News and Media Releases

Victory for Gordon At Texas Motor Speedway

07/04/2009

Four-time Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon ended a 47-race winless streak with his victory in the Samsung 500 on Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway.

Four-time Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon ended a 47-race winless streak with his victory in the Samsung 500 on Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway. Gordon led a race-high 105 laps after starting the 334-lap race from the outside pole.

Fellow HMS driver Jimmie Johnson gave the team a one-two finish after taking the checkered flag in the runner-up spot.

Johnson struggled at the beginning of the race but the Chad Knaus led crew worked on his Chevrolet throughout the event and made it better for their driver. The three-time and defending champion returned to the top 10 on lap 240 after falling back remained there for the remaining laps of the race. Johnson made a late-race run to try to challenge for the lead but ran out of laps.

Fellow Quaker State driver Mark Martin finished sixth earning another top-10 finish after starting in the 23rd position. Martin patiently made his way into the top-10 breaking into the top five late in the race before falling to sixth in the closing laps. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. fought handling issues throughout the race but remained around the top 10 for much of race.

A pit strategy call put the two-time Nationwide Series champion in the lead late in the race however contact with another car relegated him to a 20th-place finish. Gordon remains the points leader with a 162-point lead over second place Jimmie Johnson who moved up two spots with his second-place finish.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. remains 16th in points with Mark Martin gaining nine spots to the 18th position. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will take a week off before returning to action for the running of the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Arizona.

Live television coverage begins on Saturday, April 18, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on FOX. The event will also be broadcast live on MRN (Motor Racing Network) and Sirius Satellite Radio with coverage beginning at 7:45 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).