“That was strange,” said NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Jeff Gordon after leaving a podium in the media center on last Friday.
Ordinarily the pre-race media availabilities are racing related; however this was Las Vegas home of the showgirls, gambling tables and all-you-can-eat buffets.
These pre-race question and answer sessions are usually a good place to ask about last week’s controversy or some developing news.
Perhaps because the NASCAR series had back-to-back races out in the western United States there was a dearth of news items. Also, many of the usual NASCAR press corps was not traveling as often in the past.
One reporter, pointedly, asked Gordon how a sports writers association’s trophy he earned appeared on a cable television network show, Pawn Stars, being pawned.
That set the tone for more questions not of a racing nature. Gordon had no idea that the trophy was missing, he said “We don’t give away trophies. It’s news to me. Don’t be too upset, I’m a little upset too and just trying to figure it out.” The four-time Sprint Cup Champion said he would try to buy it back.
Then the questions turned to the recent numbers of babies arriving in NASCAR families, which of course led to a question is it time to allow condom sponsors? Nonplussed, Gordon said Viagra had been allowed. Then he added that sampling at the race track wouldn’t be a good idea.
Amazingly the next three questions were racing related, and then, just as Gordon was getting back in the usual mindset he was asked his thoughts on Kim Kardashian being the grand marshal of the Shelby American race on Sunday.
For those living under a rock, Kardashian stars in a reality television show about her life of celebrity in Hollywood where she is famous for being famous and photogenic, but not much else.
Gordon said “I saw a car out there, she has a perfume or something on somebody’s car so obviously that’s what’s bringing her here. I was in L.A. last week and we were racing there and Hollywood is a crazy place, it really is. I love to visit there because it’s like a Disneyland for the entertainment industry. People get notoriety and fame for a lot of different reasons and I’m not going to knock any of them for how they go about it or what they do. All the power to them, whatever is working for them.”
More bewildered than upset Gordon looked like he couldn’t wait to get back into his Sprint Cup Chevrolet and deal with the more mundane things in life like turning left at 180mph.
photo:NASCAR Getty Images
Ordinarily the pre-race media availabilities are racing related; however this was Las Vegas home of the showgirls, gambling tables and all-you-can-eat buffets.
 |
| Jeff Gordon with teammate Jimmie Johnson Photo: NASCAR |
These pre-race question and answer sessions are usually a good place to ask about last week’s controversy or some developing news.
Perhaps because the NASCAR series had back-to-back races out in the western United States there was a dearth of news items. Also, many of the usual NASCAR press corps was not traveling as often in the past.
One reporter, pointedly, asked Gordon how a sports writers association’s trophy he earned appeared on a cable television network show, Pawn Stars, being pawned.
That set the tone for more questions not of a racing nature. Gordon had no idea that the trophy was missing, he said “We don’t give away trophies. It’s news to me. Don’t be too upset, I’m a little upset too and just trying to figure it out.” The four-time Sprint Cup Champion said he would try to buy it back.
Then the questions turned to the recent numbers of babies arriving in NASCAR families, which of course led to a question is it time to allow condom sponsors? Nonplussed, Gordon said Viagra had been allowed. Then he added that sampling at the race track wouldn’t be a good idea.
Amazingly the next three questions were racing related, and then, just as Gordon was getting back in the usual mindset he was asked his thoughts on Kim Kardashian being the grand marshal of the Shelby American race on Sunday.
For those living under a rock, Kardashian stars in a reality television show about her life of celebrity in Hollywood where she is famous for being famous and photogenic, but not much else.
Gordon said “I saw a car out there, she has a perfume or something on somebody’s car so obviously that’s what’s bringing her here. I was in L.A. last week and we were racing there and Hollywood is a crazy place, it really is. I love to visit there because it’s like a Disneyland for the entertainment industry. People get notoriety and fame for a lot of different reasons and I’m not going to knock any of them for how they go about it or what they do. All the power to them, whatever is working for them.”
More bewildered than upset Gordon looked like he couldn’t wait to get back into his Sprint Cup Chevrolet and deal with the more mundane things in life like turning left at 180mph.
photo:NASCAR Getty Images