Gordon wins, ends NASCAR skid at 66 races
AVONDALE, Ariz. - Just before peeling off what he called a lame burnout near the finish line, Jeff Gordon screamed into his radio, the emotion pouring out with his voice.
"We just beat Kyle Busch!" he yelled.
Gordon did much more than that. He was headed back to Victory Circle, the longest winless streak of his career finally in the rearview mirror.
Overcoming a slew of potentially disastrous incidents, Gordon passed Busch with eight laps left and stretched his lead from there, ending his winless streak at 66 races Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway.
"It feels so amazing. I can't tell you how amazing this feels," Gordon said. "It's been a long time, I know, and I'm going to savor this one so much."
Gordon, a four-time Sprint Cup champion, was mired in a drought that seemed inexplicable for one of NASCAR's most successful and popular drivers. Even in ending it, it wasn't easy.
Coming off a disappointing Daytona 500, Gordon struggled in qualifying and started 20th. Early in the race, he was knocked into the wall by Carl Edwards and later had to avoid a massive wreck that led to a 14-minute red flag. He also had to pull behind another car to shake loose a piece of debris from his grill and fight his way back to the front after a slow pit stop late in the race.
Gordon still managed to lead a race-high 138 laps and was able to pull alongside then bump Busch out of the way to win for the first time since April 2009 at Texas. It was his 83rd career victory, tying him with Cale Yarborough for fifth all-time.