2007-05-23 11:55:35 · 21 answers · asked by Anonymous in Sports ➔ Auto Racing ➔ NASCAR
Of course not. Without Hendrick and Letarte he'd be just running with the pack.
2007-05-23 12:37:14 · answer #1 · answered by Nunya 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
No.
Gordon is one of the most talented drivers ever, but the team and organization and crew chief and the owner, et.al, play a major role in the overall success of any driver.
Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth are excellent drivers but do not have as good a team, so their results are not as good.
Look at it this way----what if Jeff Gordon drove for Michael Waltrip Racing? How would Gordon's results have compared to what he has done this year? There is no way Gordon would have won these poles and these races if he were driving a Toyota for Michael Waltrip.
2007-05-23 19:10:10 · answer #2 · answered by RealTruth 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Good question.
I think the Hendricks team has definetley helped his career, I mean there's no denying the Hendricks cars have power, and having a top running car has given him the ability to race against the very best, where as someone like Reed Sorenson always drives with the bottom 20 so he doesn't have that much know how to drive with the big dogs.
But when the green flag drops it's Jeff' that's in control when he's behind the wheel and it's his abilities as a driver that get him his wins.
So yea I'd say he'd still be as good
2007-05-23 12:46:50 · answer #3 · answered by shortnstoudt 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
I'm not sayin he's not a good driver, but how many other teams have cars that can lose most of their water and still win? I bet not many, in fact, some teams with more water than that blew up, and if you look at the 24 and 48 week in and week out, I think it is pretty easy to say he would not be as successful as he is now. If he signed with Gibbs he would have a chance, but even their cars don't seem to be as dominant as Hendricks. So silly to try and suggest that it is all his abilities. Are you kidding. As I said not saying he's not great driver cause he is, but you can't seriously tell me that if he drove the 78 furniture row car his whole career he'd be where he is at. WHAT A JOKE.
2007-05-23 12:45:12 · answer #4 · answered by Not a bubble gum chevy fan 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
People are forgetting the impact Ray Evernham had in Cup racing. He exploited more grey areas in the rules than anyone else at the time. Gordon's track record away from Ray Evernham isn't all that great. Those two worked well together and had great cars to use. I doubt Gordon would have been as successful with any other crew chief or team.
2007-05-24 02:10:01 · answer #5 · answered by Nc Jay 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Even though I am a diehard Jeff Gordon Fan I will say that if he wasn't with a top tier team he wouldn't enjoy the success that he has. But with his driving abilities he was given the chance to get into a good team. GO #24 !!!!!
2007-05-23 12:10:41 · answer #6 · answered by David G, Jeff Gordon Rules !!!!! 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
That's a question that can't be answered.
Did Hendrick make him or did he make Hendrick?
Hendrick never won a Championship until Jeff Gordon
2007-05-23 17:53:20 · answer #7 · answered by scrachy24 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Its a total team effort,The best way to get even a hint of that is to look back at how Gordon dominated with Everham and the rainbow warriers and how when Ray left, it took Jeff and Latarte (except the first race together) time to get it together.Could he win at Rausch,Gibbs Childress, sure he could.Just as successful is anyones guess.
2007-05-23 12:39:04 · answer #8 · answered by charlie p 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
There was bidding on Gordon's contract with a Cup team and his step father - and Jeff - did a great job in having it set up to their specifics so he had the potential to realize his vast potential as quickly as possible. He would be as good with another team, because everything would have been in place for him to succeed as the top driver.
2007-05-23 12:09:06 · answer #9 · answered by Zombie Birdhouse 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
I think so. People know he's a good driver already. He wouldn't drive for someone who wouldn't
a) pay him what he deserves and
b) invest in his equipment properly.
It wouldn't make sense for someone to pay that much money for a good driver, then not give him the tools he needs to do his job. The more he wins, the more they make. It's a win-win situation if things are done correctly.
Racing for a different team isn't going to make a good driver bad - just look at other professional sports - they all have their drafts and shuffle people from team to team. Those players don't get worse, there's something to be said for natural talent. Maybe team synergy brings out the best in people though.
2007-05-23 12:06:24 · answer #10 · answered by Roland'sMommy 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
I think so. I think It's all about the Crew Chief and the driver. Jeff has won championships with 2 different ones and is on the way to winning with a 3rd different one. He's a great driver but the crew chief is the head coach and GM if you will of the team.
2007-05-23 12:29:46 · answer #11 · answered by Joe F 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋