Signature event

Fans come from all around for chance to meet, greet drivers

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) -- Janice Compton and her family drove eight hours for the chance to spend about 30 seconds with four-time Winston Cup champion Jeff Gordon.

"We just want to get a family portrait with Jeff," the Landenberg, Pa., woman said Saturday as husband Randy and children Megan and Jessica stood in a long line waiting for their moment with their favorite driver.

The Comptons were part of a throng of NASCAR fans, estimated at more than 10,000, that turned out for the 14th annual T. Wayne Robertson NASCAR Winston Cup Preview at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

On the coldest day so far this winter, with overnight temperatures dipping into the low teens, hundreds of fans lined up before dawn for $15 tickets to the event benefiting several local charities.

Wrist bands -- a maximum of 400 for each driver -- were handed out on a first-come, first-serve basis to ticket holders, allowing the fans to sit in a section or two of the Coliseum assigned to their favorite driver. All were guaranteed an audience with the driver.

As each driver's two-hour signing stint came up during the day, his fans streamed down the aisle, row by row, to the arena's floor.

Most fans clutched die-cast replicas of their favorite's car, framed photos, treasured pieces of old race cars or just about any other kind of souvenir linked to their driver. Each person was limited to two autographs.

Gerald Guill, of Danville, Va., wore a No. 17 baseball cap, a No. 17 jacket and carried a bag with a couple of No. 17 souvenirs. He moved steadily down the aisle toward Matt Kenseth, the driver of the No. 17 Ford.

"I've been here a few times and I've had him sign something every year," Guill said. "I love this. I wouldn't miss it."

Not everybody was happy, though.

Teenager Brittany Phillips, of Beckley, W. Va., wearing a Dale Earnhardt Jr. shirt, sat in an unassigned section of seats glumly watching her hero signing autographs one section over.

"I really wanted my picture taken with Dale Jr.," said Brittany, who didn't arrive early enough to get an Earnhardt wrist band.

At the same time, an auction was taking place on a stage in the middle of the arena. A Mark Martin driving suit went for $4,300, a front bumper off the No. 8 Earnhardt Chevy sold for $1,500 and so it went.

NASCAR is considering establishing a time and place each weekend for drivers to sign autographs for fans with garage passes. Aside from the area immediately surrounding the team hauler, drivers would be prohibited from signing anywhere else.

That was a big topic among the more than 40 Winston Cup and Busch Series drivers on hand Saturday.

Robby Gordon laughingly called it "The Tony Rule," referring to Winston Cup champion Tony Stewart, who has often complained about the stifling presence of fans in the garage, particularly on race mornings.

"They have to realize that's our workplace," said Stewart, who smiled and chatted through his two-hour session Saturday. "Just let us do our jobs the three days at the racetrack so we can put on a good show for you in the races."

Jeff Gordon reminisced about being a teenager and getting an autograph from four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Rick Mears.

"I just think about waiting for that autograph and how much it meant to me," he said, "There's a trade-off, a compromise. Nobody wants to cut the fans off from the garage area."

Jeff Burton agreed that the garage is not the place for autographs.

"If it doesn't change, somebody is going to get run over," he said. "It's surprising it hasn't happened already."

 

Related information

Stories

NASCAR looking at ways to limit garage access Notebook: Drivers support autograph proposal

Multimedia

Visit Video Plus for the latest audio and video