For the second time in three years Jeff Gordon started off the season red hot. Then as the pattern has developed mid season struggles have taken him out of title contention.
In Gordon’s first five races of the season he only scored one top five and that was a third at Las Vegas; a race in which he dominated only to be outsmarted on the final pit stop.
That was jus the first of many “could have been” in 2010 for Gordon. He started to get back on track in the next 10 races of the season.
During that time he had five top 10 finishes with four of them top five finishes. He went from 26th in the points at Daytona to sixth following Richmond.
During this span Gordon had cars good enough if not better than the competition but spinning tires on restarts at Phoenix, playing bumper cars with Matt Kenseth at Martinsville, a late race wreck at Texas took away just three of the victories.
Gordon as the season wore on didn’t forget his early season chances at victory lane and nor was he was he allowed to forget at times.
"Looking back at it, without getting a win this year, they were races I feel kind of devastated by -- that we were that good, that close, and didn't get the wins," he said. "... When an opportunity is there, you have to capitalize on it, and we didn't this year."
Gordon was running top 10 but his early season strengths were slipping away. They weren’t contending for race wins anymore and the struggles to adjust the car throughout the race was hampering this team.
Gordon seemed to take out his frustrations of near misses as the season wore on. He had run in’s with his teammate at both Texas and Talladega. A normally calm, cool and collected Gordon voiced his frustration over how Jimmie Johnson had raced him.
At Sonoma, Gordon angered more than a few drivers with his aggressiveness, while his competitors were irked, his fans liked what they were seeing.
Gordon starting at Sonoma went on a 10 race streak where he had six top 10’s and moved from fifth in the points to second.
Still Gordon and his team were searching for a win and those coveted bonus points. With a Chase bid all but guaranteed Gordon needed wins but they wouldn’t come.
He would restart the Chase eighth in the points and once again in a hole. While his teammate in Johnson, Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin were consistently finishing top 10 and top five Gordon struggled.
In the Chase he only had one top five and four top finishes. The one moment many fans including his won’t forget was the fight heard around racing.
Following hard racing at Texas between Gordon and Jeff Burton, Gordon tried to let Burton know how he felt. Burton attempt to acknowledge Gordon’s frustration went bad. While under caution, Burton accidently turned Gordon and took them both out.
Gordon immediately got out of his car and went directly for Burton. The two pushed and shoved and then were brought back to the garage.
Gordon and Burton both had a season of near misses and frustrations bubbled over. Gordon would go on to finish ninth in the standings and go winless for the second time in three years.
In 2010, he had 11 top fives and 17 top 10 finishes. He did continue his pole streak of winning at least one pole every year since 1993. He led 919 laps the most among drivers who did not win a race.
Gordon will have a new crew chief in 2011 as changes were made after the season ended, but one this is for sure 2010 was a season of could have, should have and would haves for the 24 team.
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