Team Leader Back To Call Shots; Driver Targets Chase Bonus Points

BROOKLYN, Mich. — Now that Jeff Gordon has Steve Letarte back on top of his pit box, the Nextel Cup leader believes he has the final piece in place to make his run at a fifth championship.
As if he needed any more help.
Gordon entered the 3M Performance 400 at Michigan Int’l Speedway with a 344-point lead over Denny Hamlin. That’s counting a 100-point deduction when Gordon and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson were nailed with illegal race cars at Infineon Raceway in June.
The crew chiefs for Gordon and Johnson were both suspended for six races by NASCAR. Johnson took a tumble in the standings without crew chief Chad Knaus, but Gordon didn’t miss a beat when Jeff Meendering filled in for Letarte.
And with Gordon starting on the pole at Michigan and already locked into The Chase, he plans on using the next four races as a chance to score more wins, which would add bonus points when the playoffs start.
Gordon and Johnson both lead the series with four victories, but Tony Stewart is coming on strong after winning three times in the last five races. Gordon appeared to be a sure winner at Watkins Glen Int’l last Sunday before he spun out with two laps to go and finished ninth while Stewart took the checkered flag.
What Gordon wants to do most is return to victory lane, something he believes he can do now that Letarte is back.
“We’re always trying to win and get bonus points,” Gordon said. “I feel like we’ve kind of lost an opportunity of getting those bonus points last week which was disappointing, but that’s behind us and we’re ready to try to get it done again this weekend.
“The biggest thing is just trying to make the team and the cars as strong as they can possibly be, and the good thing about Steve not being here is that he’s able to work on some things and think about some things clearly without having to get the whole team prepared and be able to travel and go to the race track. So hopefully some of those things he’s been thinking about, maybe we can make them work and pay off.”
With Letarte on the sidelines, Gordon was still able to run up front but didn’t close out races like he did before the suspension. But the four-time Cup champion continued to be the driver the rest of the field measured themselves against.
“I think it just shows the strength of our team,” Gordon said. “I think that when you are a strong team you can move some people around and still be able to function well for a certain period of time.
“Steve has been instrumental in getting this team to where it is right now, and I think the true sign of a good crew chief is that they can leave for a few weeks and things can continue on as normal. I think over the long term we’re pretty excited about having him back. I think for the championship, his confidence and leadership I think is really going to pay off.”
Letarte has many strong qualities as a crew chief, but one in particular stands out to Gordon.
“I think his strong point is common sense,” Gordon said. “He’s very smart, and he understands a lot of thing but he’s not a guy that feels like he knows everything. He doesn’t mind delegating the jobs to the right people and gathering information from others.
“He’s not afraid to say, ‘I don’t know enough about this subject, I’ve got to go to somebody that knows more,’ and then I think he’s really good with the common sense side of things when it comes to pit-call strategy and things like that when you’re coming down pit road and you’ve got to make a call. He’s making a call with a lot of information and I think just his ability to have common sense about it and think clearly pays off.”
Both Letarte and Knaus spoke to the media Friday morning on their first day back at the track. Both appeared unrepentant that they did anything wrong to lead to a suspension.
At issue was modifications made to the Car of Tomorrow, which NASCAR insisted will not be tolerated as it continues the rollout of the car that will participate in all the Cup races next season.
“The biggest thing I’ve learned through it all is it’s over,” Letarte said. “I’m back at Michigan and it really doesn’t matter what’s happened the last six weeks. That’s kind of how I look into it. To put any more emotion or effort or brain power into it is just wasting my time and my energy on something that doesn’t make us go faster on Sunday.”
Despite being put in NASCAR jail, which still allowed Letarte to work at the race shop and talk to the crew on his cell phone during race weekends, Gordon’s crew chief doesn’t believe his reputation has been tarnished.
“When I left Sonoma, we kind of were waiting to see what happened,” Letarte recalled. “We got our answers on Tuesday and starting Wednesday we prepared to not be at the race track and move on and this sport moves way too fast to have emotion or think about. If you’re asking if I lie awake at night thinking about it, no.”