The Fat Lady Sings
Gordon's bad year, 2003 unsettled, the Rookie of the Year, and the Ford 400 from Homestead, Florida
Not a Good Year ............
As the completion of the championship battle loomed on the horizon, Jeff Gordon wasn't one of the players. He has had a terrible year by past standards, beginning with the trauma of a divorce which has had his personal life in constant turmoil all season.
His partnership with Hendrick Motorsports has also been deterrent to his season. Fielding racecars for his rookie driver is one thing, but furnishing him with the cars that he was used to driving was a big upset for Gordon. He had to run racecars this season that he wasn't the least bit familiar with, while his protégé got all of the good stuff that he was used to winning races with.
It seemed like the big push at Hendrick Motorsports in 2002 was to get the Rookie of the Year award for their new young driver Jimmie Johnson in the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet. Even though Johnson has scored more wins than his closest competitor, Ryan Newman, Newman has been much more consistent and has led the battle during the latter part of the season.
As the season wound down to the last competitive event, the worst slap in the face of the year hit Gordon as he failed to make a solid qualifying run. In the tenth full year and the 329 start of his Winston Career, Jeff Gordon had to use a provisional for the first time ever, to start the Homestead race. Crew chief Robbie Loomis brushed it off, but also took the blame for the shameful milestone, claiming that he made some drastic changes to the No. 24 Dupont Chevrolet's set-up that were way off base. They lost valuable practice time setting those mistakes right, and Loomis claimed that they didn't get a chance to iron the car out before qualifying.
2003 Unsettled ...........
There's always a lot of speculation this time of the year concerning the Silly Season moving and swapping of drivers. As the end of this season is imminent, there are some top name drivers looking for work. The problem with two out of three of them is that they don't have solid records to rely on when seeking employment with a top team and sponsor. Out of the three top drivers; Jimmy Spencer, Bobby Hamilton, and Ken Schrader, Hamilton is the only driver who has any recent wins to his credit, and his recent performance is sporadic. There are 18 other drivers out of work for 2003 who are obviously all to many to mention.
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