GORDON'S DRIVE FOR FIVE; UNPOPULAR RACER WINNING EVERYTHING EXCEPT FANS.

Byline: Bill Fleischman Philadelphia Daily News 

Jeff Gordon is in a win-win-win-win situation.

Gordon will seek a modern-era Winston Cup record fifth consecutive victory Saturday night in the noise bowl that is Bristol Motor Speedway.

Talented, young and wealthy, Gordon has a model's looks.

He also has the whole package as a racer: great driver, shrewd crew chief, a highly efficient pit crew and outstanding shop personnel.

He has a beautiful wife, Brooke. If he were a rising executive, people would be dying to hang out with him.

However, he's a race-car driver. At age 27, he's one of the best drivers in the world.

Then why aren't more people cheering for Gordon?

Many fans who dislike Gordon believe he wins too much; every Gordon victory celebration is one less for fans of Mark Martin, Dale Jarrett, Rusty Wallace and other top drivers. They also think he's too good to be true. Anti-Gordon Web sites have surfaced on the Internet.

Gordon has learned to live with the resounding boos that greet him at most tracks.

``I just try to appreciate the fans that I have,'' Gordon said recently. ``In our sport, those things happen. Look back through the years: Darrell Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt, when these guys were winning a lot, (they) got booed, too.

``In our sport, it's a good thing to have. I'm not upset by it at all. I just wave and smile and go on.''

After Gordon's victory at Michigan last Sunday, Jarrett, third in the points standings, expressed the frustration that Gordon's rivals are feeling.

``Obviously, we're doing everything we can, and it's not working,'' Jarrett said. ``It just doesn't seem anything Mark (Martin) or I can do is going to make any difference.''

Referring to Gordon's team, Jarrett on Tuesday said, ``They have a lot of confidence. They seem to be on top of the world right now. Mark and I had him beat (at Michigan), and were going to gain a few points. But we ended up losing points.

``Two of the four races he's won he didn't have the best race car. That's where they're good; they win when they don't have the best.''

Making Gordon's streak even more amazing is the quality of teams in Winston Cup. There are more contending drivers and cars than ever.

One reason Gordon is successful is, like Martin, he avoids trouble on the race track. That's racing instinct.

He also has a crew chief, Ray Evernham, who continually makes wise decisions.

Former Winston Cup driver Buddy Baker, now a television analyst, was at home in North Carolina, watching the Michigan race with a friend. Baker attributes much of Gordon's success to Evernham.

``How do they make those calls?'' Baker wondered over the telephone. ``They do that so often.''

Referring to Evernham's decision to change only two tires and adjust the air pressure on the final pit stop, Baker said, ``It was the perfect call.''

The final caution period was caused when the engine in Ward Burton's Pontiac blew on lap 179 of the 200-lap race. Without that critical yellow flag, Gordon never would have caught Martin. Before the caution, Gordon trailed Martin by 19 seconds.

Baker, by the way, knows about winning streaks: He ended Richard Petty's Winston Cup-record 10-race run in 1967. The victory at Charlotte was Baker's first Winston Cup win.

Jarrett's car owner, Robert Yates, believes a key to Gordon's midseason charge has been the team figuring out the new Chevy engine better than anyone else.

``They're good and smart,'' Yates said.

NASCAR, and every other series, wants a good show on race day. And NASCAR likes its points chases close. Unless you're a Jeff Gordon fan, it's not good to have one driver dominating a series.

When one driver or car manufacturer gains an advantage, NASCAR has been known to tinker with the rules to make the playing field more level.

What can the other teams do to stop Gordon? As Jarrett said, they just have to keep working. Gordon's team hasn't cornered the Winston Cup market on smart people. However, Gordon's team is very good, and it's doing everything right.

RACING TO HISTORY

With a victory Saturday night in the Goody's Headache Powder 500 in Bristol, Tenn., Jeff Gordon would claim his fifth consecutive NASCAR Winston Cup victory of the season, breaking the modern-era record of four. Here is a list of drivers who have won four in a row in a season, dating back to 1972, and how each fared in their fifth race:

Driver Year Fifth race

Cale Yarborough1976 Second

Darrell Waltrip 1981 Second

Dale Earnhardt 1987 Fourth

Harry Gant 1991 Second

Bill Elliott 1992 20th

Mark Martin 1993 Sixth

Jeff Gordon 1998 ????

Note: Richard Petty holds the all-time record for most consecutive wins in a season. He won 10 in 1967.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos, Box

PHOTO (1--Color) no caption (Jeff Gordon)

Associated Press

(2) Many are crediting the pit crew for the success of Jeff Gordon, who has won four straight races.

Jonathan Paroby/Associated Press

BOX: RACING TO HISTORY (see text)