November 28, 2001 -
NEW YORK, NY -- Considering 19 drivers, including five first-time winners, took victories in 2001, Winston Cup Racing is now more competitive than ever. Even though he had to face a huge battle in a 43-car field in every race, Jeff Gordon remained consistent week-in and week-out, and a mid-season charge kept him on top of the chart and brought him yet another Winston Cup Championship -- his fourth in his career. The 2001 season was indeed a near perfect one with more winners than ever, as TV ratings surged under FOX, FX, NBC and TNT.
Despite the success, NASCAR also faced some internal issues -- including a tremendous lost of stock car icon Dale Earnhardt in the first race of the season at Daytona, followed by court cases surrounding the autopsy report and the broken seat beat controversies. Like many other sports in America, the series was also hit by the 911 terrorist attacks, but the series finished up with pride as the country continued to heal. In the end, Jeff Gordon, a three-time champion back then, clinched his title in Atlanta before the final postponed race at New Hampshire.
Gordon's fourth title also brought his crew chief, Robbie Loomis, his first championship since he joined Hendrick Motorsports one year ago. After seating at table #8 last year (Gordon finished eigth in standings), Gordon finally returned to table #1 at Waldorf Astoria after two rebuilding years in his #24 Dupont Chevrolet.
Aside from thanking his big boss Rick Hendrick and Loomis, Gordon also praised his crew on their hard works throughout the rough 39-race schedule, and expressed that the whole team is now "closer than ever".
A humble Gordon continued, "At first I wouldn't think I can go this far (winning 4 championships)". By taking his fourth title, he moved up to the sole position in third place behind Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt -- both own 7 championships each, while Gordon still needs three more to join the exclusive company. However, at the age of 30, time is on Gordon's side. Despite he still has a long career in Winston Cup Racing, he claimed, "I wouldn't think of the 6th or 7th until I got my 5th."
During the media luncheon at '21' Club in New York City two days before the annual banquet, Gordon was asked whether he would try other series, such as sportscar or open-wheel racing someday. In Gordon's dictionary, 'someday' means life after NASCAR. He expressed that whenever he tries something he wants to achieve the best -- just like when he goes bowling with his wife Brooke on weekdays. After many tries, Gordon finally scored a 215-point game one night and he enjoyed it very much.
Gordon continued, "I was approached by Chevrolet to race in Daytona 24 Hours in the past two years." -- the case just like Dale Earnhaardt Sr. and Jr. in 2001 as the Daytona 24 Hours is becoming more and more a warm up race for many stock car drivers prior to Daytona 500. However, Gordon pleaded his case, "It is very time consuming to race in a different series and racing in NASCAR is a job I have to do."
NASCAR is surely on Gordon's priority list, and he simply doesn't want to let his team down by getting distracted. Although you won't see the 'Rainbow Warrior' in other series anytime soon, he did express his fascination on racecars such as Formula One because of its technology, as well as sports car such as the GTS class Corvette CR-5 where brake ducts, transmission etc. can be developed in a stock car.
Many people like to be Tony Stewart, who raced in both Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day in May, but Gordon simply downplayed his chances in running both events. "I have no desire to run the 500 then the 600. It just doesn't make any sense to me. I am probably not going to win either of them." Once again Gordon explained that how important to concentrate his time in his full-time job, and it is racing in his #24 Dupont Chevrolet in the Winston Cup. Gordon, however, did not rule out racing in the 500 down the road. "When things wind down a little bit [when he retires from Winston Cup], we'll see."
Of course, Gordon became "The King of the Road" after winning at Watkins Glen this year -- one of two road courses on Winston Cup calendar. His seventh victories put him on top of the list ahead of previous kings Petty and Rusty Wallace. "I enjoy road courses, but I struggled early in my career with a big car racing around the road circuits." Gordon soon found the groove where racing a stock car on a road circuit is like racing a midget on short a track.
A brilliant mid-summer run secured his lead over the likes of Ricky Rudd and Dale Jarrett down the road. I asked Gordon how he felt about his consistency throughout the 2001 season and how he managed to stay away from trouble on the track every week.
KEVIN MA: Statistically when you are on a hot streak, no one seems to be able to beat you, and this year is no exception. What made your car so good after The Winston where you won Dover and Michigan in a row and took over the lead in standings after your victory at Michigan?
JEFF GORDON: It seems like there were several things in the season that elevated to a different level -- Las Vegas was being one of them and The Winston was being another one. The Crucial moment of the season was when the team started to flatten out and all of the sudden something happened (winning a race) and the inspiration then went to an all time high. From winning races we knew we've got a good team and the car started to run better and better. We then won races and finally the championship. This year was also different because the wins were pretty much spread out and it went on all year long.
KM: Winning the championship requires consistency as well as luck especially in a 43-car field, and so many times you were able to dodge the bullet on the track to avoid accidents. How important for you to have only two DNFs all season long?
JG: Well, the whole aspect of our series that makes it so exciting is how tough it is to win the championship. Not only you have to be consistent to finish the races, you also can't have failures. The whole aspect is to stay out of the trouble on the track and stay away from failures and we did it pretty well this season and led to the championship.
Recent economy struggles did little harm to the winningest champion among active drivers. However, the recession did change the scenario within the business even at the Hendrick camp.
"Our fan base remains strong as well as our TV ratings, but sponsorships are big part of the team and business went down a bit this season. Previously we could hand pick our [associated] sponsors, but now we have to pick what we have on the table."
Aside from his appearances in numerous TV shows in NYC -- including The Today Show, Regis and Kelly and the Late Show with David Letterman, Gordon also spent time visiting the Ground Zero. "We were devastated by seeing images on TV, but being there at the site was completely mind-blowing." Gordon continued, ``They took us right down into the hole. I was really overwhelmed. You can't imagine the magnitude of it until you see it in person and talk to some of the people who are working there.''
Gordon was also put in a real fire situation when he visited Engine #24 in New York City. While he was checking out the fire truck, the fireman asked him if he wants a ride and it turned out the truck was rushing to a suspected fire scene. ``I thought we were just taking a joyride, then we were pulling out in front of traffic and I saw everybody else getting into their gear,'' he said. ``I was all thumbs-up and smiles and then I saw their eyes and how serious they were all of a sudden. Then I got a little scared. I realized they didn't know what they were heading for, either."
Despite the scary situation, Gordon did find a correlation between firemen and racecar drivers as they all concentrate on their jobs under pressure when time comes.
