Diaper duty aside, Gordon is ready for the Chase to start
Life is good and in a state of flux for Jeff Gordon, who in his spare time, is leading the NASCAR Nextel Cup points standings at midseason.
In his recent past, when Jeff Gordon was winning four Cup championships during a span of seven years, that fact would have been enough to carry a teleconference with the national motorsports media.
But not so last Wednesday. Jeff Gordon's comfortable 277-point lead over Denny Hamlin heading into Chicagoland Speedway this past weekend basically was an afterthought on a list of provocative questions about wife Ingrid and new baby daughter Ella Sofia, Jeff Gordon's lack of sleep as a daddy, comparing parenting notes with Tiger Woods, dealing, like Yankees superstar Alex Rodriguez, with New York-style paparazzi and, of course, the obligatory inquiry about Hendrick Motorsports teammate-to-be Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Going back over the 18-page transcript, the words “fifth Cup championship” never were mentioned by any questioner or Jeff Gordon, who current logic dictates will be the title favorite once the 10-race Chase for the Nextel Cup begins on Sept. 16.
Apparently, Daddy Jeff will be changing plenty of diapers between now and his arrival at New Hampshire International Speedway in the fall. Last Tuesday night, Jeff Gordon informed his audience, marked the first time the nurse hired by the couple wasn't at the house in Charlotte, N.C., to lend a hand with Ella Sofia.
“So it was a great night,” Jeff Gordon said. “We were giving her a bath, and you know, changing diapers and burping and feeding and all of the normal things that we do. But it went well, and definitely less sleep. I'm getting sleep when I go to the racetrack these days, not at home.”
See? That lead over Hamlin is good for something. But seriously, Jeff, you have another gig coming up on “Live with Regis and Kelly.” Ever thought about hosting your own TV show? With the right partner, Jeff Gordon said, he might consider it.
“But I'm not thinking about that at all right now,” Jeff Gordon said. “I love being a race car driver. We're having a fantastic year, and just looking forward to keeping this going for many more years after this.”
By the numbers, this season rates as vintage Jeff Gordon. He and teammate Jimmie Johnson each have logged four victories, which under the revised and expanded Chase format, are worth 40 bonus points when the 12 Chasers are seeded after 26 races.
Jeff Gordon is working on a streak of 38 consecutive weeks in the top 10 in points, a run that started when he won on the 1.5-mile Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., one year ago.
“I think that a lot of it was just the fact that we've been building on this team for, you know, over a year and a half,” said Jeff Gordon, who will be without suspended crew chief Steve Letarte for three more races. “I hope that when he comes back, we just jump back into things and really get ourselves set up and prepared for the Chase.”
In the meantime, changing diapers and burping and feeding and all of that normal daddy stuff will become more a part of Jeff Gordon's good life.
“I've lost complete track of time,” said Jeff Gordon, jokingly referring to Ella Sofia's sleeping schedule. “All the shades are closed.”
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