Steve Letarte showing his mettle as Crew Chief

It is often said that the driver gets too much credit for success, and too much blame for failures. However, such statement was reversed slightly regarding the performance Jeff Gordon's Dupont Chevrolet. That's not to say he didn't hold at least a small responsibility in the struggles of his team one year ago, but the blame didn't seem to fall squarely on his shoulders.

Instead, many pointed their criticism at his Crew Chief, Steve Letarte. While the dubious honor of most criticized crew chief was held by Hendrick counter part Tony Eury Jr. Letarte came under equal fire, even if it wasn't gathering as many headlines.

Saying Gordon's 2008 season was poor would be a small understatement. No wins, no factor in the Chase, and one his worst statistical seasons brought many questions and concerns about both him and the team. Many of those centered around Letarte and his abilities to lead the No. 24 team.

He shouldered the bulk of the criticism, facing questions about his capacity to set up the car before a race, make the correct changes to improve the car during the races, or even to to make strategic calls necessary to win a race.

On paper, such questions were legitimate. After all, not since 1993, Gordon's rookie season, had he failed to win at least once in a given season. Plus, there were a handful of races in which the team completely missed the set up and couldn't fix it (Texas in the Spring and Watkins Glen being the prime examples).

However, Letarte should not be shouldered with all the responsibility for that tough season. A multitude of factors can be attributed to that poor 2008. The full-time institution of the COT saw all of Hendrick Motorsports laboring with the new chassis, especially in the first half of the season. Remember, before the Brickyard 400, the Hendrick team only had two wins in total.

While the chassis is extremely fast when the setup is perfect, one minuscule change can send it in the wrong direction, making the car handle terribly. The No. 24 team was one many suffering through the growing pains of adapting to new car.

However, in 2009, the story has been very different for Steve Letarte and Jeff Gordon. They may only have one win, but eight second place finishes mean they've been putting themselves in position to win very frequently, in as many as a dozen races in fact. Sure, other variables, namely Jimmie Johnson, have prevented the No. 24 car from winning, but the fact is that, in racing, the best that anyone can do is be in a position to win. Circumstances will dictate the outcome from there.