By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

In Sprint Cup qualifying today, Jeff Gordon lapped Dover’s one-mile oval in 22.921 seconds, scoring himself the pole position for the start of the Camping World RV 400. Mark Martin ran a 22.922-second lap, so he’ll start in the front row with Jeff. In the press conference that followed, Gordon seemed pretty stoked to be getting this boost after the lousy luck he suffered at New Hampshire last week, where he got tangled up in Robbie Gordon and some lapped cars and slipped to 11th in the points standings. At this point he’s just taking it one week at a time, and he doesn’t resent the slower drivers who got in his way last week. The "lucky dog" rule, which occasionally awards lead-lap status to a car that’s fallen behind a lap, is what often puts slower drivers in the way of the championship contenders, but Gordon isn’t about to start pushing for a rule change. We’ve all been there, he said, and while it’s frustrating to deal with lapped traffic and the small-potatoes cars from the rear, whatever it is they’re fighting for—whether it’s to hang onto the top 35 in owners points or to squeak by with a top-20 finish—it’s just as important to them as a win or a Championship is to Gordon. Nice guy! As for Sunday’s race, Jeff is optimistic about the No. 24 car—it handled a bit loose in practice, but the team sorted it out and now it’s running the way he wants it. And Mark Martin, also speaking at the conference, handed it to Jeff: it’s way too early for anyone to count  him out for the championship, he said. So what do you think: will the former champion be able to score a win on Sunday, and bring the No. 24 team back into contention for the Cup?

Continue reading "Jeff Gordon Wins the Pole At Dover!" »

Beyond hilarious: a pair of NASCAR-themed 1979 Camaro 4×4′s have shown up on eBay. Each of these monster cars boasts a brand-new 355, a set of 37" tires, and a perfect balance of my two most cherished redneck pursuits. Inexplicably, both are holding steady at zero bids with less than a day left on the auction (though it might’ve helped if the seller had spelled either of the drivers’ names right). Check out the Jeff Gordon car here and the Dale Earhardt car here.

Inspired by his general racing malaise of late, Jeff Gordon has redoubled and rededicated his racing efforts. With a new wife and a brand new baby, he’s got to start putting some meat on the table. Casey is back to his winning ways, Kyle Busch is on fire, and even Brian Vickers has carded two top fives in a row. We’re off to Sonoma this weekend, for the most technical of the two road courses on the Sprint Cup circut, and a race track where Gordon has always shined. With this weekend’s race, it really is put-up-or-shut-up time for the Rainbow Warrior.

Motivational filmmaker extraordinaire Randy Bunn believes in Jeff Gordon, even though Jeff hasn’t had the most heroic of performances in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series this year. Tireless, Randy continues to post motivational videos in the hopes of turning things around for Jeff. In Jeff Gordon Theatre #3, Jeff hops in his daily-driver Subaru Legacy for a lesson to all of us on how to "Drive More Safer." Enjoy, and don’t forget to check out the whole Jeff Gordon Theatre series at Rowdy.com!

Rowdy.com is a strange place with more than a few odd characters. While it is the home of Buck and Bass, your hosts for the most popular NASCAR podcast on the Internet, it’s also he home of Bass’s weird cousin Randy. In addition to owning the both the town’s hair salon and gym ("Muscle Tyme"), Randal K. Bunn is probably the world’s biggest Jeff Gordon fan. And, as a popular motivational speaker and coach, Randy really does feel Jeff’s pain. Jeff is not having the most Jeff Gordonesque season so far, with zero wins to his credit, and the late-night phone-calls between he and Randy have not acted as the therapeutic salve that both thought it would be. Accordingly, Randy has taken Jeff’s treatment to a higher level. He calls it Level 3. If discussion alone can’t pull Jeff up and off the mat, visual stimuli must be employed—because sometimes, seeing is believing. This is Randy’s Motivational Video for Jeff Gordon, episode 5 in a multi-part series. In part one, Randy reaches common ground with Jeff by proving he feels his pain, and shows the rest of us that while his entrepreneurial spirit is a sign of his genius, it’s also a sign of his dementia. Enjoy!

By Jen

Editor

Jeff Gordon—whose Nicorette Impala, despite the somewhat unconventional sponsorship package, was looking really spiffy in its new green-flame paintjob—took a freakin’ hard lick in the last five laps of the record-setting carnage at Las Vegas Motor Speedway during the Sprint Cup race on Sunday afternoon. The wall he ran up against was the rock-solid infield wall, which doesn’t have any of the give of the Steel and Foam Energy-Reduction (SAFER) barrier that insulates the outside perimeter of the track from the grandstands. Gordon’s car disintegrated under the force of the brutal impact, throwing its hood into the windshield and spewing parts, sheet metal and fluids into the path of the oncoming pack, but luckily managing not to damage any other cars with its barrage of shrapnel. In the video, you can see the Impala’s whole radiator lying at least a hundred feet from the car after getting thrown free, and in a later interview, Gordon said he looked down after the crash and saw only a hole where the transmission used to be. Gordon was okay and relatively unruffled in the midst of a race where wall contact took out many of NASCAR’s big dogs—including Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart, who hobbled painfully away from his wrecked Toyota earlier in the race. The incident brings to mind the real challenge of track safety at speeds approaching 200 mph. While it’s easy to get caught up in the popular disdain for NASCAR’s stringent rules, and while I’m as fascinated by a big wreck as the next fan, it’s obviously no fun at all when the drivers get hurt. It’s a relief to see that the blimpy Car of Tomorrow is actually doing its job, taking the brunt of the most punishing impacts so that the drivers don’t have to.

Here’s the perfect addition to any NASCAR-obsessed kitchen: the ever-popular Crock Pot, now in your choice of drivers. Whip up some pork-n-beans for the critters with the help of Kasey Kahne, or let Jeff Gordon keep your casserole warm for you. Heat settings include Start Your Engines, Pace Lap, Wide Open, and In The Fence. Dinner is guaranteed to taste like it’s been cooked with the exhaust of an 800 hp motor. Get yours!

By Jen

Editor

Ok, so you only get one lap with them, and it’s not a hot lap in a stock car. But for those who’ve always wanted to wave regally to 160,000 screaming fans from the back of a pickup truck alongside their favorite NASCAR driver—which, if you think about it, is a pretty specific fantasy—head on over to Bristol Motor Speedway’s "Ride of a Lifetime" auction and plunk down a bid. Among the drivers for sale are Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Clint Bowyer, defending series champ Jimmie Johnson—and last week’s Daytona 500 winner, Ryan Newman. I’m kind of curious to see what kinds of prices everyone will all fetch, but beware: the auction site requires registration, even just to watch.