|
Jeff Gordon: Certainly a little bit of everything! I have been saying that our qualifying efforts have been down a bit and that has been a cause of some problems. We sat on the pole the last time there, but I spun out. It is about starting up front and getting good track position. It was a total team effort. I drove my heart out, Robbie made some great calls and it was a great team effort.
Question from: Gordo24Rulez Hey Jeff, are there any more Pepsi or Frito commercials coming out? I enjoyed the changing billboard commercial!
Jeff Gordon: Yes, I shot another one for Pepsi at the same time we shot that one. I just saw it about a month or so ago. It will either be out at the end of this year or early next year. I don't have any plans for additional Fritos commercials right now.
| |
 |
| Credit: Autostock |
Question from: WardFan22 Jeff, after working through a victory drought and then scoring a win, does it make you realize you need to appreciate wins more now because they are so hard to come by, especially during your career when wins come in bunches?
Jeff Gordon: I guarantee you I am not taking these for granted! There is no doubt that going through this it makes you stronger as a team. It makes you work that much harder and it makes you appreciate each win and realize how hard they are to come by even more.
Question from: CRYS74 Just wondering if you could tell us some of the responsibilities you've assumed becoming co-owner of the No. 48 car and how you balance that with your own racing career?
Jeff Gordon: Most of my input in that was done last year when we were battling for the Championship, with me sitting in with sponsors and trying to make sure all the right people were in place. We had already hired Jimmie at that point. Now my role is just to be the best teammate I can be. The team is in place, the structure is there, they have done a great job gelling and now we just need to share as much information as possible between the drivers and teams.
Question from: HeatherT What is the biggest misconception that you feel some people assume about you?
| |
 |
| Credit: Autostock |
Jeff Gordon: Probably that I expect to win! I don't know. I am not sure what people have for expectations of me. Maybe they think that I live this super, super glamorous life, but I feel like I am normal and down to earth. I appreciate life and just try to be realistic about things. I just try to take things as they come one day at time.
Question from: Judge01 Jeff, can you explain the difference between your pass on Rusty Saturday night to win the Sharpie 500 and Robby Gordon's pass on you to win at New Hampshire last year?
Jeff Gordon: Well, nobody wrecked. At New Hampshire, I was passing a car and Robby didn't even have a shot at it. It was a cheap shot without a chance at winning. With Rusty and I, he made a mistake and got loose. He put a block me on and I certainly pushed him out of the way.
You know, it doesn't matter what end you are on. When you on the receiving end, you are not going to like it, and if you are on the giving end, you look for a way to justify it. I know Robby was hungry to get that win and he was going to do anything to get it, and that was kind of the position I was in this weekend.
Question from: Fire n' Flames 24 Jeff, congratulations on the great win on Saturday night. I was wondering what you think of the kickout that they gave Chevy for Michigan and if you think that the 2003 Chevy will be an improvement aero-wise?
Jeff Gordon: I definitely think the 2003 Chevy will be a big improvement towards getting us more towards the Dodges and Fords. It was nice to get the kickout and if we work with it more, we will get more out of it. As for Michigan, we didn't get to maximize the front downforce that we needed, but we will have it again this weekend and try it out. Hopefully it will make a difference for us there.
Question from: shelbi Jeff, obviously Jimmie is a great find for you. What are your plans for him (in regards to a race team) in the future? Do you plan on working with him to help him improve as a driver and teach him, or is it merely a business decision to have him in a car of yours?
Jeff Gordon: I think Jimmie is going to be a major part of Hendrick Motorsports future. I always knew he was a good driver and a good person, but he has exceeded our expectations. We are looking to lengthen his contract, as well as Lowe's. He is only going to get better, and my plans are going to continue being a partner with Rick on the race teams. I don't want to be a car owner on my own. I want to be with Rick or not at all. Everything is going great and I want to continue with that.
Question from: Ders---#24/#48 fan We all know there has been a lot of talk about the "Young Guns vs. The Good 'Ol Boys." Now you don't really fall into either category, but your boy Jimmie does, what are your thoughts on this matter?
| |
 |
| Credit: Autostock |
Jeff Gordon: I think there is a lot to be said about the young guys in our sport. They are aggressive and exciting and that is good for the sport. With the cars that we have today, that attitude is paying off. I am always looking to find ways to grow and get more experience and get better, and what happens is that you tend to get stuck in your old ways. It is nice to have a younger guy like Jimmie around that approaches things with a better attitude or aggressiveness. That has helped me to be a better driver in this hunt for the Championship.
Question from: openwheeler Jeff, there are some rumors going around that you have purchased the 11H car of Dave Helm in the World of Outlaws. Would like to know if this is true. If so, will you keep Stevie Smith as your driver?
Jeff Gordon: That is not true. I am a huge World of Outlaws fan and Stevie Smith fan. I haven't done anything like that. I think that series has a lot of potential, but with the economy the way it is, it is hard to get sponsorships. Tony Stewart has had a lot of fun with it and I would love to look at that in the future, but I don't have any immediate plans right now.
Question from: Dan Jeff, obviously things worked well for you at Bristol - you guys did a great job! What is the strategy this weekend?
Jeff Gordon: The strategy is the same. We qualified in the front row last time and we had a really strong car, but we had some problems. Hopefully we can qualify really strong and have a good car and things will work out for us. The confidence and attitude levels are up and we have some positive things working for us. It is funny how one day you are not even a threat for the Championship or win races, and then the next you are the guy that everyone needs to look out for! Haha
Question from: FiredUpFlames24 I saw your team wearing those "Refuse To Lose" t-shirts in Victory Lane and I was wondering, is that shirt available for fans to purchase, too? I know I would wear that shirt proudly.
Jeff Gordon: That is a good question! Action Performance would be the ones to talk to about that. I don't know if we sell those or not, or if it is just for the team to wear proudly in Victory Lane! I am sure there is a way to get some out there, either that the team has had or through Action Performance.
Question from: XXIV_Fan Hi Jeff and congratulations on your impressive win at Bristol. I was wondering if you have any regrets about your career or anything that you would do differently if you had the chance?
Jeff Gordon: No way! Thank you very much, first of all, but how could I have any regrets!? I have exceeded anything I thought I would accomplish. Who would have thought that I would win Championships and over 50 races? I cant imagine anything going any better than they have so far, so no, no way.
Question from: DAmerks25 Jeff, you were HILARIOUS on Regis and Kelly! Did you enjoy doing the show and do you plan on doing any more TV work?
| |
 |
| Credit: Autostock |
Jeff Gordon: Yes, I love the show! It is a great show, a fun show and a live show. I liked working with Regis before. If they call me and it fits in my schedule, I would love to do it again. It is totally different from what I normally do and I don't get to do it very often. They make it easy on me to come in and do that and they are very prepared for me.
Question from: JEFFFAN Jeff, obviously you have attracted a lot of female fans to racing. How do you feel about women taking a more prevalent role in the future of NASCAR and their increased involvement in the sport?
Jeff Gordon: I think it has been great! That is where the sport is really growing, the female fans and the younger fans. It is changing so much in who is watching us out there racing. I hope to see more and more of it. I think you will see the sport get steered towards the new fans coming in. You will see a change in the apparel styles and a change in the way it is marketed so that the sponsors can get more products out there geared towards the female fans.
Question from: walkerclark Jeff, CONGRATS!! Just wondering Have you ever had a job outside of racing??? Like a "normal" 9-5 M-F job?? If so, what was it?
| |
 |
| Credit: Autostock |
Jeff Gordon: Racing has been in my life since I was 5-years-old, but there were summers that I worked for my family business. I never worked at McDonalds or anything like that, but I did sweep floors in the machine shop my family owned. That was just to make money to play around with my friends.
Question from: deb4jeff Before the start of the race a crewman was holding something up to the grill. Was there something wrong with the car and was there a chance it might not have made it onto the track?
Jeff Gordon: If I had to guess, it was a rag or towel over the grill to stop any airflow in there to warm the water and oil temperature. You don't want to go out there and not have things come up to the proper temperature.
Question from: walkerclark Jeff, I know that you LOVE scuba diving. I was just wondering if you had got to go lately?
Jeff Gordon: I went in July right after the Daytona race and I got a chance down in the Bahamas. I did a wreck dive down there. That was a lot of fun and I enjoy going every chance I get, but that was the last time.
Question from: Go_24_Go I was wondering what you think about the dramatic displays of frustration that are becoming more commonplace at the track?
Jeff Gordon: I think it just shows the intensity level of racing these days and how much is on the line. There is so much on the line. You are talking about jobs, sponsorships, Championships and everyone is just putting so much in to it.
| |
 |
| Credit: Autostock |
It is just so hard to win these days and if it doesn't go the way you want it to, it is easy to go from intensity to frustration. I think in a lot of ways it is good for the sport for the fans to be able to see the raw emotions. We need to make sure we control those emotions to a certain level, but we shouldn't at any time be open and not show our frustrations and the emotional levels we are going through out there.
Question from: pookie210 I was wondering how you feel about the new 13-gallon gas tank rule. Do you think more pit stops are the answer to preventing "the big one?"
Jeff Gordon: It is going to be very interesting. I am more afraid that it will turn it into a fuel mileage race instead of preventing the wrecks. It has some pluses. If you have green flag stops, it will break up the packs. I really don't want to comment too much on it until we get through one of the races. For the teams with good fuel mileage, it will be a big plus for them. If we go green, some teams might be able to go without one whole stop compared to the other teams.
Question from: CA*girl Tony Stewart has a book out, and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. has a book out. Is this something you'd be interested in doing, and if so, when?
Jeff Gordon: I had some offers on some book deals but they aren't the kind of book I want to put out. I am more of a private person and those guys shared a lot of stuff about their personal lives. There are just some things I want to keep to myself. I am afraid that if I did a book, people would find it boring and not want to buy it because I didn't put in all the personal and gossip stuff, so right now I don't have any plans.
Question from: snoopy24 My question to you is what do you consider the to be the most difficult aspect of being a Winston Cup driver?
Jeff Gordon: I would say it is between the pressure and the schedule. Those two things are very difficult. We are traveling all the time, and testing, and doing things for our sponsors. It takes a lot to do that, and it is hard on the crews. They have to be in the shop and travel and that is extremely hard for them.
| |
 |
| Credit: Autostock |
The pressure gets greater and greater to win and perform. That just adds to what it takes to go out there and do your job every week. When you travel, you spend too much time away from home. If I could change anything, it would be the schedule, but it is what it is and I don't think it will change any time soon.
Question from: Dialn24 I read your post race comments about Rusty putting you into the wall at Richmond a while back. Is there some bad blood still there, and are you worried about him wrecking you again?
Jeff Gordon: You know, there is. Rusty and I get along very well, but we are both intense competitors, like me and Tony Stewart. We may disagree at the track once in a while, but we put that behind us and keep racing. I don't think anything intentional will happen from this. If there is contact or something in the future, it could happen, but I don't see anything intentional coming out of this at all.
Question from: Loaks Jeff, what would be the advantages and disadvantages of the bigger greenhouse cars? How would they handle on super speedways?
Jeff Gordon: I don't think they would handle very well, but the whole concept of that is to take the downforce away from the car, get down the aero and bring back softer tires and grip we have these days. I think it needs to have a lot more work done, a lot more research done. It sounds great in theory but until I get behind the wheel and drive it, I don't know. I think it is great for safety to get the drivers out quicker and faster, especially with everything we have put in the cars now. It will take a lot of work and I don't think it will happen any time soon.
Question from: Gordon-Nadeau-Johnson Fan Congrats Jeff! It seemed as though you and Jerry Nadeau had a pretty good relationship. When Hendrick Motorsports replaced him, did it affect you? How does a driver deal with something like that?
Jeff Gordon: Yeah, you've got to sometimes just put business and friendships aside. I still am good friends with Jerry and think the world of him. It wasn't working out for him or for Hendrick Motorsports. I support Hendrick Motorsports on the decision, but I think Jerry is a great driver and he has a lot to offer to a team out there and I certainly wish him all the best.
Question from: rcizzy Is there one track out there that frustrates you more than any other?
Jeff Gordon: I think New Hampshire and Homestead. They are big sized, flat tracks, and New Hampshire last time had the pavement coming apart. When you are at this level and go to these facilities, it should be ready 100%. It was uncalled for this last time there, and they are great owners, but I hope that next time we go back things get worked out.
Question from: mike4dupont24 Jeff, have you given any thought to taking a shot at some open wheel racing (CART, Indy, F1) during your career?
Jeff Gordon: I had a chance a few weeks ago to drive Juan Montoya's car and I hate that that didn't work out. I was excited about it, but that is the only interest I have. I just want to try it out for fun, but my career will be with stock cars and Winston Cup. We were going to swap cars. He was going to drive mine and I was going to drive his at Indy. We are still not going to count it out and keep looking at the schedule to try and make that happen. I think it would be a lot of fun!
Question from: JGFANGO24 Jeff, do you think that with only 12 races left that you can pull it off and win your 5th Winston Cup title? Or are you just focused on finishing in the top 5 in points?
Jeff Gordon: Heck no! We have a shot at this thing! We are on top of the world right now! We are a major threat for the Championship. There are some tracks left that we can capitalize on. We are going to go forward with that goal and we have momentum now coming from Bristol. It just created a spark we haven't had all year and I want to keep it going.
With the year we have had and only being 111 points out, that is great. Like I said, we went from the media saying we couldn't win a race and now we are the guys to watch for the Championship, and we kind of feel the same way.
Thank you Jeff! That's all the time we have today, do you have any final thoughts?
Jeff Gordon: Thanks and I enjoyed this! You had great questions and hopefully we will be back again next week after winning Darlington. We want to be a 5-time Champion! That would be an awesome accomplishment for us!
|
