Jeff Gordon’s Win At Phoenix Spurs A Dream Week For One Lucky Fan
[media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”229″]
[/media-credit]Not long after Jeff Gordon’s landmark win at Phoenix last weekend, the social media website Twitter was buzzing with news of the “hiccups girl”- a devoted fan who predicted the driver’s win just hours before when she got hiccups- quickly becoming Jeff Gordon’s lucky charm.
Gordon was quick to take notice of his lucky charm, Courtniee, who has been getting the lucky hiccups since Darlington in 2007. “I just thought it was a one time thing, then I had them the hiccups) again the day of Pocono 2007, and the next two races and realized that maybe they were lucky,” said Courtniee.
Until last Sunday, it had been nearly two years and 66 races since the lucky hiccups surfaced. “I just would try not to think about having them or not and just enjoy watching the race,” said Courtniee. “When Jeff would have those good runs, I was hoping he would win. When he did not win, I felt just like every other fan would, but kept saying there’s always next week.”
Rooting for Jeff Gordon is not a new phenomenon for the Pennsylvania native, but a 17 year journey that has seen both wins and heartbreak. “I saw his rainbow car and thought it was the coolest thing and have been a fan since,” said Courtniee, who has an entire corner of her room dedicated to Jeff Gordon collectibles. “It’s actually the only part of my room that I keep clean.”
With all the buzz surrounding Courtniee and her lucky hiccups, it wasn’t long before Jeff Gordon took notice of her. During all of Gordon’s appearances and interviews following the win, he has mentioned Courtniee by name, calling her his lucky charm. Appearances including radio interviews, newspaper columns, and spots on NASCAR Race Hub and Jay Leno were just a few of the places where Courtniee has received publicity.
Aside from the shoutouts, Courtniee has also appeared on Sirius NASCAR Radio this past week and has been asked for multiple interviews. “This week has been one of the best weeks of my life,” said Courtniee. “It’s not every day that someone you look up to will mention your name.”
Among all the publicity she has received, Courtniee says that Jay Leno was her favorite part. “I was not expecting him to bring me up at all on the show and when I heard it, I was in shock,” she replied. “All my friends and family members are still surprised that a girl from a small town in Pennsylvania was mentioned on Leno.”
Through all of the hype and excitement of this week, Courtniee remains determined to have the opportunity to meet Gordon in person.” I would first tell him that I have been trying to meet him for 17 years. Then I would tell him that he has been an inspriration to me for most of my life,” she said. “He has taught me to never give up and to chase my dreams.”
With the 2011 season just beginning, it will be interesting to see how many more times Courtniee gets her lucky hiccups, pushing Jeff Gordon to victory. In the meantime, Courtniee will continue to bask in the glory of all the media attention, dreaming for the chance to finally meet her favorite driver.
Regan Smith Thinks His Team is Best Kept Secret in NASCAR
Regan Smith has been described by Mark McCardle, managing director of competition for Furniture Row Racing, as one of the best-kept secrets in the garage area. But Smith puts the credit solely on his team, crowning them the true best kept secrets in NASCAR.
[media-credit name=”Gary Buchanan” align=”alignright” width=”266″]
[/media-credit]Smith and his No. 78 Chevrolet Furniture Row Racing team have indeed had an eventful start to their 2011 racing season. Right out of the box, the young driver led several laps of the Daytona 500 before being caught up in a late race crash, yet still managing to finish seventh.
“It felt great to lead,” Smith said. “I think more importantly than that, it felt great to lead with five to go.”
“And how good that felt went downhill pretty quick from there,” Smith continued. “We had a strong car and we were in a position where we wanted to be.”
Smith had been working with Kurt Busch at the time and the two were committed to each other since their cars were so good together. Busch unfortunately got separated from Smith, then got an unexpected push from Tony Stewart, and the wreck was on.
In spite of the melee on the track, Smith still counted his Daytona experience as a “really good day.” He was also most pleased that he and his team were able to rebound from the accident to salvage a good finish.
“To be honest, I was surprised that the car was able to finish,” Smith said. “Usually when you wreck at Daytona, there are two options, one being that you are t-boned and the other that you are airborne. I never thought option three would be that we drove off and finished the race.”
“Just that quick I had to switch my brain off from trying to win the 500 to realizing that this is a 36 race season and we need points right now,” Smith said. “As soon as I finished spinning on the back stretch, that was my mindset.”
Smith admitted that he was definitely angry after the race and “pretty bummed out.” As he was riding to the airport with his fiance after the race, it hit him just how close he had come to winning the Great American Race.
“That’s when it sunk in,” Smith said. “I realized how close we were to this deal. But we recovered well as a team.”
Smith credits his Daytona recovery full to his team, who he says has worked hard to calm him down and keep his head in the game.
“Last year, I would have imploded,” Smith said. “That goes a long way to say how good of a team I’ve got around me.”
After putting Daytona in his rear view mirror, Smith turned his attention to discussing his Phoenix race. He qualified fifth for the second race of the season, but again got caught up in a big wreck that relegated him to finishing 34th, dropping him to the 19th position in the point standings.
“I think we had a bigger wreck at Phoenix than we did at Daytona,” Smith said ruefully. “Last week was just circumstances. We had a fast race car and I was fast all weekend. It was just bad luck.”
While Smith acknowledged that there were many different strategies playing out in the race, with varying tire and pit sequences in play, he also admitted surprise at just how racy many of his fellow competitors were.
“The whole race was like that and I wondered why they were so aggressive so early on,” Smith said. “I don’t know if that all caused the wreck. I think it was just ignorance.”
This weekend, Smith is ready to tackle Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He practiced well and qualified 12th for the Kobalt Tools 400.
“Off the truck, the car was good,” Smith said. “We have some ideas for what we want to change in race trim. But overall, we had another solid day with our Furniture Row Chevrolet.”
“I feel strong about this weekend,” Smith said. “We’re looking at this weekend just like we did Daytona and Phoenix. We’re here to get top tens now.”
“That’s our goal and there will come a point when we get top fives,” Smith continued. “That will be cool.”
Smith admits that he and his team are focused but also have a bit of a chip on their shoulders, especially since they are the only team based out of Denver, Colorado, not Charlotte, North Carolina.
“We’ve all got a little chip on our shoulder being from Denver,” Smith said. “We want to prove that we can not only run good from Denver but we can run as good as these big super teams.”
“I don’t think anybody in this trailer or on this team is surprised about how we are starting this year off,” Smith continued. “We’re kind of off the radar. But I know this is what I expected and this is what all these guys expected.”
“I look at it as I’m with a team that’s the best kept secret in the garage,” Smith said. “I know the people that I get to work with and I wouldn’t trade it for any other team in this garage.”
Robby Gordon Slapped with Probation for Kevin Conway Altercation
Robby Gordon, driver of the No. 7 Speed Energy Dodge for the team that bears his name, was placed on immediate and indefinite probation today by NASCAR. Gordon apparently had an altercation in the garage area Friday evening with Kevin Conway, another Cup driver with whom Gordon had prior business dealings that went south.
[media-credit name=”Gary Buchanan ” align=”alignright” width=”214″]
[/media-credit]In fact, Robby Gordon Motorsports had filed a lawsuit against Extenze, Conway’s primary sponsor, for $690,000 in damages based on the failure to pay their portion of the sponsorship to Gordon after Conway came to race with him to continue his Rookie of the Year run in 2010.
The disagreement stemmed from the fact that Gordon replaced Conway in the car in order to keep it in the top 35 in the point standings and Extenze refused sponsorship payment based on their contention that they did not approve the driver change.
While Conway was not named in the lawsuit by Robby Gordon Motorsports, Conway did have a financial stake in the deal. Conway reaped approximately $116,000 in a percentage of the purse as well as his Rookie of the Year winnings.
In the midst of Nationwide qualifying and the start of Cup practice, Kerry Tharp of NASCAR made the surprising announcing about Gordon’s probation in the media center this afternoon at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
“We met about the situation this morning and reacted accordingly,” Tharp said. “We will continue to look at this situation involving Robby Gordon.”
“We took emergency action that is stipulated in the rule book for us to be able to react this way and place him on probation.”
Tharp announced that although Gordon would still be able to compete in this weekend’s race, his probation was indeed indefinite.
“There is no time frame on it right now,” Tharp said. “It could be revised as we move along but the action we took today, we just placed him on probation, period.”
Tharp advised that he did not witness the incident so felt that he could not elaborate on it.
“It was an incident in the garage between him and another driver that took place,” was all that Tharp would confirm.
Gordon qualified 38th for the Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
NASCAR: Incident Between Gordon and Conway Results in Immediate Probation
NASCAR has placed Robby Gordon on immediate probation after an incident involving he and Kevin Conway occurred Friday following Sprint Cup qualifying.
Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton described the episode as a “heated debate,” but would not confirm whether or not it was a physical confrontation.
Conway stated he had filed a police report regarding the incident, but offered no more information.
Conway drove for Gordon in six races last year, and the two are currently involved in a legal battle over disputed money.
NASCAR officials said Gordon will be allowed to race in tomorrow’s Kobalt Tools 400 and that his probation may be revised as more information becomes available.
Neither driver could be reached for immediate comment.
Kobalt Tools 400: Who And What To Look Out For
This weekend the Sprint Cup Series visits the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Kobalt Tools 400. Matt Kenseth will start from the pole, an extreme rarity for the driver who usually qualifies towards the middle or back of the pack eventually making his way to the front. Kenseth also was fastest during the first practice session of the weekend. Lining up behind him is his Roush Fenway Racing teammate, David Ragan, then Juan Montoya, and teammates Carl Edwards, and Greg Biffle.
[media-credit id=41 align=”alignright” width=”293″]
[/media-credit]What do you see here? All Roush Fenway Racing drivers were in the Top 5 in the first session of practice. The entire team will be tough to beat on Sunday. Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon seem to be the favorites to win the race and they were were 12th and 19th quickest in the morning session, but don’t be fooled by the practice numbers. Gordon was 20th and 28th quickest during the practice sessions in Phoenix and yet he led the most laps and won the race to end the 66 race winless streak. Last year, Gordon led the most laps, but a bad call in the pits to go for two-tires on the last pit stop backfired when Johnson took four and he went on to win the race. Gordon faded to third as Kevin Harvick took second. Look out for Hendrick Motorsports and Roush Fenway Racing.
So, you know the practice results, so we shall compare that with how the drivers qualified for the race. Marcos Ambrose improved from being sixth quickest during practice to earn a front row seat with Kenseth for the pole. Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, and Kyle Busch rounded out the Top 5. One person missing from this is David Ragan. Well, what happened? Ragan choked yet again and spun on his qualifying lap. He managed to keep it off the wall, but never completed the lap and will start from the rear. Great. When is this kid going to just calm down and focus? If he doesn’t get it together, I can say good-bye to Ragan at the end of the season.
Now, to the drivers who really need a good finish…one of those is Jeff Burton. He qualified for the Chase last season and has had 2 DNF’s to start the new season with the new points system. Not good, but wait! He may have just lucked out. NASCAR began racing here in 1998 and the first 3 finishes for Burton here were 2nd, 1st, 1st. Burton has won here before and this may be the track where he can have a good finish. Depending on how many drivers drop out, Burton can gain a significant amount of points. Burton’s teammate Kevin Harvick, as stated earlier, was runner-up here last year.
Who are you guys picking for the race? I have Jeff Gordon. He is back in the DuPont Chevrolet for this race and he gained me a lot of fantasy points last week. In fact, I was last coming into Phoenix and left as the points leader after having a 1, 2, 3 weekend. I don’t expect to do it again this weekend, but I do want the lead to stay in tact. I want to hear from you guys. Leave your comments and picks in the box below and have an amazing weekend.
Email me at therhino.ryan@gmail.com, Facebook, or Twitter http://www.twitter.com/RyanOHaraNASCAR
Thank you guys!
SM PICK ‘EM: Kobalt Tools 400
Overall, out of the nine writers who sent in picks last week, only two went 0-0 in their picks: Matt LaFlair and Kyle Ocker. Ryan O’Hara and Mark Odor both correctly picked Jeff Gordon as the race winner at Phoenix. O’Hara was also able to pick Ryan Newman, who finished fifth, as his dark horse pick.
Updated standings after Phoenix:
| Kyle Brandt | 16 |
| Kyle Ocker | 11 |
| Ryan O’Hara | 11 |
| Roberta Cowan | 9 |
| Jeffrey Boswell | 6 |
| Mark Odor | 6 |
| Ed Coombs | 5 |
| Barry Albert | 3 |
| Ashley McCubbin | 0 |
| Ben Gunby | 0 |
| Matt LaFlair | 0 |
Barry Albert
Who I Think Will Win: Jimmy Johnson
My Dark Horse Pick: Jeff Gordon
Jeffrey Boswell
Who I Think Will Win: Jimmie Johnson
My Dark Horse Pick: David Reutimann
Kyle Brandt
Who I Think Will Win: Jimmie Johnson
My Dark Horse Pick: Clint Bowyer
Comments: It’s no secret that Jimmie Johnson has been of the strongest drivers at Vegas, and has been dominant on the 1.5 mile cookie-cutters. Clint Bowyer has the second best average finish among active drivers since 2009 (5.00), and looks to Vegas to get his season back on track after a rough start.
Matt LaFlair
Who I Think Will Win: Jimmie Johnson
My Dark Horse Pick: Jeff Burton
Comments: Well against all my inner thoughts and feelings as a fan on all racing, I have to go with history on these picks. As much as I hope he hits the wall on lap 1, Jimmie Johnson has an extensive history at Las Vegas Motor Speedway including 4 wins. He will be there at the end on Sunday. As for Jeff Burton, another history pick. He has the most laps led at Las Vegas with 453 out of 3293 in 12 races at LVMS.
Ed Coombs
Who I Think Will Win: Kyle Busch
My Dark Horse Pick: Jack Rousch
Comments: Neither pick is a surprise or dark horse. Kyle Busch and his brother Kurt want to win soooo badly at their home track that either one should be my pick but I will take Kyle. Matt Kenseth is really my dark horse for points purposes. He has always done well at Vegas and barring any on track incident I expect him to be a factor all day long.
Roberta Cowan
Who I Think Will Win: Kyle Busch
My Dark Horse Pick: Dale Jr.
Kyle Ocker
Who I Think Will Win: Matt Kenseth
My Dark Horse Pick: Marcos Ambrose
Ryan O’Hara
Who I Think Will Win: Jeff Gordon
My Dark Horse Pick: Mark Martin
Comments: Jeff Gordon dominated the race last year and would have won if not for a bad pit call for two-tires. Mark Martin won the inaugural race and is dedicated to making the best out of his final year with Hendrick Motorsports.
