JEFF GORDON Flipping cool. - Photo by: K. Ma/NYAR

NEW YORK, NY (December 5, 2002) - To Jeff Gordon, the 2002 Winston Cup season was a tough one compare to last year's championship campaign, but after breaking his 31-race winless draught at Bristol in August, Gordon was able to fight for the title until the final races. After Thursday's Media Luncheon at Waldorf-Astoria during NASCAR's Champion's Week, Gordon spoke about his season, as well as new teammate Jimmie Johnson and 2002 WRC Champion Marcus Grönholm:

KEVIN MA: Jeff, it was an up-and-down season for you. What did you learn this year and how are you going to use it in 2003?

JEFF GORDON: I am learning every time on the track, and I definitely learned a lot this year. I think as a team we learned how important it is to qualify upfront, how important track position is, pit strategy, and we can never stop fighting for position every lap in every race. We performed well at the beginning of the year, but not as well as we needed to. The second half our performance was up, too, so I really feel the team is coming around.

KM: Your new teammate/driver Jimmie Johnson had a fine season. How important for you to have a teammate like Jimmie where both of you can compare notes week-in and week-out?

JG: Well, having a teammate is extremely important, and it seems more teams are going for teammates nowadays. But what we learned is how to structure a teammate, and it is so important when you put two cars under one roof, under the system and having the same people preparing the car, and then you take two drivers and two crew chiefs with their thoughts and ideas and mix them together. The results are far better, and we are fourth and fifth in points. Both of us, at one time, had a shot to win the championship.

KM: It sounds like you enjoyed your experience at Race of Champions in Gran Canaria, but the fact that you had an accident when Marcus Grönholm flipped his car where you were a passenger alongside. Did you say something to him like any other angry passengers afterwards?

JG: I really was trying to make him not feeling so bad. He was pretty torn up that he flipped the car. We really had more laugh about it than anything else. I told him it was a heck of a ride, and I am glad that I was able to walk away.