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<<JG Foundation releases fundraising coin
Back-To-Backflip BRISTOL, TN. (August 24) - - Carl Edwards' second consecutive victory closed the chase points gap between himself and Kyle Busch, who had dominated the Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Busch took the lead of the race on lap 55 and held it until Edwards made the winning pass on lap 468. This season's two most dominating drivers battled for the win at Bristol with Edwards coming out on top. Busch showed his displeasure on the cooldown lap by banging into Edwards who then spun out the hostile youngster on the backstretch. Meanwhile, Jeff Gordon had a much-needed 5th place finish and a rocky few weeks at Watkins Glen and Michigan. Gordon started third and moved into the runner-up spot on the first lap. He ran behind Carl Edwards during the first 50 laps before edging ahead of Edwards to lead a lap as Edwards tried to put Juan Pablo Montoya down a lap. However, as Gordon ran the outside line, Kyle Busch went by on the inside to take the lead -- and thoroughly checked out on the field for the balance of the race. Four laps later, Gordon passed Edwards to take second place. The first caution flag on lap 97 brought the field to pit road. Gordon dropped back to third behind Busch and Edwards. He remained there for the next 75 laps before Ryan Newman went by to drop Gordon to 4th. Gordon took third place from Edwards before a lap 197 wreck triggered by Tony Stewart. On pit road, Gordon lost the spot to Edwards before passing Newman on the track to re-assume third. On lap 218, Casey Mears misjudged his exit to turn two and went across the nose of Michael Waltrip's car. The ensuing melee collected Kasey Kahne, Robby Gordon, and Sam Hornish. Gordon held third position through the round of pit stops. Just before the halfway point, Denny Hamlin went around Gordon to drop him to fourth before Stewart made an overly aggressive move entering the corner, slid up the track, and made contact with the left front of the DuPont Chevrolet. Gordon soldiered on in fifth position having escaped a potential tire rub. Dave Blaney's wreck on lap 282 brought the field to pit road once again. The pit crew came through and gained two spots to move Gordon up to 3rd on the restart. He held the position through caution flag pit stops on lap 345. With less than 100 laps remaining, Hamlin went around Gordon to take over third place. The final pit stops came under caution with 47 laps to go as Gordon held fourth through the pit sequence. Kevin Harvick then passed Gordon with 21 to go, putting Gordon at the edge of the top-five. Gordon's winless streak has now reached 31 races.
Five Alive BRISTOL, TN. (August 24) - - Two disappointing finishes at Watkins Glen and Michigan put Jeff Gordon in a tenuous position in the points standings. It looked as if Gordon would solidly qualify for the chase for the championship over the summer, but the back-to-back struggles put him within one bad finish of being below the cutoff. A 5th place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway was the elixir that Gordon needed. While he was unable to challenge the season's two best drivers -- Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch -- the finish put him 108 points in the black as the chase for the championship begins in mid-September. Although Gordon's 108-point gap is far from comfortable, he does have reason for optimism after a strong showing at Bristol. In addition, he had a better than average car at Michigan in mid-August (a sister track to next week's race at California Speedway) before a slow pit stop sunk him deep in traffic.
Passion Of The Grape CHARLOTTE, N.C. (August 16) - - Jeff Gordon entered the wine-making business as a means of furthering his own interest in wine. He grew up in Northern California in the heart of wine country but his interest didn't peak until recent years. "Our family often drove through Napa Valley and Sonoma County to water-ski at Lake Berryessa and to my races at midget tracks in Calistoga and Petaluma," Gordon said in a recent interview. "I remember seeing the vineyards and thinking, 'This is so beautiful.' But I had no idea of the purpose of the vines and asked questions: What is growing there? How does it grow? My stepfather, who was from Napa, and my mom weren't big on wine. They just said, 'Those are grapes.'" It wasn't until Gordon was well-established on the NASCAR circuit that his interest peaked. Every wine guru has a story about the bottle that won their heart. For Gordon it was a bottle of Batard-Montrachet on a trip to London. Since then he has teamed up with winemaker August Briggs and his vineyard in Napa. The Jeff Gordon Collection label released a Pinor Noir, Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet, and a Joie de Vivre blend over the past three years. Gordon recently unveiled a website devoted exclusively to the wine collection. Information on the varietals and retail purchasing information is available on jeffgordonwines.com
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