Jeff Gordon trails Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson by 30 points entering this Sunday’s Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway…

Jeff Gordon:

“You have to give credit to Jimmie and the 48 crew,” “They’ve made some good calls in the pits and they’ve had cars that can win.

“But 30 points isn’t that much. The biggest thing right now is we’re getting beat and they’re the ones winning the races. We have to put pressure back on them and out-perform them.

“They’re on a roll right now and we’ve got to answer this weekend.”

“Performance-wise, I think we have a little bit of an advantage over the 48 team here,” said Gordon. “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.

“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.”

While Johnson may be in the driver’s seat, Gordon still controls his own destiny. If Gordon wins the final two races and keeps Johnson from gaining any additional bonus points for leading laps, Gordon will be celebrating his fifth championship.

“It’s hard for anyone right now to step up and beat them,” Gordon said. “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.”

Jimmie Johnson:

“I think that we’ve been on quite a roll here and going to victory lane does something for the crew and the shop that you couldn’t do any other way. When you go to victory lane, there’s just a buzz that goes through all of Hendrick Motorsports and really on the 48 team.”

“We have momentum going our direction right now but it’s only 30 points and if you look at the last two weeks, I’ve been able to make up roughly 60 points. Jeff hasn’t had bad races the last two events. He’s had strong he finishes. So it’s not like he’s had bad nights. I can finish tenth, he can win, and I’m back in second. So we have a lot of work ahead of us and are happy to be in a position to race for the championship. With good racetracks coming up for us, good race cars in the lineup and momentum from the victories, and our guys are showing up hungry every week, we’re trying to get as many points as we can.”

“This is racing. You have to check your emotions at the gate when you come in here. Motorsports is such a humbling experience and I’ve been very fortunate to experience in my career a lot of great things but the road getting here was a tough one and I think a lot of people know the career that I’ve had, and things that I’ve had to do to get to this point and it’s been a long battle. Motorsports will eat people up and spit them out, and I just want to capitalize on this opportunity that I have. Jeff is a great friend and great teammate, but he’s also the most challenging guy out there for me to beat. And that’s with all the respect in the world. But I don’t feel bad for him and I know he wouldn’t, either. If something happened where he had bad luck and we ended up winning the championship, that’s where I would feel bad. But the fact that we are racing as hard as we are for it right now, it’s racing.”