The Wonder Boy. The Rainbow Warrior. The Big Daddy.
Normally those three nicknames would go to three completely different individuals. Not in NASCAR, they all at one time belonged to one man, Jeff Gordon.
The first nickname came thanks to the late Dale Earnhardt, who gave him that moniker in 1995 after Gordon beat him for the championship. Earnhardt joked that if he won it, they’d be drinking milk at the season-ending awards ceremony instead of champagne.
Sure enough, Gordon raised a glass of whole milk to Earnhardt at his acceptance speech.
The “Rainbow Warrior” term was used to describe him, as well as his team. As all fans are aware, Gordon entered NASCAR driving a very bright, very vibrant, rainbow colored car. The team got their job done on pit road practically every week, and announcers soon began calling them the “Rainbow Warriors” because they constantly fought for positions, often putting Gordon right where he needed to be to win.
That term disappeared in 2001 when the rainbow colors made way for a new flame paint scheme, although the rainbow did return for one race in 2004.
This year, with Gordon now happily married to his wife, Ingrid, and a father of two, daughter Ella and son Leo, people thought that age would catch up with him and hinder his performance on the track. The complete opposite has occurred, as Gordon ended a near two-year winless streak in February at Phoenix, then followed that up with a win at Pocono in June.
Yesterday, Gordon would win his third race of the season at the rain-delayed Advocare 500 in Atlanta, and in doing so won his 85th career race, putting him third all-time in career wins behind Richard Petty (200) and David Pearson (105).
His “Big Daddy” nickname for this year has been one that has seemed to be extremely popular, both for the teams at the track and the fans. Gordon may be up there in age, but he’s still got a lot of fight left in that 40-year-old heart. His desire to complete his own “Drive for Five” in winning another NASCAR Sprint Cup championship is higher than ever, and he is one of many that has a legitimate chance to knock off Jimmie Johnson in his quest for a “six pack” of titles.
As a Gordon fan myself, my hope is that he does get that championship. One thing is for certain, “Big Daddy” sure isn’t a wonder boy anymore, but he certainly is still a warrior.
RESULTS: 1-Gordon 2-Johnson 3-Stewart 4-Kurt Busch 5-Edwards 6-Keselowski 7-Harvick 8-Hamlin 9-Kenseth 10-Allmendinger
NOTABLE FINISHES: 12-Biffle 17-Menard 19-Earnhardt Jr. 21-Ambrose 34-Kahne 36-Bowyer
CAUTIONS: 9 for 64 laps. Lap 13-16 (#47 spin-FS), 32-35 (Competition), 94-98 (#47 accident-BS), 130-134 (#71 accident-T3), 177-185 (#34 spin-FS), 202-219 (Weather [Red Flag-24 Mins, 22 Secs]), 222-231 (Weather), 243-247 (#33, 42 accident-FS), 251-254 (#5, 78 accident-BS).
LEAD CHANGES: 35 among 14 drivers. Kahne POLE, Bowyer 1, Kahne 2-16, Bowyer 17-23, Hamlin 24-25, Kyle Busch 26-31, Hamlin 32, Lally 33, Kyle Busch 34-45, Gordon 46-77, Edwards 78-79, Gordon 80-94, Hamlin 95, Gordon 96-98, Kyle Busch 99, Gordon 100-130, Hamlin 131, Kenseth 132-145, Gordon 146-164, Kenseth 165-174, Hamlin 175, Edwards 176-185, Kenseth 186-201, Edwards 202, Yeley 203-217, Kenseth 218-240, Johnson 241, Kenseth 242, Edwards 243, Cassill 244, Truex Jr. 245-247, Johnson 278-275, Gordon 276-283, Keselowski 284-285, Skinner 286-287, Gordon 288-325.
TIME OF RACE: 4 Hrs, 58 Secs.
AVERAGE SPEED: 124.623 MPH
MARGIN OF VICTORY: 0.598 Seconds
POINT STANDINGS (Top-10, Wild Cards): 1. Johnson, 873 points**, 2. Kyle Busch, -21**, 3. Edwards, -38**, 4. Kenseth, -39**, 5. Gordon, -43**, 6. Harvick, -54**, 7. Kurt Busch, -74*, 8. Newman, -87*, 9. Earnhardt Jr, -120; 10. Stewart, -122. WILD CARDS: Keselowski (11th, 3 wins), Hamlin (12th, 1 win).
**Already part of the 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup
*Secured spot for 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup in this race