Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, January 21, 1995 TAG: 9501230057
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
``Really, it was kind of a sudden decision,'' he said. ``I hadn't really been planning on making any kind of change. But when the opportunity came up, I took a good look and weighed all the aspects and the things I wanted to do in the future. And I just elected to give this one an attempt.''
Gordon, 53, a longtime independent driver who was a gear specialist and mechanic for Richard Childress Racing, started work for car owner Travis Carter on Jan. 16 in Daytona Beach at the final Ford test session.
``The test went pretty well,'' he said. ``We didn't run quite as quick as we wanted to, but we worked with Jimmy a lot, getting him comfortable in the car.
``I tell you what, I've really got a lot of high hopes here,'' he said. ``It's a young team, but with Jimmy's talent, I feel like we're going to have an awful good season.''
Gordon said he left Childress and Earnhardt on good terms.
``I enjoyed all the years I worked there and it's always good to be with a team like them,'' he said, ``but sometimes you have to do other things in life. I got to the point in my life where I was ready to take on another challenge.''
SHEPHERD'S AWARD: Morgan Shepherd, driver of the Wood Brothers Ford, is among 47 sports personalities, including Steve Young, Joe Paterno, Florence Griffith-Joyner and Herschel Walker, who will be honored with a ``Timmie Award'' tonight by the Washington (D.C.) Touchdown Club.
The award is given to sports people for outstanding charity work in their communities. The only other NASCAR driver to receive the award is Richard Petty.
Shepherd was recognized for giving his time and support to various charities for the underprivileged and handicapped in North Carolina and southern Virginia.
Shepherd is one of the most active NASCAR drivers when it comes to community service. Among other activities, he has a Christmas program in which he visits people in their homes, chatting with invalids and delivering toys to underprivileged children.
DAVID VS. GOLIATH: Bailey's Cigarettes, a south central Virginia micro-brand, was trying to engage in ``ambush marketing'' when it attempted to sponsor a Late Model Stock Car in the Winston Select 300 last September at South Boston Speedway.
That's the word from NASCAR in its formal answer to a suit filed by Bailey's in U.S. District Court in Danville.
Bailey's sued NASCAR and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. in December in state and federal courts, alleging that they refused to allow Bailey's logos on a stock car that Bailey's sponsored and Wayne Patterson drove to victory in the Sept. 18 race.
NASCAR and RJR contend that NASCAR officials lawfully prevented Bailey's from improperly trading on RJR's sponsorship of the race and from trying to interfere with NASCAR's contract with RJR.
NASCAR also asserted that under NASCAR rules, owners and drivers agree to accept NASCAR's decisions ``regarding approval or disapproval of any advertising'' and sponsorship of race cars.
Bailey's is seeking $100,000 in damages and an injunction against NASCAR and RJR so that it can sponsor Late Model Stock Cars in the Winston Racing Series. NASCAR and RJR want the suit dismissed. Both sides have agreed to have the suit tried in federal court.
In an order filed Thursday, U.S. District Judge Jackson L. Kiser gave both sides 14 days to submit suitable trial dates.
BUSY RICHMOND: The Daytona 500 is almost a month away (Feb. 19), but Winston Cup teams are already looking past it, judging from the testing schedule at Richmond International Raceway.
Bill Elliott and Hendrick Motorsports (Terry Labonte, Ken Schrader and Jeff Gordon) have reserved the track for Monday and Tuesday, while four drivers - Michael Waltrip, Lake Speed, Steve Kinser and Robert Pressley - have booked the track for Jan. 30 and 31, track spokesman Sean Sawyer said. Rusty Wallace is scheduled to arrive on Jan. 31 for three days, and Richmond-based car owner Junie Donlavey, who fields Mike Wallace's Fords, has secured Feb. 21 through 23.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB