From obscurity to primetime:

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Nitro

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<span style='font-family:Times'>By Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel

Daytona Beach, Fla. - He should be the most popular driver. He sould be the most beloved figure. He sould be the revered hero instead of being the reviled outcast. Jeff Gordon, not Dale Earnhardt Jr., should be all these things to NASCAR fans.

Lets face it: When it comes to racing cars; Dale Jr. is to Jeff Gordon what Tracy McGrady is to Michael Jordan. Maybe some day Junior should be mentioned in the same sentence with Gordon, but not now. Definetly not now.

Remember this, NASCAR fans: Gordon rhymes with Jordan.

The reason I bring this up is because it seemed as if every fan at the Daytona International Speedway on Saturday Night was rooting for Earnhardt Jr. when they should have been rooting for Air Gordon.

Gordon who won his second consecutive race Saturday night in the Pepsi 400, is still the greatest driver in the sport. He is the racer all the other drivers look up to. He has perhaps meant mor to NASCAR than any other driver, including Dale Earnhardt Sr.

How can it be that Jeff Gordon is as unpopular as he is among NASCAR fans, who pelted the track with beer cans when Gordon defeated Earnhardt Jr. at Talledega a few weeks ago in the controversial race that ended under caution? NASCARS's fans and other drivers should get down on their knees and genuflect before Gordon, who almost single-handedly drove stock-car racing from the obscurity of the back 40 to the primetime event we saw Saturday night.

It's always amazed me how Gordon has been treated as a villain in this sport, when he should be a god. In what other individual sport is the most dominant athlete treated with such disdain? In cycling, Lance Armstrongis ta mythical figure. In golf, Tiger Woods is celebrated. But in auto racing Gordon is castigated even though he's one of the classiest athletes in all of professional sports. Ludicrous!

The thing is, Gordon was Tiger Woods before Tiger Woods. NASCAR has not been the same since Gordon emerged as the rookie of the year a decade ago. He won his first Cup championship at age 24 in 1995 and won a record-tying 13 races in 1998 - the first time the Pepsi 400 was contested under the lights.

Gordon took NASCAR's popularity out of the South. And maybe that's why he's hated. Many of the traditional beer-chugging, tabacco-plugging fans liked it better when NASCAR was just a bunch a good ol' southern boys from Alabama and Carolina.

"Jeff Gordon opened up NASCAR to a lot of us drivers (outside the South), "said Kasey Kahne, a 24-year-old young gun from Enumclaw, Wash. " All of us young guys owe Jeff Gordon a debt of gratitude."

The entire sport of NASCAR owes him something.

Something other than boos.

Instead of throwing beer cans whe he wins, racing fans should be raising champagne glasses.

Jeff Gordon gives the sport a touch of class.

- published Monday, July 5, 2004-</span>
 
I was still in Daytona when I read this article and checked out of our hotel early, in the event the Jeff police would come and find me. (not the real reason but that's my story and I'm sticking to it) I don't want to detract from Jeff as a driver, he's very talented, but I seriously doubt that he compares with Michael Jordan or that he "brought Na$car out of the tobacco chuggin, beer guzzlin" south. I resent the semantics. So many people dislike Jeff for so many reasons. It's not all about his consistent winning. There are people that still have a distaste for him due to the circumstances other than his track behavior. Not everyone in Na$car is from the south, either. Nor can you say that non-southerners are the nouveau fan. I'm a veteran, 34 year fan. NOT from the south. There are so many drivers that come from different cultures as well. And, call me a conspiracy theorist, I find it hard to believe that the powers that be in Headquarters moved venues because they wanted to capture more Jeff fans. That's just laughable. There is a lot of talent out there on that track right now, and people are indeed jumping on the bandwagon, but I see it more for Dale, Jr. fame and popularity than Jeff's.

There was also an aritcle in USA today the day we left for Daytona that was covering the increase in female fans. This is definitely NOT due to Jeff. Most females find him VERY un-attractive. Unfortunately, a lot of females are coming on board to cheer for the attractive rookies and not for the talent, but coming on board none the less. Na$car doesn't see their change of venues as a coddling of Jeff Gordon but an outreach for more money and attempting to shed that redneck image. It's that simple. BUT, even the Staten Island project has only 80,000 seats. Not a money maker. The author of the aforementioned article apparently is quite new to the Na$car scene as I tried to research his past contributions and couldn't find any. Talk about a bandwagoner.
 
Ok first of all, before Jeff, all you saw were southern drivers and southern fans, with the occasional fans from other parts of the country (you). Jeff helped bring more fans and drivers from parts of the country where Nascar wasnt very popular; like California, New York, Chicago!
And the comparison of Gordon to Jordan is correct! Gordon is the winningest driver on the track today, and he is what brought Nascar to mainstream.

Here are the stats:

Career Wins- Races - Wins
Jeff Gordon - 382 - 68
Rusty Wallace - 651 - 55
Bill Elliott - 733 - 44
Mark Martin - 583 - 34
Dale Jarrett - 548 - 31


Money Leaders*
Jeff Gordon $58,525,057
Dale Jarrett $41,818,270
Mark Martin $40,656,775
Rusty Wallace $38,689,400

*ENTERING THE 2004 SEASON
 
Originally posted by Nitro@Aug 2 2004, 11:36 AM
Gordon is the winningest driver on the track today, and he is what brought Nascar to mainstream.
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I guess nationwide TV coverage didn't have anything to do with that either.
 
Originally posted by FlashMe31@Aug 2 2004, 11:01 AM
&nbsp; So many people dislike Jeff for so many reasons.&nbsp; It's not all about his consistent winning.&nbsp; There are people that still have a distaste for him due to the circumstances other than his track behavior.&nbsp; Not everyone in Na$car is from the south, either.&nbsp; Nor can you say that non-southerners are the nouveau fan.&nbsp; I'm a veteran, 34 year fan.&nbsp; NOT from the south. There are so many drivers that come from different cultures as well.&nbsp; And, call me a conspiracy theorist, I find it hard to believe that the powers that be in Headquarters moved venues because they wanted to capture more Jeff fans.&nbsp; That's just laughable.&nbsp; There is a lot of talent out there on that track right now, and people are indeed jumping on the bandwagon, but I see it more for Dale, Jr. fame and popularity than Jeff's.&nbsp;

There was also an aritcle in USA today the day we left for Daytona that was covering the increase in female fans.&nbsp; This is definitely NOT due to Jeff.&nbsp; Most females find him VERY un-attractive.&nbsp;
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And what "circumstances other than his track behavior." are you referring to???
And your "most females find him VERY unattractive" Now that is laughable!!!!! Jeff is quite the good looking man and there sure are lots of TV folks that seem to thing so too.
Please state your source. I just find it hard to believe that we are
still tossing nerf balls or rocks at Jeff.
 
This is a very old topic, in fact this same article was posted here right after it was published.
 
Yeah, so what? I was just given a copy of the article by a friend yesterday! I dont get the paper and I dont read every topic in this forum, and if I would've seen it, I woulda chimed in!
 
Originally posted by Nitro@Aug 2 2004, 12:36 PM
Ok first of all, before Jeff, all you saw were southern drivers and southern fans, with the occasional fans from other parts of the country. Jeff helped bring more fans and drivers from parts of the country where Nascar wasnt very popular
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Ever heard of Dave Marcis? Dick Trickle? Geoff Bodine? Alan Kulwicki?



On second thought, you probably haven't.
 
Originally posted by EatMorePossum+Aug 2 2004, 12:14 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (EatMorePossum @ Aug 2 2004, 12:14 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin--Nitro@Aug 2 2004, 12:36 PM
Ok first of all, before Jeff, all you saw were southern drivers and southern fans, with the occasional fans from other parts of the country. Jeff helped bring more fans and drivers from parts of the country where Nascar wasnt very popular
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Ever heard of Dave Marcis? Dick Trickle? Geoff Bodine? Alan Kulwicki?



On second thought, you probably haven't. [/b][/quote]
But they werent as successful as Gordon was at his young age! That's why Jeff is the best, because he did more; SUCCESSFULLY at his young age than any of them did in their lifetime! And again they were just a small percentage that wasnt SOUTHERN!
 
It's a lost cause on this one. You'll never convince him that Jeff doesn't walk on water.

Jeff was as much a product of NASCAR's increasing popularity as it was the other way around.

Let me ask this question, if Jeff was indeed presponsible for making NASCAR more popular and mainstream, where are all of these new fans he brought to the sport? Wouldn't they be fans of his if he brought them to the sport? Or maybe his success and NASCAR popularity coincided?

Don't get me wrong, I actualy like Jeff Gordon, but I just don't think any one person is responsible for NASCAR's popularity.
 
Paul Goldsmith, Fred Lorenzen, Tim Richmond, Mario Andretti, Charlie Glotzbach, Ralph Ligouri, Ralph Moody, etc..

Nitro, the day NASCAR was formed there were people from northern states elected to hold various offices.
In the early years nearly half the races were on tracks in northern states.

It is a regional sport in the eyes of the media yet founding fathers, participants and owners came from all over the United States and all walks of life.
 
No 1 driver or person is responsible for nascar's popularity. Not jeff, nor the precious earnhardts. Its all the drivers from the past and in history, its the teams,tracks, coverage expansion, and so much more. All of this brought together made nascar what it is today.
 
Originally posted by Whizzer@Aug 2 2004, 12:45 PM
Paul Goldsmith, Fred Lorenzen, Tim Richmond, Mario Andretti, Charlie Glotzbach, Ralph Ligouri, Ralph Moody, etc..

Nitro, the day NASCAR was formed there were people from northern states elected to hold various offices.
In the early years nearly half the races were on tracks in northern states.

It is a regional sport in the eyes of the media yet founding fathers, participants and owners came from all over the United States and all walks of life.
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You are missing the point! It was majority a SOUTHERN SPORT and NO I DONT HAVE ANYTHING AGAINST SOUTHERNERS. Most of the tracks were formed in southern states and the shops are in N.C. and were until recently like Chicagoland, Kansas, California, Phoenix, Las Vegas, and now New York!

See all you people arent seeing the whole picture. When Jr arrived on the scene; he didnt have to win anything and all of a sudden he's a SUPER STAR and all of a sudden a better driver than Gordon, but Gordon has won 4 championships and dont get any of the respect that Jr does. NASCAR's fans or should I say JOONYER's fans have it all backwards, the best should be treated accordingly, like the Michael Jordan's and the John Elway's, and the Tiger Woods. What has Joonyer done......NOTHING, but get KFC'd, but yet he still gets more glory and recongnition than Gordon!
 
Originally posted by smack500@Aug 2 2004, 01:52 PM
No 1 driver or person is responsible for nascar's popularity. Not jeff, nor the precious earnhardts. Its all the drivers from the past and in history, its the teams,tracks, coverage expansion, and so much more. All of this brought together made nascar what it is today.
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I do agree with you to a point. But I truly believe Jeff Gordon has helped to bring Nascar where it is today. He's brought a whole other crowd and fans to Nascar and yes other then the Southerners (or otherwise known as rednecks), and no I have nothing against Southerners before anyone says anything. I remember reading about this very thing in the Winston Cup Scene.
 
Originally posted by Nitro@Aug 2 2004, 01:09 PM
See all you people arent seeing the whole picture. When Jr arrived on the scene; he didnt have to win anything and all of a sudden he's a SUPER STAR and all of a sudden a better driver than Gordon, but Gordon has won 4 championships and dont get any of the respect that Jr does. NASCAR's fans or should I say JOONYER's fans have it all backwards, the best should be treated accordingly, like the Michael Jordan's and the John Elway's, and the Tiger Woods. What has Joonyer done......NOTHING, but get KFC'd, but yet he still gets more glory and recongnition than Gordon!
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sounds like you're mad because JOONYER, as you call him, has more fans than your precious little Gordon. And by the way, I didn't like Jordan, the best to play the game bar-none, and I don't like Tiger woods, the best to play the game bar none(so far), and I wasn't a fan of Elway's either, although he was definately one of the superstars of the NFL.
 
Im not a CHAMPION lover either I usually like the underdog, but I was a Jordan fan and had been eversince he was drafted by the Bulls. But I dont particularly like "Winners" as perse. I mean I am a diehard fan of the Bears, Cubs, and Bulls, and I also like the Denver Broncos.....These teams are far from winners.

I didnt pick Gordon as my driver because he was a winner; hell, I didnt even know who he was. Back in the early 90's I went to my uncle's house and he was watching a race. My uncle is a BIG Earnhardt fan (not too suprising), and he asked me to watch a race with him. Which I did. He asked me who I was gonna root for; I told him to pick for me, as long as it was a Chevy. He then picked Jeff Gordon for me, and he told me he was the driver in the #24 Dupont car. I didnt know who Jeff Gordon was, because I really never sat down and watched a full race. I wasnt really a race fan; I was more into basketball.
We started watching the race and my uncle then wanted to make a dollar bet that Earnhardt beats Gordon, ( I was just a teenager at the time) I said "sure". To make the story short....Gordon won the race, and I won the bet! I've been a fan ever since!
 
This is the age-old argument of which came first --- the chicken or the egg.

Jeff is indeed a talented driver. I don't know why I don't root for him, I just don't. I certainly don't boo him, or wish him harm --- I just don't wish him good luck.

I do acknowledge and admire his talent, and his ability to cope with all the demands on his time. He is gracious to the max.

Why don't most fans like him? Who knows, I certainly don't.
 
Originally posted by TexasRaceLady@Aug 2 2004, 03:23 PM
This is the age-old argument of which came first --- the chicken or the egg.

Jeff is indeed a talented driver.&nbsp; I don't know why I don't root for him, I just don't.&nbsp; I certainly don't boo him, or wish him harm --- I just don't wish him good luck.

I do acknowledge and admire his talent, and his ability to cope with all the demands on his time.&nbsp; He is gracious to the max.

Why don't most fans like him?&nbsp; Who knows, I certainly don't.
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Than if you dont have a reason; why dislike him?

Because he's nice, clean-cut, well spoken, is polite, has talent !
 
Here is one reason why I am a Gordon fan: because he's himself, he's mature, he dont try to impress anyone; he's well spoken, and hes got talent.

Unlike JOONYER; Who speaks like a total idiot, follows the trends, he's very immature, and has subpar talent; compared to Gordon!
 
If you'll notice nobody here has bashed Gordon and we would appreciate it if you don't bash Jr. State your opinion but no name calling.
 
Originally posted by bowtie@Aug 2 2004, 04:02 PM
If you'll notice nobody here has bashed Gordon and we would appreciate it if you don't bash Jr. State your opinion but no name calling.
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I am not bashing; I am stating my opinion. I dont see anywhere that I've been bashing.
 
I dont see where you get jr gets more respect then jeff, please show me an example of this.

As for the media attention, and coverage, its because hes the most popular driver. nascar and the media want to get the most/best ratings/money that they can. Theres nothing else to it.

You also dont give jr enough credit, he has matured alot since coming into nascar, and has turned into a pretty good driver.
 
Originally posted by smack500@Aug 2 2004, 04:22 PM
I dont see where you get jr gets more respect then jeff, please show me an example of this.

As for the media attention, and coverage, its because hes the most popular driver. nascar and the media want to get the most/best ratings/money that they can. Theres nothing else to it.

You also dont give jr enough credit, he has matured alot since coming into nascar, and has turned into a pretty good driver.
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ok, who are you and what did you do with Smack?
 
"You also dont give jr enough credit, he has matured alot since coming into nascar, and has turned into a pretty good driver. "

I dont have to give him credit, it isnt deserved! I dont see his maturity improvement; especially not after him condoning his fans actions at Talledega! I'm just waiting for his turn to come!
 
If someone said that Jeff looked gay. You would consider that bashing. And I sure the Jr fans consider someone saying that Jr. speaks like a total idiot as bashing. Or even name calling. BTW. I am not a Jr fan and not to big on Jeff either but do respect both. :cheers:
 
Originally posted by bowtie+Aug 2 2004, 04:30 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (bowtie @ Aug 2 2004, 04:30 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin--Nitro@Aug 2 2004, 03:59 PM


Unlike JOONYER; Who speaks like a total idiot,
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... [/b][/quote]
OMFG; You call that BASHING?


:wacko: :wacko: :wacko: :cuckoo: :cuckoo: :cuckoo: :tomato: :tomato: :tomato:
 
Originally posted by Gollum@Aug 2 2004, 04:36 PM
If someone said that Jeff looked gay. You would consider that bashing. And I sure the Jr fans consider someone saying that Jr. speaks like a total idiot as bashing. Or even name calling. BTW. I am not a Jr fan and not to big on Jeff either but do respect both. :cheers:
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Jeff fans have had to take gay bashing all these years, but god forbid some one make fun of JOONY POO!!!!
 
Originally posted by Nitro@Aug 2 2004, 04:40 PM
Jeff fans have had to take gay bashing all these years, but god forbid some one make fun of JOONY POO!!!!
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I don't care you make fun of him, we don't allow name calling. understand?
 
Jeff Gordon does deserve more credit than Dale Earnhardt, Jr.. But the fact is, Junior has more fans than Jeff Gordon. Suck it up and get over it 'cause thats the way things are in life and sometimes life just ain't fair.

And for the record, IMO, you are out of line with your remarks about Dale, Jr..

He might not meet YOUR expectations as a person, but from all reports, Dale Junior is intelligent, personable and approachable. Right now, he's not as good a driver as Jeff Gordon, but he is a very good driver and has a great future.
 
Goes to show many idiots there are in the world!!!

I have the right to my opinion....I HATE DALE EARNHARDT JR, and nothing is gonna make me change my mind!

Gordon deserves more respect than he gets as a champion. Media is most at fault for this due to the fact that they pay more attention to a driver who is a lap or two down like Jr has been, or they watch every minute when he gets out of his frickin' car. Hell give'em time; they'll follow him into the port-a-potty and report how long his shiznit was! It's getting rediculous!
 
I think its time to end this thread :angry: and move on people
 
Originally posted by bowtie+Aug 2 2004, 04:43 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (bowtie @ Aug 2 2004, 04:43 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin--Nitro@Aug 2 2004, 04:40 PM
Jeff fans have had to take gay bashing all these years, but god forbid some one make fun of JOONY POO!!!!
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I don't care you make fun of him, we don't allow name calling. understand? [/b][/quote]
You are contradicting yourself and you dont even know it!!! UhhhDUH!!!
 
Originally posted by Mrs.Nascar20@Aug 2 2004, 05:29 PM
I think its time to end this thread&nbsp; :angry:&nbsp; and move on people
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NO, it goes on!!! :angry: If you dont like it MOVE on, but I want to say my peace!
 
Nitro. I am not a Mod. but name calling will not permitted. You need to lighten up. You may be getting on thin ice. Just a little advice. :cheers:
 
Originally posted by Gollum@Aug 2 2004, 05:39 PM
Nitro. I am not a Mod. but name calling will not permitted. You need to lighten up. You may be getting on thin ice. Just a little advice. :cheers:
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When was I name calling? SHOW ME!!! :angry:

:angry:

This place sucks if a person cant speak their mind; then gets called for flaming and he didnt flame one person...But like I said god forbid someone slam on Joonyer, and his "wagon" fans!!!!
 
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