Big race for Gordon

How big will Sunday's race at Infineon Raceway be for Jeff Gordon?

Gordon is currently in ninth place, three hundred and thirty-seven points behind Kyle Busch. Sure, those are not bad numbers for most drivers in NASCAR. But for Gordon, a man who has won the championship four times and won six races in 2007, it has been a huge disappointment. After all, he was expected to once again contend at the top this year after last year's stellar showing, his overall skills, and the fact that he has some of the best equipment in all of racing.

Why has he had sub par results(at least for him)? Well, that is a very debatable topic. The bottom line is that the number twenty-four team hasn't done as well as they're capable of doing, which makes this race at Sonoma one of high importance.

Gordon has been phenomenal at the track, winning five times, and is regarded as a top NASCAR regular on road courses. It is tough to think of a better place for Gordon to get back on track than deep in wine country because of this. Whether he can do that, though, is questionable with how unpredictable road courses are.

Still, I believe he'll have a strong race, possibly winning it. He's just done it so well for so long, and seems to be incredibly focused. Plus, maybe Dale Earnhardt Jr winning will get some momentum going Hendrick's way.

If he has a bad race, however, look out, because Gordon's season-long slump may turn even worse. The veteran hasn't experienced this type of failure in a long time.