Support » SCENE-please remove inappropriate photos of the dead/horrific
Meg, I liked the flowers, too! Especially the gold/yellow one. I would much much rather look at those than the wrecks. I opened one of the wrecks and ignored...
Gordon looking for eighth win at Darlington Raceway
By SceneDaily Staff
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
David Griffin
NASCAR Scene
No active driver has more victories at famed Darlington Raceway than Jeff Gordon, and only David Pearson and Dale Earnhardt have won more races at the 1.366-mile track.
So the Hendrick Motorsports driver clearly has a lot of memories about the track that will host Saturday night's Dodge Challenger 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup race.
“I’ve always enjoyed racing here, and I’ve had some memorable moments,” Gordon said. “Like winning my first Southern 500 or battling Jeff Burton on the last lap with a million-dollar bonus on the line for our team.
“Last year was pretty memorable, too.”
Last year’s event was postponed by rain until Mother’s Day, and Gordon’s mother and sister were in attendance. So was his wife, Ingrid Vandebosch, who was pregnant with their daughter at the time.
“… That was her last race of traveling before giving birth to Ella,” Gordon said. “My mom and my sister were there, and my sister – in all these years – had never been to victory lane for one of my wins.”
But this victory wouldn’t come easily. Gordon didn’t necessarily have the fastest car that day, but solid pit strategy helped him get the lead. Still, there were obstacles to overcome.
“With about 100 laps to go, the water temperature on the DuPont Chevrolet skyrocketed, and I thought we were done,” Gordon said. “My crew chief, Steve Letarte, made a great call to stay on the track while others pitted late in the race, and that allowed me to run in clean air.
“We were fortunate to pull into victory lane with steam pouring out of the overflow vent. I didn’t think we’d make it to the end of the race, and I guess neither did my stepfather, John Bickford.
“John, my mom, sister and nephew were already halfway home.”
They missed his seventh victory at Darlington, and he’ll go for No. 8 this weekend. That would put him one behind Earnhardt and two behind Pearson on the track’s all-time win list.
The track has been repaved since last year, but Gordon said “the Darlington we all love is still here.”
“I’m really excited about the race this weekend,” the four-time Cup champion said. “The track is smooth and super fast, but it’s the same Darlington. They did a fantastic job.
“The track is unreal, and I had a blast during the test. The bumps aren’t there, and you’re going much faster, but you run the same line you always Have, and the track has the same characteristics.”
Mentioned Drivers: Jeff Gordon
2009 Sprint Cup Race for the Chase Standings
Driver Standings after the AMP Energy 500
| 1 | Jimmie Johnson | 6248 |
| 2 | Mark Martin | -184 |
| 3 | Jeff Gordon | -192 |
| 4 | Juan Pablo Montoya | -239 |
| 5 | Tony Stewart | -279 |
| 6 | Kurt Busch | -312 |
| 7 | Greg Biffle | -340 |
| 8 | Ryan Newman | -402 |
| 9 | Kasey Kahne | -414 |
| 10 | Carl Edwards | -437 |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | -448 |
| 12 | Brian Vickers | -556 |
Popular News
-
Hendrick Motorsports' Dale Earnhardt Jr. eager for return to Texas Motor Speedway
Comments (138) -
Richard Petty Motorsports' AJ Allmendinger charged with driving while impaired
Comments (73) -
JR Motorsports continues work on bringing Danica Patrick to NASCAR
Comments (69) -
NASCAR says bump-drafting rules not to blame for single-file Talladega racing
Comments (67) -
Dave Rogers to become Kyle Busch's new Cup crew chief at Joe Gibbs Racing
Comments (64)
Recent Headlines
-
Nationwide penalty likely for opening-day violation by Kyle Busch team
Comments (6) -
Kyle Busch pulls off Texas two-step by winning Nationwide race
Comments (9) -
Oklahoma teacher named Dickies American Worker of the Year
Post Comment -
Roush Fenway Racing's Donnie Wingo set to return to organization for 2010 NASCAR season
Post Comment -
Toyota executive addresses Formula One decision, Earnhardt Ganassi possibility
Comments (6)
Poll PositionView All
Which NASCAR Sprint Cup race winner from the past two seasons is most likely to earn his first victory of 2009 in the next three races?
Promotions
-
Play "WIX Filters' Pick 3" stock car fantasy and win prizes. Season 2 is now in session!
-
Tweet your thoughts about each race and join the conversation with other fans.
-
Drive an authentic NASCAR Sprint Cup car at the NASCAR Racing Experience.
-
Cast your vote for the NASCAR Illustrated 2009 Person of the Year, presented by Old Spice.
-
Make weekly pics for the Chase and be entered to win weekly SPEED Merchandise.
Comments
2 responses to "Gordon looking for eighth win at Darlington Raceway". Post a Comment.
Anonymous said:
May 8, 2008 at 1:30 PMJeff, I have one thing to say -
Report as AbuseSHAVE! Scruffy is not a good look for you! (And not what your fans expect, either. What works for JR. and Stewart does not work for you!
Report Abuse
This feature is intended to allow you to report comments that are abusive in terms of foul/vulgar language, harassment, racial/religious prejudice and any words/phrases of a related nature. This feature should not be used to report users who simply make a comment about your favorite driver, with which you do not agree. Commenting is a forum in which we can all express our opinions. Reporting abuse of others should be done with this in mind.
» Confirm Abuse ReportJeanie Herring said:
May 9, 2008 at 12:17 PMJeff does not need to shave or anything else he doesn't want to do.
Report as AbuseSexy is sexy and that spells JEFF...
Report Abuse
This feature is intended to allow you to report comments that are abusive in terms of foul/vulgar language, harassment, racial/religious prejudice and any words/phrases of a related nature. This feature should not be used to report users who simply make a comment about your favorite driver, with which you do not agree. Commenting is a forum in which we can all express our opinions. Reporting abuse of others should be done with this in mind.
» Confirm Abuse Report