Look, it’s been a difficult season for Jeff Gordon and yes, he hasn’t won a title since the inception of the Chase. In fact you have to go back to 2001 to find the last time Gordon was at the peak of the Cup Series mountain. But to say Gordon can not or will not win another title is ludicrous.

Gordon is one of the best drivers in history. Last season is a perfect example with his six wins (second to Jimmie Johnson), 21 top-fives (first) and 30 top-10s (first). Now, he didn’t the win the title — Johnson had an amazing Chase that was hard to top — but Gordon was in it until the very end.

It’s true, if Gordon doesn’t win in the final three events, this will be the first time since his rookie year in 1993 he’s gone a full season without a win — but does one bad season mean all of a sudden the man with 81 career wins can no longer drive?

Quite simply — no. And even though Gordon will tell you this season has been a disappointment, it hasn’t been a complete embarrassment. Gordon is tied for fourth on the season in top-fives with 11; is tied for fifth in top-10s with 17 and is tied for third, with championship contenders Johnson and Carl Edwards, in lead-lap finishes with 27.

The simple fact is the wins haven’t been there.

But Gordon has shown in his 17 years in the Cup Series he knows how to win. He may be entering the twilight of his career, but as long as he stays in that No. 24 car he’s a championship threat and he WILL win a couple more before he’s ready to hang up the helmet.

• Bill Kimm, NASCAR.COM

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.

Everyone knows all good things must come to an end and drivers’ careers are no exception.

Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip, Cale Yarborough — all the greats find the end of the tunnel sooner or later and I think Jeff Gordon may find his sooner rather than later.

We all realize the four-time champion will go on to win dozens or more races in the upcoming seasons and maybe even pull one out before the end of this season, but a fifth Sprint Cup title may not be in his future.

The 37-year-old is facing too many obstacles.

From 1994 to 2007, Gordon has won races every season, but with the inception of the new generation car, he and crew chief Steve Letarte have failed to master the machine like some of the other younger drivers.

Speaking of younger drivers, the influx of young guns and their youthful edge isn’t going to lessen — and Gordon isn’t getting any younger.

If NASCAR chooses to keep the existing, gimmicky Chase format, then Gordon’s chances of a fifth title diminish even more. If NASCAR had left the old points system intact instead of the changing to the current point system in 2004, Gordon would have won two more titles.

Also, Jimmie Johnson and his team have learned to circumvent the system. Gordon and Letarte have yet to tap into their potential as a dynamic duo much like Chad Knaus and Johnson did years ago.

And finally, we’ve all seen that beautiful child balanced on his wife’s hip most Sunday’s standing on pit road. Gordon wants to be a family man off the road, not on it — which could be the biggest factor in him not winning another title.

• Raygan Swan, NASCAR.COM

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.