Gordon’s Pit Stop Keys Win In Cmt 300

Jeff Gordon chalks up a lot of his amazing success to the expertise of crew chief Ray Evernham.

The precocious 26-year-old driver gave Evernham all of the credit Sunday for a call that helped him beat Ernie Irvan in a tense duel on a very slick racetrack to win the CMT 300 in Loudon, N.H.

“There’s a lot of magic between him and me,” Gordon said after earning his 10th victory of the season and the 29th of his Winston Cup career.

All of the leaders made their final pit stops on lap 228, during one of the eight caution periods in the 300-lap race.

Irvan, who had been leading before Hut Stricklin hit the wall in turn two, took on right-side tires and came out fifth. Gordon, running second before the caution, got only enough gas to get to the end of the race and drove back onto the track with a lead he never relinquished.

Cory McClenathan continued his charge toward the top of the NHRA Top Fuel standings, beating Kenny Bernstein in the final of the Keystone Nationals in Mohnton, Pa., for his fifth victory in the last six races.

McClenathan covered the quarter-mile at Maple Grove Raceway in 4.753 seconds at 305.29 mph in a dragster owned by former NFL coach Joe Gibbs. McClenathan pulled within 75 points of leader Gary Scelzi, who lost in the first round. McClenathan was 413 points behind Scelzi in early July.