Gordon Concedes Title to Johnson

By Bruce Martin
SportsTicker Contributing Editor

AVONDALE, Arizona - For most of the 2007 season, it appeared if Jeff Gordon didn't win the NASCAR Nextel Cup title, it would be a crime. He was the most complete driver throughout the season and had amassed a huge lead during the 26-race "regular season". Even seven races into "The Chase", Gordon appeared to be the man to beat for the title. But in the eighth race at Texas Motor Speedway last Sunday, Gordon's lead turned into a 30-point deficit as The Chase moved to Phoenix International Raceway. Gordon remained optimistic that he could overcome that deficit and stand a legitimate chance of wrapping up a championship next weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. But after Johnson won his fourth-straight race Sunday night at PIR, and Gordon finished 10th, Gordon now trails by 86 points with one race to go and has conceded the title to his Hendrick Motorsports teammate. "It's over," Gordon said. "Even if we win it, it's because they (Johnson's team) had problems. And while we'll accept it, we don't want to do it that way. "Those guys have flat-out killed everybody. You've got to give credit where credit's due. Those guys deserve a lot of credit. We didn't step up and win the races when we needed to. We gave them a run for a while and now we've got to figure out how to get the best finish we can at Homestead and end this season off on a positive note going into the offseason."

For a driver that was closing in on a fifth Cup title, it's surprising to hear Gordon give what amounted to a concession speech. After all, if Johnson was involved in a crash early in next Sunday's season-finale at Homestead, Gordon could still win the championship. But Gordon is a realist and knows that's unlikely to happen. And, he's also classy enough to realize that he gave it his best shot this season and it won't be enough to take the title away from Johnson, who has wracked up incredible numbers in "The Chase" including 11 wins since this 10-race format was implemented in 2004.