Jeff Gordon takes rain-shortened Pocono, vaults into Chase competition

Even for a sport built on conspiracy and back-room dealing, Sunday's Pocono race was an all-timer. I mean, look: you had Jimmie Johnson, fastest car in the field, "mysteriously" losing grip and taking out not just himself but Roush Fenway drivers Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle, as well as Pocono master Denny Hamlin. End result? Dale Earnhardt Jr. holds onto the points lead. Then you had rain coming at exactly the moment Jeff Gordon took the lead...yeah, that's just too much of a coincidence.

Or, you know, maybe things just broke that way, and Jeff Gordon was the lucky guy in the right place at the right time. You believe what you want to believe.

Jeff Gordon is the third-winningest driver in NASCAR history, so he