Nobody Does It Better
TALLADEGA, AL. (April 26)- - He might not be a factor in every race he
participates in, and some have said that he'll never win another
Winston Cup championship. But this weekend at Talladega, Dale
Earnhardt showed that he can still work the draft better than any race
car driver in the world. In Saturday's IROC race, he passed Rusty
Wallace in the tri-oval on the final lap to win the second of four IROC
races this season. In the Diehard 500 Winston Cup event, he worked
the draft to take the lead in the closing laps and held off Dale Jarrett
and Mark Martin to win. It has been said that he can "see the air."
Watching Dale Earnhardt use the draft on a superspeedway,
especially the final lap, is like watching Wayne Gretzky on ice or
Michael Jordan on the court. Mastery at work; nobody does it better.
A Shrine Of Memory
HARRISBURG, N.C. (April 23)- - I came across
an article that I wanted to share with you, the audience.
It was one of the most heart-wrenching articles that
I've read it quite some time. But, it's also a reminder to enjoy what you have and to cherish each day.
Last year, 11-year-old Brandon and 7-year-old Will Stubbs died after their trailer
caught fire two days after Christmas. Their mother, Sue, escaped the fire, but lost her two sons.
Neighbors pitched in to buy a new trailer and pay for the costs of the funerals.
Mrs. Stubbs wants to hang a framed portrait of Jeff Gordon,
Brandon's favorite race car driver, and Ricky Rudd, Will's hero,
in the back bedroom of the trailer along with their pictures.
But in the meantime, there is a new crisis.
"You'll have to pray for me," she said in a tired voice. "I've got
a tumor on my brain. It's cancer."
+Mother Dwells on Memories
Just Desserts
TAMARAC, FLA. (April 15)- - Jeff
Gordon recently signed an extension onto his endorsement contract with
Dreyer's/Edy's Grand Ice Cream. The arrangement, began in 1996, will
continue to have Gordon featured on special cartons of the ice cream
through the 2000 season. After Gordon won the 1997 Winston Cup title,
Edy's Ice Cream came out with a limited edition "Sweet Victory Sundae."
The carton featured highlights from the season and pictures
of the driver and race car.
Making A Difference
To date, the racing team's efforts have collected more than
$900,000 for bone marrow testing. Lindsay said that any
organization in the country that wants to do blood screening can
send in a proposal. "We want NASCAR fans to be educated about how easy it is to get
on the registry," she said.
All people have to do is give two tubes of blood. Once it's tested, the
type is entered in a national database. When a patient needs a
transplant, the computer looks for a match.
With the help of donations, groups are able to test more volunteers.
So far, the Hendrick Marrow Program has added 25,000 people to
the National Bone Marrow Registry and three matches for patients
have come from the program's drives.
HILTON HEAD, S.C. (April 6)- - At the
Family Circle Cup tennis tournament in Hilton Head, South Carolina, visitors helped raise money
for bone marrow screening. For $3, visitors had their photo taken
with Jeff Gordon's DuPont Automotive Finishes Chevrolet and a lifesize
cutout of the reigning Winston Cup champion.
The Hendrick Marrow Program arranged for the car to be at the tournament
with all proceeds going toward bone marrow screening.
"We hope to raise awareness because NASCAR is the biggest
spectator sport," said Scottie Lindsay, director of the Hendrick
Marrow Program.
In Memory of Andrew
HARRISBURG, N.C. (April 3)- - In late March, Andrew Jackson,
18 yrs old,
from Fayetteville, North Carolina passed away after battling
leukemia. After winning the Primestar 500 at Texas, Terry Labonte
took the time to mention Andrew and his family in victory lane.
In Sunday's
race at Texas, the Hendrick cars displayed a
decal with the words "In Memory of Andrew."
Andrew helped Hendrick Motorsports raise the
communities awareness for
the desperate need for donors and launched
"Operation Life Gift" which,
in conjunction with Hendrick Marrow Program, was the
largest marrow
drive the program ever had. More than 10,000 people
were added to the registry last July.
Andrew attended last September's Southern 500 at Darlington
in which Jeff Gordon won the race and the No Bull Million.
He sat on the pit box as Ray Evernham's assistant crew chief.
When Terry Labonte pulled into victory lane at Texas, Andrew Jackson
had the best seat in the house.
Shuffling At DuPont
WILMINGTON, DE. (April 2)- - The primary sponsor
on Jeff Gordon's car, DuPont Automotive Finishes, has had a busy month. In early March,
DuPont announced the completion of its acquisition of
Herberts, the coatings subsidiary of Hoechst AG.
Lou Savelli, who had represented Automotive Finishes at the Winston Cup banquet,
was named President of the combined business, DuPont Performance Coatings. Last week,
Douglas Moore was named vice president of DuPont
Automotive Finishes for North and South America.
He succeeds Roszann Graham, who moved to another DuPont business.
Graham, along with Savelli, had long been associated with the Automotive Finishes
division of the company and had attended the Winston Cup awards banquet to accept
the Winston Cup title on behalf of Gordon's sponsor.
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