Chat Transcript: Jeff Gordon

Jeff Gordon: Good morning to everyone on NASCAR.com! I am happy to be back online and looking forward to your questions.

JG24JJ48: Hello Mr. Gordon! Awesome win at Martinsville! It was great to see you win so early in the season! Are you planning on doing a few commercials this year?

Jeff Gordon: I don't have any scheduled right now. I definitely want to let everyone know when we have some updates, but we do them mostly in the offseason, so I don't have any plans for them right now.

24alltheway: Jeff, what is your take on the new Chevy body style this year now that you have run the car on the superspeedway, as well as the short tracks? Do you feel the car is a good fit for both?

Jeff Gordon: Yes, I do. I am pretty happy with it. It took us a few races at the beginning of the season to get to know the body, but all the makes are extremely close to each other now so it has certainly equaled things out.

Pam?for24: Jeff, how do you feel about NASCAR's ruling during the race where you passed Matt Kenseth on the caution lap when they did not let you have the lead?

	Jeff Gordon's No. 24 Chevrolet has finished in the top 10 five times this season. Credit: Autostock

Jeff Gordon: I certainly was confused about the pass at the time because I knew that I had kept some cars a lap down and felt like NASCAR was going to just put me in the lead even though I wasn't trying to take it. It came out later that they felt like they made a mistake and it was just one of those things during the race that you try and put behind you and not worry about it.

JG24JJ48: Hello Mr. Gordon! Do you think expectations are higher or lower for you this year than they were last year?

Jeff Gordon: I think any time you come off a championship year your expectations are a lot higher. After last year, I don't think that the expectations are too high for this year and I kind of like that. We can go about our business and be under the radar. When we are in the thick of it at the end of the year, they will know we are for real.

dc-guy: Jeff, you have only taken one provisional in your entire time in Winston Cup career. That is an unbelievable, but hardly ever discussed, stat. What is the key to your great qualifying success?

Jeff Gordon: I have always liked to qualify ever since I can remember, even starting back in the quarter midgets. If you put the right equipment and horsepower underneath me and the car, we will qualify really well. That is real important for us. A lot of success and wins have come to us because of our qualifying.

DirtyDoubleDozen: I want to know of all the awards, contracts, memories, etc. that you have received, what one thing would you keep if all the rest were taken away? Which single thing would mean the most?

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Jeff Gordon: That is just it, what you really hold on to and take with you are the memories -- the wins, the losses, the great moves, the crashes, etc. The one win that is most memorable for me is probably the inaugural Brickyard 400. I put more value in the memories with my team and celebrating with the people that worked hard to make it happen than the trophies. That is what makes winning so much fun.

jedicon: Jeff, what happened at California and how frustrating is it when your guys can't fix the problem all weekend long?

Jeff Gordon: That was a frustrating race for us. We were not bad during qualifying day, but in the race we really struggled. We couldn't really hit the balance. If we knew what was wrong we would have fixed it! Haha To come out with an 11th-place finish shows how good the team was and that we didn't give up. When we go to Michigan we will work to make sure we are much better than we were in California.

Fuzz1824: Jeff, congratulations on your recent win at Martinsville. Do you think the fact that there have been like nine different winners in 10 races is due to the common template or just that everyone is just "that good"? Or both?

Jeff Gordon: I think that the competition is just that strong and everyone has stepped up. There are a lot of talented drivers and race teams out there. It is because of both that and because of NASCAR with the templates and the rules that they regulate when the cars go through inspection.

erica: Jeff, when was the "gentlemen's agreement" first agreed upon? I find it frustrating to watch the leader of a race slow down on the track to let another car get a lap back.

Jeff Gordon: The gentlemen's agreement has nothing to do with letting the lap cars get a lap back -- it has to deal with passing for position when the caution comes out. You are supposed to stay behind those in front of you when the caution comes out, but in certain circumstances you are going to waive that agreement if it has to do with your position, or if there are cars trying to get a lap back that you want to stay a lap down.

Crys: You are often regarded as the motivator of the No. 24 team, always being supportive and encouraging toward your crew. What motivates and encourages you to perform well and stay calm and supportive even when things are not going well on the track?

	Jeff Gordon is third in the Winston Cup standings. Credit: Autostock

Jeff Gordon: I guess just years of experience and going through the ups and the downs of racing. I have been around it a long time and had a lot of great people that have encouraged me over the years, like my stepfather or car owners I have driven for, and now of course Rick Hendrick. They always stay calm and cool and I have just tried to learn from them over the years, and just winning motivates me. I don't have to push the guys on our team; I just try to set by example and they know what motivates me. I just try to encourage and motivate them the say ways they do for me.

The-OLD-MAN: Do you see NASCAR allowing Toyota to field a car in the future? And if so, how do you feel about it? Thanks, SSgt. John S. Dixon USAF, (somewhere in the AOR supporting the War on Terrorism)

Jeff Gordon: I would love to see Toyota and other foreign make cars get in Winston Cup racing, and by them getting in the Truck and Busch Series is the first step towards that. If they want to get to Winston Cup, they should test the waters. Once one comes, more and more will come. I am interested in seeing how it goes, and I want to see how the American fans and the NASCAR fans accept that. More and more people are buying different types of cars out there, but we are proud of Chevy and we will probably stay Chevy for as long as I am driving the car.

Angieshoequeen: It seems like you are more focused and on target this season. What changes have you made to help? Keep it up -- have a great season!

Jeff Gordon:We haven't really changed anything. We are doing the same things we did last year, but for some reason we are coming out of the box a lot stronger now. We had a lot of adversity last year, but we were coming together at the end of 2002 season. It is helping us with preparations for the races this year.

JCLingoLuvs24: Congratulations on your Martinsville win!! What are your thoughts on Mascaras inconsistency regarding rulings; i.e. Jr. driving below yellow line and your passing the leader during caution? Do you they favor certain drivers?

Jeff Gordon: Well, I don't know. I don't know if they favor anybody. I think there are some inconsistencies in the rules because they are not black & white -- they are judgment calls. When it comes to a judgment call, they would rather us leave it in their hands and not be black & white. I think it is something that they either need to get more consistent with or just create a black & white rule, and that is hard in racing. There will always be judgment calls out there, so we just have to agree and deal with the calls as they are made. Sometimes they will go your way, and sometimes they will not!

cozat5: I am a long time fan of NASCAR and my question is how do you feel about the race fans that don't have a garage pass or pit pass not being able to meet their favorite driver and get an autograph?

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Jeff Gordon: If you have a garage pass, you can still get an autograph. What the fans need to understand is that there is a time when autographs should be given, and there is a time that we need to work, focus and concentrate on the race. The drivers also need to have enough respect for the fans that when the pits go cold, they shouldn't run and hide and should sign autographs when they can. I have always said that the racetrack is the toughest place to get an autograph. The real place to get them is at appearances and sessions away from the track instead of at the racetrack.

NASCARNAVY: How will the body changes affect the road courses, or will you use one of the old cars for those two races? Also do you think you can continue to dominate these types of races?

Jeff Gordon: We are certainly going to have a new body on the road course car. I don't know if we are building a new one, but we won't use the same one we used a few years ago. We started transferring to a new chassis last year. I love the road courses and we are going to do some testing on them. I think we fell off some (or teams caught up to us) at Watkins Glen, so we are going to test and see if we can keep that momentum going and continue to dominate at road courses.

rookiefan: Hi Jeff, you are doing some great racing this season. What was the biggest surprise when you became part owner of the No. 48 car? And being an owner, has it affected how you race now?

Jeff Gordon: I guess the biggest surprise is just how fast the team came together, and Jimmie and Chad's performance has been phenomenal. I think we all thought it would take some time before it all came together, but they came together right away. All I do is support him and race them like I would any other teammate and just gather as much information as I can.

JG24JJ48: Hello Mr. Gordon! I'm VERY glad that you aren't having a Bugs Bunny car this year. He never did seem to do so well! My question is, why do you think that darn car could never have a good run?

Jeff Gordon:That is a good question! My team asked me the same thing and they told me no more Bugs cars. I am going to run a Yosemite Sam car at Phoenix instead. No more Bugs! It was a cool looking car, but we just couldn't get it to the finish line.

Fuzz1824: Jeff, is there anywhere in the country where you'd like to see a race added? Either by building a new track or going to a pre-existing track?

Jeff Gordon: I guess New York. I would like to see one closer to New York City. That would be really good for the sport and a lot of fans there would like to see a Winston Cup race. The closest track is Pocono, but that is a ways away.

HendrickCrew: Keep up the great work Jeff!!!! I was wondering how Rick Hendrick and yourself go about evaluating talent when you are looking for a new driver?

Jeff Gordon: Sometimes Rick comes to me and says, "What do you think about this guy or that guy?" and I will give him my opinion, or in Jimmie's situation, he and I were talking and I went to Rick and asked him about his opinion. It really is just sort of a discussion when it pops up, or if a name comes up then we will talk about it. It is usually him coming to me to talk about drivers.

ANDRAW: I thought you were hilarious on Saturday Night Live. Did you have fun doing it and when can we expect you back [on tv]?

Jeff Gordon: It was a blast! One of the experiences I will never forget and it was very funny. I don't have any plans right now, because once the season starts racing takes the whole schedule. Maybe something will pop up later in the year or during the offseason.

nascarchic24: Hey Jeff, I have a 4-year-old boy who loves NASCAR and is determined to become the next Jeff Gordon. I know you started at a young age. Do you have any helpful hints on getting him started?

Jeff Gordon: Yes, I think quarter midgets are a great way to get started. They are all over the country, so just try and find the nearest quarter midget association you can get involved with that is safe and you can afford.

NASCARMARY: Jeff, thank you for joining us, do you have any final thoughts?

Jeff Gordon:I loved all the questions! This was great. I look forward to getting back to Victory Lane soon and getting another chance to chat with anybody. Check out the exciting changes we are planning for JeffGordon.com soon as well!