Homestead: Post-Race Notes

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET, FINISHED 5TH: ON HIS RACE: "When the sun went down it didn't work as well for us.  We were good when it was slick and when the grip came, somehow the balance............and this happens to us a lot and when the balance changes from the cooler track temperatures it seems to shift us into an area that we have a hard time adjusting.  But it was a great day, a top-five, great year.   We had three wins, got number 85, and came up short in the Chase but we look forward to next year and battling it out for the Sprint Cup."

THE WAY THE CHAMPIONSHIP ENDED WITH TONY AND CARL ITS JUST GOOD FOR OUR SPORT ISN'T IT? "It's great for the sport and I think Tony is just one of the all-time greats and he proved that over these last ten races and especially tonight.  And it showed Carl what he is made of as well.   I think that is awesome. 

Look at the people standing up...........they stuck around to see how this one was going to unfold.   You thought he was down and out and then he came back and you really thought he wasn't sitting in the best position and he had to stretch the fuel and everything.  And gosh if he didn't do that too.  That is amazing."

WAS IT AS FUN OUT THERE FOR YOU AS IT WAS FOR US WATCHING? "This is a great racetrack. It offers so many different grooves, and you are slipping and sliding around, which is our kind of race track. It changed for us a little bit when the sun went down. We were not quite as good as we were when the sun was out. We had to make some adjustments, but just a great effort by this Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet team. In the pits they were awesome, and we adjusted, we got it better there at the end and started working our way back to the front. Great top-five finish to end the season. I just have to thank Drive to End Hunger, DuPont, Pepsi Max, Quaker State, and Chevrolet, everybody that makes this a great team. Thank Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) and the guys. They just worked so hard this year, they are a great team; I can't wait for next year. Congratulations to Tony Stewart, my gosh, what an amazing run he had in these final ten races. He has done some incredible things in his career, but I am guessing that this one is going to top them all. He did it in a fashion that everybody dreams of doing."

CERTAINLY YOU WANTED TO WIN THE RACE, BUT A TOP-FIVE FINISH IN THE LAST RACE OF THE SEASON HAS TO FEEL GOOD GOING TO THE OFF SEASON LOOKING FORWARD TO 2012: "Well, we have never won here. We have a lot of top-five's so we added to that. At times I thought we had something for Carl ( Edwards) when Tony ( Stewart) got up there, I said " Uh-oh" he had a little bit extra that me and Carl did not have and he took that and went on to win the race."

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