Gordon needs big effort in final race before Chase

The Daytona 500 winner is on the outside of the top 10 heading into Saturday's race at Richmond.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- His crew calls him "Money Man" because when the stakes are high, Jeff Gordon is the only driver they want on their team.

His reputation is about to be tested with an entire season on the line. Gordon has one race left to squeeze his way into the NASCAR Nextel Cup Chase for the Championship and prove he still can come through in the clutch.

He'll have his work cut out for him Saturday night at Richmond International Speedway, where Gordon will enter the race 12th in the standings, 30 points out of the final qualifying spot.

"It's intense pressure going into one single race," Gordon said during NASCAR's weekly teleconference. "We've been in pressure situations before. I know there is a reason and who knows -- we might find out why on [Saturday] it was meant to be or not meant to be."

Ten drivers will qualify for the 10-race Chase for the Nextel Cup title hunt, and Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Jimmie Johnson, Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin and Kurt Busch already have clinched their spots. Jeremy Mayfield needs only to finish 39th or better Saturday to get in.

That leaves about six drivers racing for the final three spots, and Gordon is the star of the group.

A four-time series champion and NASCAR's most recognizable driver, Gordon is the one racer capable of winning each and every week. He opened the season by winning the Daytona 500 and two other events, but his Hendrick Motorsports team has been on a slide since May -- dropping from second in the standings to as low as 15th.

"It's pretty hard to figure out what is going on with that team, especially with the talent behind the wheel," said Dale Earnhardt Jr., already eliminated from title contention. "He's just always been the one guy who could flip a switch and get going when he needed to."

But there hasn't been a magic button for Gordon to push lately, and unless the No. 24 crew figures something out before Saturday night, Gordon would prefer to miss the Chase completely as opposed to being noncompetitive during the 10-race run.

"Honestly, if we perform this weekend like we have the last few, we don't belong in the Chase anyway," Gordon said. "You know, all we're going to do is go out there and finish 10th in the points."

Gordon refuses to place blame for his struggles, making a point to express support for crew chief Robbie Loomis. The two have one of the longest current driver-crew chief relationships in the garage, teaming together in 2000 then winning the championship the next year.

"I believe 100 percent in Robbie Loomis and in his abilities," Gordon said. "When we're on, there's nobody better, and because of our lack of performance this year I really don't think that, you know, Robbie should be put to blame for that."

But he also hinted that a shake-up of the team.

"We talked before this season even started about Robbie's future, what he wanted to do," Gordon said. "If it's up to me, yeah, I'd love to have him as my crew chief. Robbie, you know, with his mom and some of the illnesses she's gone through, he's trying to decide right now what his plans are. It has nothing to do with our performance this year."