HAMPTON, Ga., March 5 (UPI) -- Jeff Gordon starts Sunday's Sprint Cup Kobalt Tools 500 in suburban Atlanta with the points lead despite finishing sixth at last week's auto race in Las Vegas.
The four-time Cup Series champion also finished 13th at the season-opening Daytona 500 and second at the Auto Club 500 in Fontana, Calif.
"It has been a great start to the season and I am really proud of this team," he said earlier this week. "Three weeks in a row I've felt like we have the car that can win, and that's quite a change from last year."
Heading into the Atlanta race, Gordon has a 44-race winless streak, but holds an 18-point advantage over second place Clint Bowyer in the latest Cup Series standings (459-441).
Gordon made his series debut at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga., in November 1992 and since has won 81 Sprint Cup races, including four at Atlanta, the second-best among active drivers.
