No. 2 - Jeff Gordon

This is unfamiliar territroy for Jeff Gordon. He started the NASCAR Chase for the Nextel Cup in second place, after spending a majority of the regular season in first, but quickly erased the deficit and reclaimed the top spot in the standings.
That was until his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Jimmie Johnson, won three races in a row and took over first place in the Chase standings.
Gordon said he doesn't like getting beat by Johnson, especially now, so late in the season and with the Cup championship at stake.
One thing in Gordon's favor is that he won the April race at Phoenix International Raceway, site of this weekend's Cup race. Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, has yet to win a Cup race at Phoenix in eight career starts at the track.
“Performance-wise, I think we have a little bit of an advantage over the 48 team here,” said Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. “But Jimmie’s tough here, and that team has shown they can step it up when they need to. It’s only a matter of time before he gets his first win here."
Gordon enters the Phoenix race trailing Johnson by 30 points. Clint Bowyer, the third-place driver in the Chase standings, is 151 points behind Gordon. Barring disaster, Gordon and Johnson will be fighting for the Cup championship at Phoenix and the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
“The best way for us to make sure they don’t get that win this weekend is to be the first across the finish line,” Gordon said. “It’s hard for anyone right now to step up and beat them. We’re just going to keep playing it smart and being consistent – just keep doing the things we’ve done all year. If it comes down to being smart and staying out of trouble, I think we still have a great shot at the championship.”