NASCAR Junior, Gordon punch restart button

Their dismal 2005 seasons are over with the start of today's Daytona 500.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- The slate is wiped clean for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon, two drivers temporarily sprung from the shadows of their mortifying 2005 seasons.
They were failures. Busts. A pair of chumps ineligible to race for the biggest prize in NASCAR.
All that was erased the moment they drove through the gates at Daytona International Speedway. This track belongs to Earnhardt and Gordon -- they've combined for 20 wins here in various events, including the past two Daytona 500s.
Now they'll both try to kick-start the 2006 season with strong runs in today's season-opening event.
Gordon has no doubt he'll be strong.
"I think anybody that feels like we've slipped on the restrictor-plate tracks hasn't seen restrictor-plate racing for the last couple of years," Gordon said. "I mean, I think that no matter what our seasons are like, what's happening with our team, we always seem to be pretty steady at restrictor-plate tracks."
Season crumbled
Gordon won Daytona last year -- his third 500 title -- only to see his season fall apart just a few months later.
The four-time series champion with 73 career victories struggled through the summer and found himself shut out of the Chase for the championship.
Gordon wound up 11th in the standings, his lowest points finish since he was 14th during his 1993 rookie season.
His Hendrick Motorsports team didn't waste any time turning its attention to 2006, replacing crew chief Robbie Loomis with newcomer Steve Letarte for the final 10 races of last year.
The move put Gordon ahead of schedule when he arrived at Daytona, and he proved it by placing second in the 500 time trials, then running away with a dominating victory in one of the qualifying races.
Similar strategy
Earnhardt used a similar strategy, reuniting with former crew chief Tony Eury Jr. late last year after the two spent the season apart in an ill-advised swapping of crews at Dale Earnhardt Inc.
The move made Junior an also-ran most of last season, just a shell of his former self at Daytona and Talladega, the two places he was always a guaranteed contender.
But with Eury back as his leader, Junior's back among the favorites for the Great American Race.
"Working with Tony Jr. is going to be a lot of fun, there's a good, close bond there," Earnhardt said.
Boosted confidence
It has done wonders for Earnhardt's confidence. He had pretty much written off his title chances at the midpoint of last season, but heads into today's race confident that he'll be there at the end of the event and at the end of the year.
"I think we're going to come into the Chase being top three in the points," he boasted. "We'll have six or seven wins this season, if not more. If we lose the championship, it won't be by much."
Unlike Gordon, Earnhardt has yet to show just how good his Chevrolet is for today's race. He finished second in an exhibition race, second in the qualifying race and will start seventh in the 500.
Although they are the favorites, Earnhardt and Gordon will have a slew of contenders to deal with.
Among them is Tony Stewart, who only needs a Daytona 500 victory to complete his resume of NASCAR milestones. The defending series champion has come so close before, finishing second to Earnhardt in 2004 and dominating last year's race before fading to seventh at the end.
Recent success
But he comes back this year buoyed by his Daytona dominance last July, when he embarrassed the field by leading all but nine laps en route to his first restrictor-plate victory.
Now he'll try to cross the 500 off his list of things to do.
"I've got three goals this year and this is No. 1 of the three," said Stewart, adding that winning at Indianapolis Speedway and capturing a third Cup title are the others.
"This is probably the highest thing on that list this year because it's something we haven't done, and I'm really big on trying to accomplish goals that I've never accomplished before."
Add Elliott Sadler, who won a qualifying event and starts third in the main event, and two of Gordon's own teammates -- second-year driver Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson -- to the list of contenders.
Busch has been aggressive during Speedweeks and not afraid to muscle his way up front, and Johnson is out to prove his team won't crumble following crew chief Chad Knaus' suspension for cheating during qualifying.