Gordon hunting for three in a row at Richmond.

Duck Season! Rabbit Season! Duck Season! Rabbit Season!

Jeff Gordon hopes the other 42 drivers are chasing a rabbit at the end of Saturday night's Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 at Richmond International Raceway.

Gordon, driver of the DuPont Chevrolet, is looking for his third consecutive trip to victory lane after wins at Bristol and Darlington. His "co-pilot" for the night, Bugs Bunny, is still looking for his first NASCAR victory.

"Last year, we had fire in our eyes when we were racing for our fourth championship," Gordon said. "We lost a little bit of that for a while but kept the faith in one another. After the last two wins, we have the fire back. I hope Bugs has it, too."

Gordon has climbed from fifth to second in the point standings over the past two weeks and has cut Sterling Marlin's lead on him from 150 to 91. Only once in Gordon's four championship years has he trailed the points leader this deep into the season. In 1997, he was second with only 10 races remaining and edged Dale Jarrett and Mark Martin in the closest three-way battle for the Winston Cup championship in the modern era (1972 - present).

"This year is shaping up to be another close race for the championship," Gordon said. "Five or six guys still have a shot at it.

"We're second in points right now, so we're in the position of 'the hunter.' I love it because you have nothing to lose. When you're the team needing points and wins, you go for broke and take risks which can either pay off or bite you. Right now, it's definitely paying off."

In 19 races at Richmond, Gordon has two wins, four poles, nine top-fives and 13 top-10's. While he hasn't enjoyed the type of success he has at Darlington (six wins) or at Bristol (five wins), Gordon loves the twice-annual trip to Richmond.

"I've always said that if I were to build a track, I'd model it after Richmond," Gordon said. "The fans really love it - "especially under the lights" and the drivers like it because you can race side-by-side lap after lap.

"But at the chequered flag, you're hoping the side-by-side racing is in your rear-view mirror."