Gordon says he and Earnhardt Jr. have grown closer at Hendrick
By SceneDaily Staff
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Chris Graythen / Getty Images
FORT WORTH, Texas – Much has changed for Jeff Gordon in the last year.
His wife, Ingrid Vandebosch, gave birth to the couple’s first child, daughter Ella Sophia. Gordon tied and broke the late Dale Earnhardt’s mark of 76 career victories to take over sixth-place on the Cup series' all-time wins list. And last April, Gordon went to victory lane in his 17th start at Phoenix International Raceway – one of three remaining NASCAR Sprint Cup Series tracks where he hadn’t won.
But the four-time Cup champion has witnessed another change just since the beginning of the 2008 season. He now has a different kind of relationship with first-year teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr.
“We just didn't see one another or talk a whole lot before," Gordon said on Friday at Texas Motor Speedway, site of Sunday's Samsung 500. "From time to time we would [and] we always got along good, raced hard on the racetrack. … We definitely see each other a lot more and talk a lot more now."
“We text one another back and forth. I flew home with him after Martinsville last week, so we got to talk a lot then. I like having him as a teammate, man. He is a lot of fun to have around and knowledgeable and brings a lot to the table.”
When Earnhardt Jr. announced last May that he would leave Dale Earnhardt Inc. for Hendrick Motorsports in 2008, some fans struggled to picture he and Gordon – often considered polar opposites where driver loyalties are concerned – in the same camp.
"You know, people think of us as rivals. I think you will get that if you talk to the fans,” Gordon said. “As competitors out there, every driver out there is my rival because they are a competitor. But, I never looked as him as a rival. I looked at him as a competitor.”
Gordon said having Earnhardt Jr. at Hendrick has been particularly beneficial from a marketing standpoint.
"He is always going to be the most popular guy no matter what team he drives for. My souvenir sales are never going to be as good as his,” Gordon said. “So, it doesn't matter if he is driving for Hendrick or DEI or whoever he went to drive for, that part of it was never going to change. To me, it hasn't been that big of a transition."
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