter’s birthday party, seeing my biological father and other family members, and seeing friends I went to elementary school with and raced with out here.

“It’s just a special weekend and it puts me in an incredibly positive frame of mind going into the race on Sunday.”

Along with five wins here, Gordon has five poles, 11 top-fives and 14 top-10′s in 18 starts. He has led 437 laps, which is 276 more laps than the nearest active competitor, Mark Martin. To put that in perspective, Martin could lead wire-to-wire in the next two events here and he would still trail Gordon by 56 laps in that category.

But the four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion has not led a lap here in four years, and the No. 24 team has worked hard to correct that.

“We’ve struggled on the road courses recently, and that’s not something we’re accustomed to,” said Gordon, who is 12th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings. “It’s not something we like, so we tested at Mid-Ohio and have been working really hard to make improvements.

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JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DUPONT CHEVROLET, RACE WINNER: ON TODAY’S RACE: WHAT HAS CHANGED IN LAST TWO WEEKS?

TWO WINS NOW, DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE LOCKED IN THE CHASE? “No, there is too much racing left to go. You have guys like (Denny) Hamlin who are really strong and a bunch of other ones that can ease up. (Greg) Biffle, there are guys that can win multiple races. I feel a lot better about it though. That is for darn sure.

“Man, I am just so excited to be a part of this sport. I mean, I am going to be 40 this year. To have Ella (his daughter) here and say hi to Leo (his son) at home and my wife Ingrid here, this is just an amazing experience to share this with my family. I haven’t had a chance to do that even when I won at Phoenix, the kids were missing so this is awesome.

“Thank you Sprint for all they do.”

YOU DROVE HERE THIS WEEKEND: “I always drive to Pocono. I enjoy that. If I could drive to more tracks, if they were close enough, I would. I drive to Martinsville. I love that little two hour drive if I can make it happen whether I am in New York or Charlotte. It is very relaxing. The most relaxing thing is having a race car like that with these guys behind me. That was awesome. Congrats to Alan and say hi to Rick (Hendrick) I know he is at home watching. This is awesome.”

ON HIS DAY: “Well, you know there weren’t a lot of cautions so you had to have the car right. Luckily we had it pretty close. We just made some little adjustments to keep the car up front. Great pit stops by my team. They were awesome. I just can’t thank them enough for that effort.

“But I really have to thank Alan Gustafson and all the engineers on this DuPont Chevrolet. They just worked so hard to get me what I needed to go fast. They never lacked confidence in what I could do out there. That is so important and that is what makes it a winning effort like this. I have to thank them and all those guys and everybody back at the shop. This is awesome. To win at Pocono again, to do it in the fashion that we did it today. To have DuPont on board and of course AARP Drive To End Hunger and Pepsi Max. Great day.”

DO YOU THINK PEOPLE HAD LOST CONFIDENCE IN YOU? “When we don’t win, I get down and everybody does in this sport and you start to question everything. When our teammates are outrunning us, then you have to look at that as well. This team went to work and we made big improvements and we’ve shown that the last couple of weeks. Today was proof that all that hard work can pay off. The balance of the car was great all weekend. The grip was there and then you follow that up with great pit stops. That is an amazing effort. We talked about it before the race started and it all came together today.”

THE SHIFTING, ANY CONCERNS? “I definitely had concerns. We put a temp gauge in there during practice to check it out and we felt like we were pretty good there. I was more concerned with what it did to the car. How unstable the car was when I would shift. I started shifting a little bit more than I had when the pace dropped. We got real loose that last run. Kurt (Busch) was coming. He was tough. When he was out front, I could hang with him but he was good on the long runs. There at the end I knew we had to pull away early and we did. But then he started creeping back in there on me. I got a little worried. I made a few mistakes. Got real loose and said, all I could do was drive it smooth and straight and see what happens and we started driving back away from him.

“This is awesome. I have to thank all the fans. Pocono has the greatest fans. Thank to them for all their support for all these years. This feels awesome to get back to victory lane at this race track. The safer barriers, that was awesome. I don’t think anyone tested them today, but I’ll tell you what, it is sure nice to know they are there. Just a great DuPont Chevrolet team today. Thank them and Sprint for all they do as well.”

ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 24 DUPONT CHEVROLET, RACE WINNER: CONGRATULATIONS: “I have to catch my breath! I am really happy for DuPont first all. They have stuck with us. We have had some terrible runs in their car so it feels good to win one for them. They have always supported the No. 24 car. I’m real happy for them. Have to thank everybody at HMS (Hendrick Motorsports) for sticking behind us. We’ve had a terrible start to this season and a lot of work coming back. These in the No. 5/No. 24 shop have done an awesome job getting us here. I have to thank Mark Whitten in the chassis shop first and foremost. This is the clip of the week and it won a race so I have to give him a hard time.”

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET – FINISHED 4TH:

YOU HAD A GOOD SOLID RUN TODAY, WHICH IS WHAT YOU NEEDED

“Yeah, it was a great day. It was a great day in the pits and on the track. Man, I really thought I had a shot there on that restart at the end and kind of got stuck in the middle and lost a bunch of track position and just had to recover from that. But it was a great day today. I’m very happy to see the No. 24 (Jeff Gordon) in victory lane. Everybody at Hendrick Motorsports has been working very hard to make sure that the cars are getting speed in them and they’ve done that. Our engine package held up today with the abuse we gave it. It was a great day all in all.”

KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 OKUMA CHEVROLET, FINISHED 5TH:

TALK ABOUT YOUR DAY: “It was a total team effort to get our Okuma Chevy up there. They did a great job at the beginning playing the pit strategy and we got to the top-10 before we even got to half way. Good solid day for us. We just have a little bit of work to do before we came back.”

THIS IS THE KIND OF DAYS YOU HAVE TO HAVE: “We had a good car in qualifying, I just didn’t do a very good job of qualifying. That is probably about where we should have finished. Solid top-five and we’ll go on with this.”

DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 AMP ENERGY/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET – FINISHED 6TH:

ON THE DAY

“I’m real happy with where I finished. On the last restart of the race, we were 18th with 30 to go. And we drove back up to sixth so I’m real happy about that. The car was pretty good. We had a little struggled with the handling in the middle part of the race. But it was really good at the start and really good at the end. We had good speed all weekend. And hopefully when we come back we’ll have good balance again.”

HOW WAS THE SHIFTING?

“I was good with it.”

HOW HAPPY ARE YOU NOW WITH ALL THIS FINISHES YOU’VE BEEN STRINGING TOGETHER?

“Today, some guys that were behind me finished in front of me. But I’ve got to go home and look at NASCAR.com and see what the finishes look like. But I’m really happy to be running well and being up front. It’s surely a difference from the last couple of years, so I feel fortunate and feel lucky to be able to compete.”

TONY GIBSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 39 HAAS AUTOMATION CHEVROLET – FINISHED 9TH:

“With 21 laps to go, we lost third gear in the transmission. And we thought we were going to be okay but it started running hot, the transmission did, and started pumping fluid out. We didn’t know it at the time. It smoked a little bit in the corners, but then it cleared up and went away and we ran the last 15 laps with no smoke. I think what happened was it just kind of dumped all the fluid out of the transmission; it just got hot and started pumping it out. So, we were just very, very lucky today to finish this race. For once a break went our way. We didn’t need a green-white-checkered and we needed to finish with a broken transmission. So like I said, it worked out good for today and we’ll take it and go on.”

REGAN SMITH, NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW RACING CHEVROLET – FINISHED 15TH:

“We might have been a little better than 15th, but overall that’s pretty much what our Furniture Row Chevrolet had today. We lost some track position early, but thanks to our pit crew late in the race we managed to make a pretty good gain. We’re just okay with top 15s, and really want to those top 10s and top fives. We’ve been a little inconsistent lately and hopefully today’s result will trigger a streak of solid finishes.”

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET – FINISHED 7^TH:

TELL US ABOUT YOUR DAY

“We had a really good car all day. We had a great car. With like 25 laps to go I lose third gear. It was kind of weird. It was a good thing we didn’t have another caution because we would have been completely done. We’ve had some problems with the gear box and things lately but I don’t know. Our Target Chevy ran good all day.”

About Chevrolet: Founded in Detroit in 1911, Chevrolet celebrates its centennial as a global automotive brand with annual sales of about 4.25 million vehicles in more than 140 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. The Chevrolet portfolio includes iconic performance cars such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long-lasting pickups and SUVs such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers such as Spark, Cruze, Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including Cruze Eco and Volt. Cruze Eco offers 42 mpg highway while Volt offers 35 miles of electric, gasoline-free driving and an additional 344 miles of extended range. Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

- Team Chevy, Press Release