Jeff Gordon
entered NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup third in points and was considered a legitimate title contender, but equipment woes hampered him early Monday in the Geico 400, and he ran out of gas at the end to finish 24th.
That dropped him to 11th in the title chase with nine races remaining.
“We were just off,” Gordon said. “We didn’t qualify good and that got us behind right there.
“It was just one of those days. We had a right front tear apart (but) actually got the car halfway decent there at the end. Then it came down to saving fuel, and we obviously didn’t save enough.”
Glimmer of sunshine:
Scott Paddock
said his Chicagoland Speedway staff had considered a variety of contingency plans for this month’s three NASCAR races — including the prospect of a rainout. Still, the reality of Sunday’s NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup postponement left them feeling the blues.
“I told our team (Sunday) that they had worked 12 months and to have a day like that is a little deflating, a little bit sad,” the Speedway president said. “But we (still) really wanted to put on a great show for our fans.”
Better weather Monday and a surprisingly large turnout estimated at 42,000 helped boost spirits.
“I took that as a bit of solace after a disappointing day,” Paddock said.
Mixed Busch results:
Kurt Busch
was sixth overall on Monday after leading much of the early going, while brother
Kyle
finished 22nd and lost his share of the Sprint Cup points lead.
“We were a top-10 car all day,” Kurt Busch said. “We led a bunch of laps early. We just struggled with making adjustments as the day went on. … But to get a sixth-place finish to start the Chase is a good step.”
Hitting debris during the race caused some concerns, but running out of gas was worse for Kyle Busch.
“We had a good car all day long, but once we hit debris it made the car really loose,” he said. “I was doing the best I can. I still hoped we could finish in the top 10. I saved as much fuel as I could, but I guess it just wasn’t enough.”
Next for Chicagoland: The Speedway goes dark for the next 10 months until NASCAR returns for a Camping World Trucks and Nationwide Series races on July 21-22. Nationwide also plans a Sept. 15, 2012, stop, and the Chase for the Sprint Cup series opening race is the next day.
