By The Commish

As Jeff Gordon reflects on his 2007 season, perhaps teachers can best understand his feelings. There's no need to rehearse for this audience the domination he evinced this season, statistically one of the most impressive in NASCAR history. For the sixth time in his career, he finished the year highest in points earned. However, for the second time since NASCAR imposed its Chase to the Championship, Gordon's point total was not enough to earn him a championship. Instead, for the last two years, he's been forced to watch his student and teammate, Jimmie Johnson, celebrate on stage at the Waldorf Astoria, and to do so with a smiling face.

That's a feeling teachers know all too well. If a teacher does her or his job right, the students will excel, and eventually outmaneuver the mentor. In 2008, Johnson and Chad Knaus took risks where Gordon and Steve Letarte worked for consistency. The DuPont team hoped that Johnson's risk-taking would lead to bad luck, but instead it led to a four-race win streak and an average finish of 5.0 in the Chase-- just barely ahead of Gordon’s 5.1 average finish. Johnson’s 77-point championship margin included 20 points for winning two more races before the Chase, and 30 points for winning two more races in the Chase. Add to that Johnson’s 20-point advantage in bonus points for laps led, and the difference came down to only 7 points. That’s how close pupil and mentor were on the track. The more aggressive strategy adopted by Johnson and Knaus was what won them the championship—and that didn't escape Johnson’s notice either. "From my standpoint inside the car, I know who I'm racing against. And I knew that I had to get on to a terror like that. I had to win races to stand a chance to beat Jeff Gordon, just plain and simple. He had an amazing season the first 26 races. He just kicked everyone's butts, week after week. He's the best out there. I had to bring my A-game." And nobody could deny him an 'A' grade for the season. While so many of Gordon's fans seethe at the unfairness to the driver and express resentment that Gordon's protege seems to have outmaneuvered his teacher, he himself seems to have come to terms with the situation. "Jimmie and I finished 1-2 and that was obviously a tremendous year for Hendrick Motorsports," Gordon said. "It's certainly not something that I am going to hang my head about. I had a great year." As a part-owner of Hendrick Motorsports as well as the listed owner for the 48 team, Gordon is looking at the bigger picture. "This year was by far the best year I've seen all four Hendrick cars performing together, working together and communicating the way they did," he said. "It was the best, and the results showed it and it speaks volumes of what kind of organization we have."

But that's little consolation to his fans, who realize that if it weren't for the made-for-TV Chase, Gordon would be on the verge of tying Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt with seven championships. Given the competitiveness of the series and Gordon's stated aim to retire sooner rather than later, the opportunity to match the totals put up by Petty and Earnhardt will be limited, and Gordon's time is dwindling. Gordon himself has pointed out that. Still, there was a note of regret. "When I look at our whole year, it's a little tough. I'm a competitor. I'm very happy for Jimmie and those guys, but I really wanted it for our team. I felt like they deserved it. They worked hard and did a great job this year. We came up a little short. But it's been awesome, and there is nothing for us to hang our heads about."

The best teachers, however, never stop learning, and Gordon's fans have seen that again and again. Gordon was an opponent of the Car of Tomorrow, but he told the press before the 2007 season began that "just because I don't like this car doesn't mean I don't want to be as good as I can in it." And he went out and posted an average finish of 5.3 in the sixteen Car of Tomorrow races. At Homestead, he was already analyzing what he would have to do to improve in 2008. "We got a little conservative. We didn't get the cars to where they needed to be. And those guys beat us, that is the bottom line. So those are all things we're going to have to look at next year. With the points the way they are, it definitely pays a good on amount of points now to win races. Those are important things but it's always risk versus reward. Going forward, we recognize that we're going to have to push it a little bit harder in the set-up and get a little more aggressive with the set-up as well. We've got to have faster race cars. We know what's there. We know we can have it, because we've seen it with their car. You know I got to on drive a set-up that's going to be a little freer through the corner, but that's what's going to make it faster. That's what I'm going to be working on through the off-season."

In other words, Gordon's going back to school, learning from the set-ups his protege's team has evolved. The teacher will become the student—and nobody’s betting against him. A reporter noted during banquet Week that a leading trade magazine rated Gordon as the number one driver going into next season. Gordon thinks Jimmie would be favored by a slight margin, but "it would be very, very tight, very close." With Gordon determined to once again regain the advantage, 2008 shapes up to be perhaps the most exciting year in his career. There's no way to change the past in NASCAR. That said, if next year brings improved set-ups and the same determination and focus Gordon showed this year, then 2008 may be finally conclude the drive for five. At last.

Copyright ©2007 Jeff Gordon Online. All rights reserved.