NASCAR Cup Series

24 carat: Jeff Gordon still setting gold standard in NASCAR

Published Sep. 30, 2014 9:45 a.m. ET

Darrell Waltrip

As we all know following the checkered flag last Sunday at Dover, Round 1 of the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase is over. When you look at the three races that made up Round 1, I have to be honest, I don't really see any big surprises. I say that because going into this year's Chase we all believed it was going to be Team Penske versus Hendrick Motorsports. They haven't let us down with Penske winning the first two races and then Hendrick with Jeff Gordon on Sunday at Dover. It actually goes deeper than that. When you take out the road courses and Talladega, Hendrick and Penske have won 17 of the last 21 races.

My other pick for this year's Chase was Kevin Harvick. He once again didn't disappoint, well to a point. Kevin sat on yet another pole. He dominated the race but yet again, bad luck took the win away. I think at this point at No. 4 car would be happy enough just to not have any luck because all they have this season is bad luck. So I still think when we get to Homestead in mid-November we're going to be looking at Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick and Jeff Gordon as our final four.

Sure Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 bunch made some progress this week but we're talking about Dover and the best Jimmie could muster was a third place finish. Don't get me wrong, third is a great day for most teams but it's not for the No. 48 at a track where Jimmie has won nine times. This was expected to be a statement race for the No. 48 and unfortunately third just wasn't much of a statement. I still don't think the performance is there yet for Jimmie to win his seventh championship this year.

For so many years recently Jimmie has been the gold standard at Hendrick Motorsports but guess what, there's a new sheriff in town but ironically he's 43 years old. Have you stopped and looked at the numbers that Jeff Gordon has put up?

Sunday's win at Dover brings Jeff's total to 92 wins in 754 races. That's 92 wins in the NASCAR modern era, which everyone agrees is against the stiffest competition in the history our sport. Jeff went through a lull where he only won once in a while. Now he is a threat to win every week. Sunday alone was win No. 4 of 2014 for him and we still have seven races to go this season.

Jeff just continues to win despite the rule changes, despite the Chase format changes and despite the car changes. He wins no matter what you throw at him. It's just simply amazing what he has been able to do. Check this out, of his 754 starts, he has the 92 wins, but also 317 top-five finishes and amazing 450 top-10 finishes. It even that was enough, Jeff has won 76 pole positions. Nothing short of amazing numbers in my book.

I never thought in the modern era that 100 wins was possible. It's sitting right there now within Jeff's grasp. I never thought it was possible in the modern era for someone to be able to catch David Pearson on the all-time win list at 105, but if Jeff keeps racing like he is, that record can also fall. I just pull for anyone that can do the impossible and Jeff is certainly showing us all that it's possible.

When he ran his first race in 1992 and then his first full season in 1993, Jeff drove like a rookie is expected to. Jeff wrecked about every other week. The difference today is Jeff is back to driving with the passion, enthusiasm and the fire of a rookie, but with the knowledge and experience of a seasoned veteran. Boy, you talk about the ultimate combination, huh?

I mentioned earlier who I think the final four will be at Homestead -- Jeff, Brad, Joey and Kevin. Taking it a step further I think the championship will come down to Jeff versus Brad. Sure there may be a surprise or two thrown in there before we get to Homestead, but from what I am seeing I think we are going to witness a classic battle between two heavyweights.

Going back to this year's Chase, four drivers have now been eliminated with the completion of this first round. Aric Almirola, A.J. Almendinger, Kurt Busch and Greg Biffle have seen their championship hopes extinguished. Trust me, they are still going to race as hard as ever. There still are seven races to go, so there are wins, position, money and trophies on the line for these four drivers.

It really comes as no surprise that our bottom four ended up being who they were. If you simply don't have the performance, you don't have the numbers. If you don't have the numbers, well then unfortunately you don't advance in the Chase. Other than 2011 when Tony Stewart shocked the sport, it normally is as I like to say when you climb into the Chase then you climb right back out. There's no magical potion to make you better simply because the Chase starts.

So we're headed to Kansas this weekend. Do you remember who won that race earlier this year? Yes, a driver by the name of Gordon took home his first win of the season back in mid-May. So expect him to be riding high again Sunday. Joey Logano is another one to watch. Joey has finished in the top 5 the last two races there.

We know Kevin Harvick will be fast there. Where hasn't he been fast in 2014? Kevin's also won at Kansas in 2013 and finished second to Jeff earlier this year. You also will want to keep an eye on the No. 48 car because 10 times in the last 11 races, Jimmie has had top 10 finishes at Kansas.

So Round 2 of the 2014 begins this weekend at Kansas. The pressure continues to build and the competition gets tighter on the twelve remaining Chase drivers. Making it through the next three races in Round 2 are just as critical as they were in Round 1. The pressure to win is intense because even a single win in Round 2 guarantees you a spot in Round 3. I just think it's going to be exciting and pressure packed right up to and through Homestead when we crown our 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion.

I also wanted to share a few thoughts after watching Tony Stewart's press conference. There's just no question in my mind that the Kevin Ward Jr. tragedy has had a profound impact on Tony. I was watching a broken man the other day and my heart aches for him. You can just tell that Tony is emotionally empty. You can just see it in his eyes, his body language and even the way he spoke.

While everyone needs to continue to pray for comfort and peace for the Kevin Ward family, we also all need to pray for Tony. This sport is a better sport with Tony Stewart in it. I'll tell you something else, our sport is a lot more fun with Tony Stewart is back whole and can be back to his normal self. I just hope and pray that day comes sooner than later.

VIDEO: Reaction to Tony Stewart media availibility