With his slump over, Gordon now real threat for title

DARLINGTON, S.C. -- Through six months of losing, Jeff Gordon was routinely asked when he'd finally win a race. His answer was always the same: Winning races is great, but championships are even better.

Now that Gordon has snapped his 31-race winless streak -- breaking through by bumping Rusty Wallace out of his way to win at Bristol Motor Speedway last weekend -- the attention has shifted to his bid for a fifth Winston Cup title.

"Never have we counted ourselves out of it," Gordon said. "We just knew that if we were going to be a threat, we had to start performing. Hopefully, (the Bristol win) is the first step to that."

Actually, Gordon was never out of the points chase this season. Although he had repeatedly failed to make it to the winner's circle, his knack for keeping the No. 24 Chevrolet on the track had kept him in the title hunt.

Heading into the Southern 500, Gordon has been running at the end of 55-straight races, a modern-day NASCAR record. The consistency had kept him in the top five of the points standings, and his victory at Bristol pulled him into third place, 111 points behind leader Sterling Marlin.

That's got to be a little too close for comfort to the challengers trying to prevent him from repeating as Winston Cup champion.

And it doesn't help the field that they are headed to Darlington Raceway, one of the many tracks Gordon has conquered.

He's got five wins here -- including a record four-straight Southern 500 victories from 1995-98 -- finished in the top 10 in 13 of the 19 races he's competed in and led more than 1,100 laps. His lowest finish was a 40th in March 2001, when he failed to finish the race because of engine failure.

That was his last DNF, which started his record-streak and helped him stay positive during the 11 months between victories. Before Bristol, his last win was Sept. 30, 2001.

"When we weren't winning, finishing the races is what kept us in the points chase," Gordon said. "Consistency wins championships and we stayed within striking distance during our winless streak."

It certainly wasn't easy -- not with the mounting pressure and increased attention the streak brought.

At every single race track this season, Gordon would take his customary spot on the top step of his hauler and face the media. Without fail, someone would ask, "Is this the week you'll break your streak?"

"Jeff has really been the glue that's held us together," crew chief RobbieLoomis said. "The confidence Jeff provides a calming effect on the rest of us."