Article: Crew chief has Jeff Gordon on track for a championship.

Byline: Ed Hinton

May 17--Jeff Gordon is flying again through NASCAR like the "Wonder Boy" of a decade ago, running away in the Nextel Cup points standings, winning or nearly winning every Sunday lately -- and still gaining momentum.

Why?

Steve Letarte.

That's it. That's everything, embodied in one deceptively baby-faced New Englander who just turned 28 and doesn't even look his age.

How good is Letarte as a crew chief?

"Better than I was," says Ray Evernham, widely deemed the best there has been in NASCAR. Until lately.

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