From the June, 2007 issue of Stock Car Insider

Jeff Gordon Earns 79th Career Victory! - SCI June 11th Issue

Next stop on the Nextel Cup Schedule is Michigan International Speedway

Gordon Captures 79th Career Win!

Jeff Gordon keeps inching his way up the record books. By capturing his 79th career victory in yesterday's Pocono 500, Gordon has moved to within 4 wins of Cale Yarborough.

While yesterday's win was not exactly a photo finish; it was a lesson on strategy. With rain threatening to stop the race, crew chief Steve Letarte and other team members elected to have Jeff pit early to ensure that he could run until the half way point of the race. As you may know, NASCAR will not call a race until it has reached the halfway mark.

The move temporarily set Jeff Gordon back, but put him out front when it counted most. Such is the way Gordon has won all four of his races this year. In each win, the #24 Dupont car was by far not the fastest, but it was in the right position to capitalize on other teams' misfortunes.

In the end, Mother Nature poured her blessings in the form of rain allowing Jeff Gordon to capture the win on lap 101 when the race was officially stopped. Some say NASCAR officials favor Gordon. Instead, I believe Jeff & company went down to the cross-roads and made a deal with a higher power.

Bill France Jr Remembered

While Big Bill France is credited with starting one of today's hottest sports, it is his son, "Little Bill" as Bill France Jr. would known as, brought it to the forefront of the American sports culture.

When Bill France Jr took the helm in 1972, NASCAR was a small sanctioning body relegated to promoting races mainly to the South. But Jr quickly helped transform the sport by bringing big sponsors and big money to the table.

In 1973, Little Bill signed a deal with RJ Reynolds which led to a 30yr + sponsorship of NASCAR's top Winston Cup Series. The deal helped push the total point's payout at the end of each year from $750,000 to $2,000,000. Later deals were made with Anheuser-Busch to sponsor what is now the Busch Series.

Along with the big sponsors, Bill helped bring NASCAR to all Americans by signing a deal in 1979 to televise the Daytona 500 on CBS. The drama-laced finish that included Richard Petty taking the checkered flag while Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough duked it out in the infield brought huge ratings. The following season, NASCAR was televised on the newly formed ESPN. By 1989, Americans could view every NASCAR Winston Cup Race from the comfort of their own homes.

During his time, Bill France Jr transformed a rural sport into a national one that is rivaled only by the NFL. The leadership and foresight that Bill displayed in his near 30 years at the helm is awe-inspiring, and will be sorely missed. 

Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway Recap

Only rain could dampen the season that Jeff Gordon is having. Or could it? Had it not been for Mother Nature, Ryan Newman would have taken the checkered flag in place of Jeff Gordon at yesterday's Pocono 500.

With Gordon's brakes and patience failing by lap 101, it was only a matter of seconds before Newman could capture the lead and a win that has eluded him since 2005. But a brilliant pit strategy on behalf of Gordon's crew put Gordon up front when it counted most.

With the hopes that rain would shorten the race, crew chief Steve Letarte called the #24 car into the pits for early service. The pit stop sent the #24 back deep into the field, but later returned to the front while other teams made their stops. On lap 101, the race was called due to rain, and Gordon captured his 79th career victory.

Other drivers to note:

Jimmie Johnson had an uncharacteristic 42nd finish yesterday. On lap 91, the #48 Lowe's Chevy blew his left front tire causing damage to the undercarriage. After heading to the garage to make repairs, Johnson returned to the track to finish in 42nd. Jimmie is currently 4th in points.

Kurt Busch followed up his most exciting performance ever in last week's race at Dover with an 8th place finish in Pocono. Although the 8th place finish wasn't as dramatic as last week's, he was able to recapture some of the 100 points that NASCAR docked him for running into Tony Stewart's car on pit road. Busch now sits 16th in points.

Denny Hamlin finished in 6th place and currently sits in 3rd position with only 5 points separating him from second place. Denny started the race as the pole-sitter and hoped to recapture some of the magic that helped him sweep both races at Pocono last year. However, having one of the strongest cars in the field doesn't matter if Mother Nature is not on your side.

Tony Stewart had a quiet 5th place finish, and now sits 6th in points.

Dale Earnhardt Jr rode in the top 10 for much of the day but finished in 12th after cycling back in the field after the last round of pit-stops. Jr now sits 14th in points, 55 points away from the top 12 that will make the Chase for the Championship.