Gordon makes the TV rounds in New York
By Marty Smith, Turner Sports Interactive
November 28, 2001
4:03 PM EST (2103 GMT)
NEW YORK -- NASCAR Winston Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon was the king of New York on Wednesday morning, joining megastar actor George Clooney on ABC's Live with Regis and Kelly show.
 | |
Regis and Kelly share a moment with Jeff Gordon.
|
|
|
Gordon, who won the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship by an impressive 349 points over Tony Stewart, has enjoyed a whirlwind week thus far. Since arriving in Manhattan on Monday, he has appeared not only on Live with Regis and Kelly, but also on the Today Show, and is scheduled to attend Late Night with David Letterman on Thursday.
"It's really fun to do all this stuff," Gordon said. "Winston is really good to their champion. They always treat us well, but up here in New York they treat us like kings."
Rightfully so. Gordon is the king of the Winston Cup landscape for the fourth time in the past seven years, making him the youngest driver to ever claim four titles. Only Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt have won more championships.
During a brief question/answer session with Regis and Kelly,Gordon discussed winning the 2001 crown, the intricacies of mentioning sponsorship on camera and his seventh wedding anniversary with wife Brooke, which they celebrated Monday.
The trio then headed outdoors to fire up the No. 24 Chevrolet, which was waiting in the street outside. Hordes of fans surrounded the car, beckoning Gordon for autographs, pictures and handshakes. He obliged, then was whisked off in a limousine for yet another media function at the 21 Club.
 | |
The Today Show's Matt Lauer interviews Jeff Gordon.
|
|
|
"It's great to see how many fans there are up here," said Gordon of the mass admirers covering the sidewalks. "There were actually several people wearing DuPont stuff in the crowd inside, too. It's really nice to see that they came out, nice to have that support."
Gordon's largest supporters, Brooke and car owner Rick Hendrick, joined Gordon on the set. Hendrick enjoyed a stellar year, winning both the Winston Cup and Craftsman Truck Series championships. For his efforts, he and wife Linda were given front row seats at the Live with Regis and Kelly Show.
"Now that was cool," said Hendrick as he returned to the Green Room following the show. "We need to win these things more often."
Hmm. Tough call. Four in seven years isn't so bad, sir.
| 
