Gordon Aims for 3rd Straight Win at Martinsville
22 September 1997
GORDON SHOOTING FOR THIRD CONSECUTIVE MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY WIN MARTINSVILLE, VA - Jeff Gordon has the chance to do what few others have done before at Martinsville Speedway. Gordon can make an addition to Martinsville Speedway's record books, during the track's 50th anniversary season, if he can win his third consecutive race at Martinsville with a victory in the Hanes 500 on Sunday, September 28. Only a few other drivers have accomplished that feat and the list is like a who's who of racing. Fred Lorenzen, Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip and Rusty Wallace are the only drivers to win three consecutive events. Lorenzen has gone one step further as he won four consecutive races from the fall event in 1963 to the spring race in 1965. Drivers who finished in the top five behind Lorenzen during that run included Junior Johnson, Ned Jarrett, Fireball Roberts, Marvin Panch, Joe Weatherly, David Pearson, and Richard Petty. It was no easy task for the man the media called the "Golden Boy" and "Fearless Freddie". Petty followed up Lorenzen's steak with his own by winning the fall race in 1968 and sweeping both 1969 races in a Ford. Cale Yarborough did the same from the fall race in 1976 through 1977. Waltrip won in 1988 and both races in 1989. Wallace's streak included both races in 1994 and the Goody's Headache Powder 500 in 1995. Now Gordon can join the elite group with a win in the Hanes 500. Gordon put on a driving demonstration in the Goody's Headache Powder 500 this past April by passing on the inside, outside and seemly at will. Gordon's day included a 360 degree spin that only dropped him from first to third place. Gordon's performance was reminiscent of the likes of Richard Petty, (15 Martinsville wins) Darrell Waltrip (11) and Lorenzen (5). Gordon led 432 of the 500 laps in his DuPont Chevrolet in April before finishing just ahead of Bobby Hamilton in the STP Pontiac owned by Petty. No one had dominated the Goody's Headache Powder 500 like that since Cale Yarborough led 427 laps in taking the 1974 event. Petty and Yarborough now are car owners and will be in the parade of stars prior to the race with such other standouts as Ned Jarrett, Grand Marshal Junior Johnson, Bobby Allison, Glen Wood, Donnie Allison, Jack Smith, Raymond Parks, Herb Thomas, Benny Parsons, Buddy Baker, Junie Donlavey and speedway founder H. Clay Earles. Winston Cup cars time trial at 3 p.m. Friday to decide the Busch Pole position and first 25 starting spots while the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will qualify immediately after with all 36 starting positions up for grabs. The speedway is offering a commemorative 50th anniversary time trial ticket, sure to be a collector's item. Following second round Winston Cup time trials at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, the $313,319 Hanes 250 for the Craftsman Truck Series will be run at 1 p.m. Tickets for the Hanes 250 are $25 for adults and children ages 6-12 get in for $5. The $1,242,331, 42nd annual Hanes 500 takes the green flag at 12:30 p.m. Sunday. The track still has $35 reserved seats and 8,000 unreserved seats go on sale at 7:30 race morning. By Martinsville Speedway Public Relations