Jeff Gordon has a lot going for him in Sonoma
By SceneDaily Staff
Sunday, June 22, 2008
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John Harrelson / Getty Images for NASCAR
Jeff Gordon's daughter, Ella Sofia, sits in his car prior to a NASCAR Sprint Cup race earlier this season.
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SONOMA, Calif. – Every year on the day before the event at Infineon Raceway, Jeff Gordon gathers with friends and family in the nearby Napa Valley for a time of fellowship and reflection.
His ties to the Sonoma, Calif., area run deep.
He is a native of nearby Vallejo, Calif. He announced his engagement to now-wife Ingrid Vandebosch at the track in 2006. His daughter, Ella Sophia, was born during the week leading up to last year’s Infineon event. And he’s won a NASCAR Cup series-record five races at the 10-turn, 1.99-mile road course, too.
A win in today’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 would just put the icing on the cake of what has already been a festive past few days for the four-time NASCAR Cup champion.
“This is a place we just love to come to,” Gordon said. “We just really enjoy it, whether it’s me enjoying time with my family and friends, or as a couple, Ingrid and myself just enjoying this weekend. The racing still is intense. Once I get in the race car, it’s still intense and tough. But once I leave here, I get to go and relax and really get away from [the track]. I’m not going to my bus and not just wracking my brain about racing the whole time.
“So it’s always been that way for me ever since I’ve been coming here, is that get-away and relaxation and enjoying the area and the Wine Country and the restaurants and all those things.”
The racing at Infineon has been just as good to Gordon – even on some days when it seemed good fortune was not with him.
One of his most memorable Infineon experiences came one year when he was leading the race and his seat belts came undone. A caution allowed Gordon to latch his belts on pit road and continue on.
He ended up winning the race.
“It was a hot day,” Gordon said, noting that he doesn’t remember the exact year of that race. “I was exhausted. It was just one of those days where it seemed like everything was trying to go against us, and we still fought through and won the race. That was a spectacular day and win, and a huge moment for the team.”
Gordon scored his most recent Infineon victory in 2006. His other wins were in 2004, 2000, 1999 and 1998. Three of those triumphs were from the pole position.
Still, even though he's conquered Infineon five times, Gordon doesn’t believe he has mastered it.
“I love road racing,” the Hendrick Motorsports driver said. “I love road racing at Sonoma. But this is a tricky track. It’s very easy to make mistakes here. You have to really race the race track.”
Gordon’s Infineon resume gives him particularly high hopes for today’s race. Starting fifth, he is still seeking his first win of the 2008 season. He is also hoping to put some distance between himself and the 13th-place driver in the Sprint Cup standings. Gordon is ninth in the standings.
Thought he obviously wants a victory, it's already been a winning weekend as far as Gordon is concerned.
“I don’t want to put that kind of pressure on us to feel like we have to win here and then if we don’t it’s our last opportunity or a failed weekend,” he said. “I really just want to come in here and do what we know we’re capable of doing and try not to make mistakes, put the best car out there and go about it like we would any other time."
- Mentioned Drivers:
- Jeff Gordon
Comments
1 response to "Jeff Gordon has a lot going for him in Sonoma"
Tim Edick said:
Jun 24, 2008 at 4:42 PMJeff does have a lot going for him but unfortunetly a good car isn't one of them. He's a great driver and Steve is proving to be a real good Crew Chief. The combination of those two together is what has him currently in the Chase, but they need to figure out this car soon or they'll fall by the wayside.
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