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MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- In his first race without crew chief Ray Evernham, Jeff Gordon did just fine.
Brian Whitesell, who replaced Evernham on Wednesday on the Hendrick Motorsports team, gambled and won Sunday's NAPA AutoCare 500 at Martinsville Speedway.
Fifteen laps from the end of the 500-mile race on the tight half-mile oval, all of the leaders except Gordon pitted for fresh tires under the last of eight caution flags.
|  | | Jeff Gordon celebrates with new crew chief Brian Whitesell, left, in Victory Lane after winning the NAPA Autocare 500 on Sunday. |
Asked why he made that decision, Whitesell -- who had been the team's engineer and was Evernham's hand-picked successor -- said, "Track position. That's always important."
Gordon, who now has a series-high six victories this season, made the gamble work, pulling away on the restart on lap 482 and holding off hard-charging Dale Earnhardt by less than two car-lengths at the end.
"That answers a lot of questions, doesn't it?" Gordon said as he celebrated the 48th victory of his career. "Brian Whitesell did a great job. I'm proud of him."
Gordon also gave credit to Evernham, who had been his crew chief for every race since the three-time Winston Cup champion was Rookie of the Year in 1993 before leaving to start his own team.
"This team kept faith in themselves and in one another," Gordon said. "But we wouldn't be here today if it weren't for Ray Evernham. He's the one who orchestrated these guys."
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Sunday, Oct. 3
It seemed nobody could ask enough questions of the No. 24 team when the race weekend began, but Jeff Gordon, Brian Whitesell and the Rainbow Warriors answered every question on Sunday. Departed crew chief Ray Evernham trained these guys to win -- both with him and without him.
Most races have a turning point and how ironic that in this case it was a Whitesell decision. While most of the leaders came in for fresh tires with less than 25 laps to go, Whitesell opted to keep the No. 24 car on the track. The decision gave Gordon the lead and won him the race.
But the biggest winner Sunday might be the guy who was missing from Victory Lane -- Ray Evernham. His hard work and diligence over the past seven years paid off for the 48th time in No. 24 team's history. Perhaps the one victory he wasn't here to see will be the one he's most proud of.
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Whitesell agreed, saying, "The reason we're here is Ray Evernham. He taught us how to do it."
Gordon, who averaged 72.624 mph, led only twice for a total of 29 laps. The first time he led was on lap 416, but Kenny Wallace took over the top spot four laps later and Earnhardt passed him for the lead on lap 431.
The 48-year-old, seven-time champion appeared on the way to his third victory of the season until Chad Little spun in turn four on lap 475, bringing out the last yellow.
Earnhardt, bothered by a stomach flu that he said weakened him badly late in the race, was third on the final restart, quickly passing Bobby Labonte for second on lap 483 and going after Gordon.
"I might have overdrove the car trying to catch him at first," Earnhardt said. "He played the cards right. I got to him too late."
Asked if he knew Earnhardt was catching him at the end, Gordon, who had last pitted for tires on lap 419, said, "That wasn't a pretty sight. I never drove a race car smoother than that in my life. I had to take care of those tires."
Geoff Bodine finished third, followed by Rusty Wallace, who made up a lost lap on the final yellow, and brother Kenny, Mike Skinner, Kyle Petty and Labonte.
Skinner, who led 138 laps, and Labonte, who led 120, both fell out of contention after their final stops.
Labonte made the biggest gain in the series championship Sunday, vaulting past Mark Martin into second, although he trails leader Dale Jarrett by 251 points with six races remaining.
Jarrett lost two laps early, getting caught in the pits when a yellow flag came out. He came back to finish one lap down in 10th.
Martin had a terrible day, bouncing off the wall twice and wound
up 16th, three laps behind. He fell 276 points behind Jarrett and
25 in back of Labonte.
Most of the excitement in the early part of the race was caused
by Kenny Irwin and rookie Tony Stewart, former short track rivals.
Stewart spun Irwin out twice in the early going, bringing out
the first two caution flags. On the ensuing restart, Irwin
retaliated, slammed into Stewart and also took out Brett Bodine.
Stewart threw the heat shields from his race shoes at Irwin's
windshield and reached into the car to take a swipe at his rival as
Irwin went by under caution the next time around.
"This is the same stuff that has happened between us since we were in midgets and sprints," Stewart said. "The first time, it was my fault, I'll admit that. I didn't mean to hit him, I barely touched him and spun him around. It was my fault. I told
my spotter to tell his spotter I didn't mean to do it.
"The second time, he leaned off me coming off turn 1, and hit me
in Turn 2. I went into turns 3 and 4 and I hit him back and
spun him. Then, he decided to put me out for good."
It was expected that NASCAR would reprimand both drivers after
reviewing the videotapes Monday.
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Rumor mill put Evernham's plans on fast track
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Jeff Gordon holds off Dale Earnhardt to make Brian Whitesell a winner in the NAPA Autocare 500.
avi: 890 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Early in the race, it's Tony Stewart who spins Kenny Irwin.
avi: 1061 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Kenny Irwin retaliates by spinning out Tony Stewart.
avi: 879 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Tony Stewart takes out his frustration on Kenny Irwin's car.
avi: 810 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
It's Brett Bodine's turn to have words with Kenny Irwin.
avi: 859 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
The bumper-cam gives you a close-up view of John Andretti ramming into Bobby Hamilton.
avi: 916 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
 Jeff Gordon says that Brian Whitesel has been leading like a veteran.
wav: 252 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Jeff Gordon knows that the win couldn't have been possible without the guidance of Ray Evernham.
wav: 91 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Brian Whitesell says the Rainbow Warriors just did what Ray Evernham taught them to do.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Dale Earnhardt wishes that the breaks would have went his way.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Tony Stewart talks about his day with Kenny Irwin.
wav: 198 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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