MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Jeff Gordon earned an automatic berth in NASCAR’s championship race — where he’ll try to win a fifth title in his final season — with a victory Sunday at Martinsville Speedway.
He has to Matt Kenseth to thank for his spot in the final four of the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.
Kenseth intentionally wrecked Joey Logano — payback from an incident three races ago — to take the race leader out with 47 laps remaining. Logano had the dominant car, and Kenseth, who was in an earlier wreck with Brad Keselowski, came back on the track 10 laps down and drove Logano into the wall.
Logano had led 207 of the 500 laps and was furious. His father, Tom, had to be pushed into the team hauler by the crew chief as the crowd cheered wildly in support of Kenseth.
Kenseth downplayed the incident, deadpanning it was a result of his earlier incident with Keselowski, who had led 143 laps as the two Team Penske teammates were the class of the field. Instead of celebrating a win and a spot in the Nov. 22 finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Logano is last in the eight-driver field and Keselowski is sixth.
Gordon, though, is in after his ninth career victory at Martinsville.
“We’re going to Homestead!” he screamed.
The four-time NASCAR champion won for the first time this season and first time in 39 races. It was his 93rd career victory and put him in position to ride into retirement with the long coveted fifth title.
One of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history, he hasn’t won a title since his 2001 championship. He celebrated the win by jumping around the frontstretch like a little boy on Christmas morning, then he jumped into the arms of his exuberant Hendrick Motorsports crew.
As he stood in victory lane, his two young children racing in for hugs, he couldn’t contain his glee.
“It was a joke, I’m coming back next year!” he joked. “This is the sweetest, most amazing feeling.”
He still had to earn the win after Logano was knocked from the race. Gordon had to chase down AJ Allmendinger and Denny Hamlin on a restart, then hold off Jamie McMurray on a restart with two laps remaining.
There are two races remaining for the rest of the final four to be set.
