One reason Jeff Gordon is so good is that he pays attention to the lessons taught by his elders.
No matter that North Wilkesboro Speedway will no longer be a Winston Cup venue, Gordon watched Dale Earnhardt carefully in Sunday's Tyson Holly Farms 400 on the historic short oval and used the lesson he learned to beat the seven-time series champion and everybody else."I learned a lot today from Dale Earnhardt about the line out there in turns three and four," Gordon said. "It's too bad we'll never be back here to use it again."
Winning for the third straight week and the 10th time this season, Gordon beat Earnhardt for his first victory on the track that held its first NASCAR race in 1949, the sanctioning body's inaugural season.
North Wilkesboro's two Winston Cup race dates will go to newer and bigger tracks in Texas and New Hampshire next year, leaving the facility's future in limbo. The last of 73 Winston Cup races at this track was run before a sellout crowd of more than 40,000.
"I'm really glad we won, not just because this is the last one at North Wilkesboro, but because it's so slick and tough to win on," Gordon said. "No matter where you race, though, you've got to pay attention out there. There's a lot to be learned from those guys like Earnhardt and (Rusty) Wallace."
The winner started on the outside of the front row and stayed at or near the front throughout the 400-lap race on the .625-mile oval. He led seven times for a total of 207 laps, including the final 79.
The victory by Gordon, who has won four of the last five and finished no worse than second in his last seven races, also gave the defending series champion a boost in the championship standings, moving him 111 points ahead of Terry Labonte with four races remaining.
Labonte, who finished fifth, came into the race trailing by 81 points.
"We were terrible," Labonte said. "The car was loose all day. We just missed it today.
"We're still in the points race, though. We've still got four races to go and we've run good at those four tracks in the past."
Jeff Burton, who faded at the end to finish fourth, challenged Gordon following the last of four caution flags with 86 laps remaining.
Burton passed Earnhardt for second place on lap 329 and moved right behind Gordon on lap 348. But the leader was able to use heavy traffic to keep Burton's Ford at bay until the latter's tires began to go away.
Earnhardt, who earned his first top-five finish in 12 races, dating to the July 6 Pepsi 400 at Daytona Beach, Fla., regained second place on lap 377.