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Gordon believes Martinsville could be key to NASCAR title

NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Jeff Gordon awaits the start of the first practice session for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup auto race at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Va., Friday, Oct. 30, 2015. (AP Photo/Steve Sheppard)
NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Jeff Gordon awaits the start of the first practice session for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup auto race at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Va., Friday, Oct. 30, 2015. (AP Photo/Steve Sheppard) NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Jeff Gordon awaits the start of the first practice session for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup auto race at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Va., Friday, Oct. 30, 2015. (AP Photo/Steve Sheppard)

By Associated Press 4 min read

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (AP) – Slipping through to the third round of NASCAR’s playoffs might just have made Jeff Gordon one of the favorites to win the championship.

Gordon has had a mediocre season and goes into Sunday’s race at Martinsville Speedway winless on the year.

But there’s no better track for him to spark a run toward a fifth championship.

Gordon has eight career victories at Martinsville, which makes him a strong contender Sunday. A trip to victory lane would earn Gordon an automatic berth to the Chase for the Sprint Cup finale, and should he make it to the championship race, all bets are off and Gordon could ride off into retirement with a new title.

“We’re carrying just a lot of confidence and momentum and pride right now knowing that we’ve had to grind it out just to get ourselves in the Chase,” Gordon said Friday. “That grind and that fight that we have in us is what we’ve been putting out there these last six weeks that have gotten us to this round.