Winless in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, four-time premiere class champion Jeff Gordon is keen to have 2008 behind him and very much looks forward to bigger and better things to come upon the beginning of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, February 14.

"I believe in myself that I still have what it takes," declared Gordon who placed seventh in his 2008 title run and failed to win a race for the first time since his rookie season in 1993.

Gordon also conceded the fact that it took him longer than he expected to get his head wrapped around the NASCAR mandated Car of Tomorrow.

"Any veteran that you talk to, if they're honest with you, they'll tell you that sometimes it takes a little longer to transition through new cars, new set-ups, new tires, and so last year was a little bit of an adjustment for me that I think I'm well prepared for this year, but might have got a little behind on it last year.”

He then added: "I feel like we really hit on some things later in the year, but it was too late. So we have a good direction."

As they say, “You can’t keep a good man down”, and Jeff Gordon did not become a four-time Sprint Cup winner by happenstance. "No matter what kind of season we have, whether we won 13 races or no races, you always look at what you can do to be better for the next season, and that's the way I'm looking at it this season," he said. "I'm not dwelling on the fact that we didn't win. I'm not sitting here saying we're not capable of winning. I think that we are. I felt like we had some races that got away from us last year that we could have won, but you've got to seize those moments and opportunities, especially as competitive as it is these days. If you look at the guys that were winning last year, they weren't spreading the love around a whole lot."

All things considered, though, Gordon knows having a great season means going toe-to-toe with teammate and fellow native Californian Jimmie Johnson.

"How can you bet against the 48 team?" he said, all too aware of Johnson’s three straight Sprint Cup Championships.. "I think that they were just incredible last year because they didn't start out as the best car and the best team, and the way that they stepped up when it came time for the Chase was to me something that's scary for every other competitor out there. There's no doubt that they've got an excellent shot at doing four in a row, and they've got a lot of pressure on them, as well. "But I think that there were teams out there that showed that they can compete with them like Carl (Edwards) in the 99. I always look at us as one of those teams that you just never know what we're capable of until that time comes. So I certainly don't count ourselves out of that, either."