I don't get how Jeff Gordon didn't go a lap down, considering the other cars that were in the pits went a lap down. Can somebody please explain to me how he didn't go a lap down?
2007-04-21 17:16:57 · 36 answers · asked by TS Fan 2 in Sports ➔ Auto Racing ➔ NASCAR
nope-nascar wanted it & handed another one to the little creep. jeff, matt, & jimmy are the only guys i know that can be 50 laps down with 10 to go & win with flat tires-dead batteries-& blown engines. every week nascar loses ratings & respect. starting to look like it's all fixed.
2007-04-21 17:35:42 · answer #1 · answered by mtdelp3 1 · 1⤊ 11⤋
Gee, you people who don't like Jeff Gordon and call him a cry baby............. just what would you call yourselves? Crying over a race that even the drivers he beat are saying was a clean run. Sometimes your drivers win, sometimes they don't. Jeff hasn't won since last July! The pit road thing was a lucky fluke. I've seen it work against Jeff and other drivers way, way more often than it works for them. Nearly all of the drivers on the circuit have at one time or another, green light pitted, only to go a lap down because a caution came up and due to where the race was in terms of completion, HAD to make another stop. I believe all of the top 10 drivers ended the race a lap down, but I'm not sure. Grins....... whining about whining equals whining.
2007-04-22 11:52:18 · answer #2 · answered by caje 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
The following is off of Yahoo Sports Nascar page it explains it pretty well:
"He had some good fortune on his final pit stop on lap 283. When he was coming down pit road, Carl Edwards ran into the back of Dave Blaney, triggering a crash that included Truex.
That crash closed pit road but because Gordon was already in the pits and had the very first pit stall past Turn 1, his crew was able to make the stop and get back on the track without losing a lap.
When the rest of the lead-lap cars made pit stops, Gordon became the leader."
Jr and the others had already pitted and were passed by Tony Stewart putting them a lap down when the caution came out.
2007-04-21 17:30:30 · answer #3 · answered by scrachy24 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
The simplest explanation is, Gordon entered an open pit road.
Within seconds a caution came out, closing pit road to other drivers.
By rule, a car already on pit road when a caution comes out is entilted to complete the pit stop or drive through and rejoin the field without stopping, giving up his track position. His choice.
The caution slowed the field, Gordon was able to complete his stop and come back on the track ahead of the pace car, therefore, still on the lead lap but behind the leaders.
If Gordon had driven through the first time he would have had to pit with the leaders to get service when they did. Since he had already gotten serviced as allowed by rule, he was able to stay out when the leaders pitted and pick up track position.
Cars that had pitted and rejoined the race before the caution did go a lap down because the field was a racing speed. However having already completed their pitstops, they stayed out when the leaders pitted and regained the lead lap, although at the tail-end or at Phoenix slightly less than a mile behind the leader and could restart in the outside line in front of the leader.
Gordon wanted to drive through but his crew chief wanted to complete the stop.
Had Gordon driven through without stopping he would have rejoined at the the back of the line.
Gordon wanted to do the wrong thing while his crew chief was really on the ball.
No doubt Gordon repassed Stewart and drove to the win, but his crew chief's decision to complete the stop won that race.
It was all legal, above board, no favoritism as any car would have been allowed to do the same thing but above all, it was smart racing. Completing the stop put him in the lead, while a drive through would have put him somwhere around 15th place on the restart with 20 laps to go.
Bear in mind, I'm a lifelong Earnhardt fan beginning with Ralph and I don't like Gordon, but Gordon won the race with moxie, by driving the wheels off the dang thing and using the "racin' intelligence" of his crew chief.
2007-04-22 05:23:20 · answer #4 · answered by crunch 6 · 9⤊ 0⤋
He crossed the committment line just before the crash. I don't understand it either, and he had the first pit stall and was able to beat the pace car. That is why he didn't go a lap down. The other cars had already pitted but hadn't crossed the start/finish line yet, and the cars after Gordon left pit road and the pace car had crossed the start/finish line. It is all technical stuff but go to the NASCAR website for more information.
You sound on the verge of being torqued that he won. Well, the race was clean and he was the best man for the job tonight.
2007-04-21 17:38:42 · answer #5 · answered by TotallylovesTodd! 4 · 6⤊ 0⤋
He was the only one going into the pits when the caution came out. Once the yellow came out, the pits were closed, but by rule , since he was already there, and his pit stall was past the start finish line, he came out ahead of the pace car, which the leader of the race had to stay behind. When Gordon came back out, he was still on the lead lap, and everyone else still had to pit, so he was able to take over the lead. Those that were slowing to go into the pits at the time of the accident had not yet crossed the start finish line, therefore were caught a lap down.
2007-04-21 17:25:01 · answer #6 · answered by saq428 6 · 8⤊ 1⤋
When he pitted he crossed the checkered line and when he did that it froze the positions of all the drivers and since he was still on the lead lap when the positions were froze his crew chief made a great call and told him not to drive through but go ahead and pit and then we he came out he was still on the lead lap because when he crossed the finish line in the pits Stewart hadn't crossed the start finish line to take the caution so Jeff was ahead of him and since he crossed the line before caution came out he was still on the lead lap and we the leaders pitted he stayed out and took the lead and then all the cars who pitted early where a lap down and they started in front of him and he had to pass all those cars and he ended up lapping them anyhow.. Great Racing... Hope I helped.
2007-04-22 10:36:49 · answer #7 · answered by coolliz2444 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I don't think Gordon should have won, and it has NOTHING to do with that caution. I think Denny Hamlin got the raw end of a deal where NASCAR wanted some entertainment. Hamlin had the best car and should have won. Those of you that try to dispute that with the laughable video evidence Fox showed, that video was taken in a turn, where the cars are going to appear to spread out more and make it appear that each car in succession is traveling faster that the car behind it. Nice smoke and mirrors move to distract from the truth. Reminds me of the new trick of saying where the fake debris is to try and make people believe that it is real, or that they never showed the replay of Gordon nudging the 20 car to pass him. Keep up the magic show NASCAR. You'll be revealed one day.
2007-04-23 10:20:29 · answer #8 · answered by I Hate The 8 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes, i do. and to the anti gordon fans, read this! So Gordon now has tied Earnhardt and will likely pass him some day soon, perhaps as early as next week in Talladega. While Gordon should be congratulated for being so successful, Earnhardt's achievements are in no way diminished now that the guy they call Wonder Boy has drawn even with the man they called The Intimidator.
"It's a very good accomplishment for anybody," Earnhardt Jr. said before Gordon notched No. 76. "I'd have to shake Jeff's hand because anytime you tie my daddy in anything, it's something to be proud of."
Two different guys from two different backgrounds and with two uniquely different personalities and driving styles. Gordon never has been or will be like Earnhardt, and Earnhardt was never like Gordon.
They should be judged on their own merits and accomplishments. And whether anti-Gordon fans admit it or not, Saturday was a noteworthy day nonetheless. Gordon may never win three more championships to tie Earnhardt or Petty, but he certainly deserves to stand on the same platform and be mentioned in the same breath.
Again, you can love him or hate him, but there's no disputing that Gordon is one hell of a driver. Seventy-six wins – with who knows how many more still to come – proves it.
Veteran motorsports writer Jerry Bonkowski is Yahoo! Sports' NASCAR columnist. take that jeff gordon haters!! lol!!
sure did, awesome race! nice to see tony get his.
2007-04-22 06:59:26 · answer #9 · answered by gordon fan 1 · 4⤊ 0⤋
I don't think it had that much to do with being in the number 1 stall because he would have spent about the same amount of time in the pits regardless of where he pitted. The key was that shortly after he entered the pits, the caution came out and everyone immediately slowed down ALOT since they don't race back to the line anymore.
Jr. and Kurt Busch got lapped because there was no caution when they pitted and everyone else was going race speed.
2007-04-22 13:10:18 · answer #10 · answered by fro 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Sure! Jeff was already in the pit when the caution went out so he didnt loose a spot. Jr on the other hand pitted prior to green which put him a lap down. Good stratedgy but bad luck. Caution came out and the field was locked.
2007-04-21 17:22:42 · answer #11 · answered by 24DupontWatcher 3 · 6⤊ 0⤋