The fan
Gordon admits he was excited to see Earnhardt win in '98
Posted: Saturday February 13, 1999 12:09 AM
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Gordon on Dale Earnhardt Sr.: "Even if I was there in the race at the end and finished second to him, I still would have been happy for him." AP |
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Yes, Jeff Gordon earned $9 million last season in his race car, and he certainly wants to win the Daytona 500 for the second time in his career.
But the three-time Winston Cup champion doesn't mind admitting he's also a fan.
At the top of his list is the man he replaced as "The Man" in Winston Cup racing -- Dale Earnhardt.
"I wanted to see him win the Daytona 500," said Gordon, a non-factor at the end last year when Earnhardt broke through in his 20th try. "Even if I was there in the race at the end and finished second to him, I still would have been happy for him."
Gordon, who has the pole for Sunday's race, also wants Mark Martin to win a series championship.
"He's done everything in this sport you could ask for," Gordon said.
But there are limits, he explained.
"You don't want him to beat you for it," Gordon said.
Spencer's spin
Jimmy Spencer, one of five drivers who will try to win a $1 million bonus in the Daytona 500, believes fan participation is a great idea.
But Spencer thinks the promotion by series sponsor R.J. Reynolds could be taken a step beyond just $1 million for both the driver and the lucky fan who gets him in a draw.
"I think we ought to put a second seat in the car and let them ride with us," he said.
Spencer, Jeff Gordon, Dale Jarrett, Terry Labonte and Jeremy Mayfield are eligible for the bonus as a result of their top-five finishes last October in the Winston 500 -- one of five designated bonus races.
Some like it hot
Terry Labonte hears all the talk about the warm weather this month in Daytona Beach, and wishes it weren't so cool.
And a forecast for temperatures in the mid-60s, a drop of about 15 degrees from what it has been for more than a week, doesn't thrill him.
"I wish it was 100 degrees," the three-time runner-up in the Daytona 500 said.
The warmer weather makes the track slicker because oil seeps up through tiny cracks in the asphalt, a situation much to the liking of the two-time Winston Cup champion.
"I wish it was hot, then the track would go away a little and the cars wouldn't handle as good and you'd be better off passing people," he said.
Pit stops
With Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Tony Stewart and Bobby Labonte occupying two of the first three spots on the grid for the Daytona 500, the chances of Pontiac winning the race are better than they have been in years. Pontiacs have won only three of the previous 40 Daytona 500s. ... On Sunday, Terry Labonte, the ironman of Winston Cup racing, will extend his record for consecutive starts to 603. ... Ricky Rudd begins this season with at least one victory in each of the past 16 years, a modern NASCAR record. Richard Petty won races in 18 consecutive seasons -- the first 12 before the schedule was dramatically reduced in 1972.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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