Chat Transcript: Jeff Gordon

May 14, 2001
4:39 PM EDT (2039 GMT)

Host: Welcome to NASCAR.com's chat with Jeff Gordon!

Jeff Gordon I am happy to be online this afternoon. We had a great weekend this past Sunday in Las Vegas. It was a great win for us and we are just excited about this season.

Host: Question from: Jeff, congratulations on the win. I saw that you wore a HANS device when you got out of the car. Was that your idea or did Robbie Loomis decide that?

Jeff Gordon I have been working on it for several months, trying to get everything in place. There is a lot of work that still needs to be done to get the car adapted to the HANS. We did get the car comfortable to where I could run it but we have some minor changes to make. It worked well enough obviously because I won! :)

Host: Question from: Hello Jeff. Congratulations on Sunday's race. Three races and three Chevy wins -- is there something up there?

Jeff Gordon I wish I could say that. Honestly, I am surprised that Chevy has won the first 3 races. If you look at the wind tunnel numbers, they don't have the best aero package. On the other hand, if you look at the teams that have won this year, they are all strong. They are making the most out of their racecars.

Host: Question from: Jeff, what's your most valued memory of the great one, DALE EARNHARDT?

Jeff Gordon I have a lot of memories. It is going to take me a while to get over the fact the he isn't going to be out there racing with us over the weekends. I am still in shock and we send out our prayers to his family. I learned so much from him both on and off the racetrack. I will just never forget racing side-by-side with him in Winston Cup and IROC competition. There are a lot of great memories.

Host: Question from: Hey Jeff, I'm a huge NASCAR Chevy fan. Congratulations on the Vegas win. How do you feel about Atlanta this weekend?

Jeff Gordon I feel great about Atlanta. We qualified on the pole last time we were there and finished 4th. Our team is really strong right now and I am looking forward to going to all the tracks, but Atlanta should be a good one for us.

Host: Question from: Does having an 'off' year like last year help you to appreciate the great fortune that has come your way in such a short amount of time?

Jeff Gordon I think last year was a frustrating year but it was good for us. It helped us appreciate the good things that have happened to us in the past, and now we can appreciate the things in the future. We are only going to be able to do this as a team and we have learned that. You have to be knocked off the top of the mountain to learn from that experience before you can climb back up, which is what we are doing now.

Host: Question from: Jeff, what are your feelings after the first few weeks on the Dodge cars? Saw you and Evernham talking with each other at Daytona.

Jeff Gordon Ray and I are definitely still friends, and always will be. I respect him a lot. They have worked hard and they had a lot of days to prepare for the season. They came out strong and they are going to continue to get better with more time on the cars. If you look at who is leading the points right now, you can see they have a serious shot at winning a lot of races and maybe even the Championship.

Host: Question from: Jeff, if you could design your own track, what would it look like?

Jeff Gordon I like Richmond. I think a 3/4-mile that has 12-14 degrees of banking, or maybe even 15 degrees. The shape of Richmond lets us put on a great race. I would say 5/8-mile to 3/4-mile track, in-between Bristol and Richmond would be pretty cool.

Host: How were you able to overcome starting so far back to win at LVMS?

Jeff Gordon I think we recognized how important track position was, and we struggled the first third of the race. We knew we had a good car if we could get into clean air. We had some great adjustments and pit stops, along with a 2-tire change, that helped us. We adjusted well enough to stay at the front and eventually won.

Host: Question from: Jeff, besides the Pepsi car, are there any other special paint schemes for this year?

Jeff Gordon None that I know of right now. We will run that Pepsi car in April at Talladega and again in July at Daytona. I know they are talking about one other, but it won't be at The Winston. We will have the regular paint scheme there, which is special enough in my eyes, but be on the lookout for one more maybe later this year.

Host: What was it like co-hosting with Regis?

Jeff Gordon It was great. It was a great opportunity for me and it was great to promote the Jeff Gordon Foundation. Brooke and I are both behind it a lot this year, helping to get awareness up for the Marrow Foundation and Leukemia Foundation. There were some embarrassing moments but you have to go in to it willing to have fun and enjoy yourself, and I did.

Host: Question from: Jeff, congratulations on your win in Las Vegas. We can't wait to see you at Chicagoland. How do you feel about the extended season?

Jeff Gordon Obviously I wish we weren't running SO many events. It is tough on the crew, especially the truck drivers and guys that are on the road all the time. I am looking forward to Chicago and Kansas City, but you wish there were other ways to cut back on the schedule to go to those events. NASCAR has done a good job cutting back on the weekend schedules, which is great. That allows us time at home to relax and rejuvenate ourselves.

Host: What's new this season with the Jeff Gordon Foundation?

Jeff Gordon Bigger and better. We are going to put out a special edition diecast car and all the profits will go to the Foundation. That will benefit all the organizations we support, like Make-A-Wish, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the Marrow Foundation. You can go to the web site at jeffgordonfoundation.org, or jeffgordon.com, for more information. We are really trying to generate as much excitement and money for these organizations as we can to help find a cure for these diseases.

Host: Did you do anything fun in your free time at Vegas?

Jeff Gordon We did when we were out there testing back in January. During race week it is all business, but during testing we went to the "O" show at the Bellagio. We took the whole team and that was fun. I don't spend much time at the slot machines or tables. I used up all my luck at the racetrack.

Host: Question from: Jeff, who do you think has a good chance for Rookie of the Year this year? Any thoughts or guesses?

Jeff Gordon It is going to be a great race for Rookie for the Year. There are a lot of young drivers that have good teams like Casey Atwood and Kevin Harvick. Ron Hornaday has been around a long time and has a lot of experience, so it is anybody's race. We will have to see how the Dodges continue to development. I would think it would come down to Harvick and Atwood, but the way Ron has been running it is hard to say.

Host: Question from: Jeff, the crew seems to be gelling together as a team now. What type of goals or expectations did you set for season?

Jeff Gordon Every season for us, since winning the first Championship, has the goal to go out and win another. We knew it would take time to gel and we really started to see that last year. This year we got prepared to be consistent and run up front. If we can do that, we have a shot at the Championship.

Host: Question from: Jeff, congratulations on your first Winston Cup win in Vegas. I know it's a long season, but does your team think everything's coming together to win your 4th Winston Cup Championship?

Jeff Gordon A win at Las Vegas certainly makes it very promising. That is one of the toughest tracks we raced last year, and you think that if you can win there, you can win anywhere. It is a long season and we do have a lot of work to do, but if we keep putting out the effort we definitely have a shot at it.

Host: Question from: What do you do to prepare prior to a race?

Jeff Gordon The preparation comes from testing and experience, as well as working hard on communication with the team. If you are well prepared before you even get to the track, it gets easy. I have been racing since I was 5 years old, so there are no real rituals or good luck charms for me. The only thing I try to do that is important is to drink plenty of fluids the night before and day of. I also need some good nutrients in my body, like pasta or chicken. I do a lot of really good stretching so I don't cramp up from being out there so long in a racecar.

Host: Question from: How good do you feel knowing you helped someone else win a million dollars?

Jeff Gordon I think that is one of the coolest things that we have in our sport. Winston, with everything they do in our sport, is great but the No Bull 5 is awesome. How awesome is it for not only a driver to win $1 million, but also a fan! Winston gave away $2 million this weekend and that brings a whole new level to this sport. I am looking forward to another chance at Charlotte in May. It is also great for the fans to be able to participate in this experience.

Host: Question from: Jeff, what was the best track you have ever raced at and what was your most memorable moment there?

Jeff Gordon I have raced at a lot of great tracks, and now being in Winston Cup, I would say Daytona or Indy. Winning the inaugural race at Indianapolis was the greatest thrill of my life in a racecar. It is going to be hard to ever top that, but one memory at the El Dora Speedway in Ohio, which was a dirt track, was great. Steve Kinser finished 2nd to me there and it isn't every day you can beat Steve in a Sprint car!

Host: That's all the time Jeff has for us today. Thanks Jeff! What are your final thoughts?

Jeff Gordon I appreciate all the fans that logged on with us today. You had some great questions and I appreciate all your support. We are going to keep trying to put that DuPont Chevy in Victory Lane. Hopefully we can do it again this weekend at Atlanta. Please be sure to check out our new web site at JeffGordon.com. Thanks!