Vegas salutes Gordon

Tuesday, Feb. 23, 1999 | 9:37 a.m.

Judging from his appearance Monday night in Las Vegas, it is hard to believe that Jeff Gordon has at least as many detractors as he has supporters.

At virtually every stop on the 34-race NASCAR Winston Cup circuit, the 27-year-old Gordon is resoundingly booed by fans (of other drivers) who resent the overwhelming success he has enjoyed in just six seasons in stock-car racing's premier series.

But during a guest appearance on a live remote broadcast by cable shopping network QVC at the All-American SportPark, Gordon had no enemies among the estimated 2,300 people who turned out to see the 1999 Daytona 500 winner and three-time Winston Cup champion.

Gordon was cheered loudly from the time he stepped onto the make-shift television stage until he was whisked away from the SportPark in a rented sport utility vehicle nearly three hours later. The visit coincided with Gordon's two-day test today and Wednesday at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in preparation for the March 4-7 Winston Cup Weekend.

School-aged girls shrieked and shouted "We love you, Jeff," as Gordon settled in for his appearance with QVC host Dan Hughes. "You're the man," shouted one middle-aged man sporting Gordon's colors on his hat and jacket. "He's such a stud," gushed one woman, who appeared to be old enough to be Gordon's mother.

"It's just awesome," Gordon's publicist for his newly formed Pepsi-sponsored Busch Series team, Clint Thezan, said. "And how he handles it all is even more impressive."

In between, Gordon did what he does best when he's not winning races: He sold an awful lot of T-shirts, die-cast cars and other assorted memorabilia during his two-hour stint on the "For Race Fans Only" show.

It is estimated that Gordon earned at least as much in endorsements, souvenir sales and licensing fees last year as he did in race winnings -- and he made more than $9 million on the race track in 1998.

A spokesman for QVC said that the regular segment devoted to auto racing collectibles and souvenirs is one of the network's most popular and that NASCAR's sales are second only to the National Football League's on the network.

QVC's entire inventory of 10,000 limited-edition Jeff Gordon T-shirts, commemorating his Daytona 500 win and priced at $20 each, sold out in less than an hour Monday, as did a crystal replica of his race car and several die-cast offerings.

Because of the large turnout for Gordon's appearance Monday night, there was no organized autograph session. Only a few lucky fans were able to get Gordon's signature as he walked from the studio to the SportPark's go-kart track -- where he chatted with Andre Agassi before taking a few laps in a scaled-down replica of his familiar No. 24 DuPont Automotive Refinishes Winston Cup Chevrolet -- and back to the arena, where he conducted a brief question-and-answer session with the fans.

"The toughest part is we have to put a limit on him," Thezan said. "That's what we're there for because he hates to see a kid walk away without (an autograph). He's such a good guy that he'd sit there and sign them all day long."

Even the media were kept at arm's distance -- primarily by the horde of fans that shadowed Gordon's every move.

When Gordon finally sat down to answer a dozen or so questions from the crowd, it became quite clear why Gordon is so popular with his fans.

He repeatedly credited team owner Rick Hendrick, crew chief Ray Evernham and his crew, the "Rainbow Warriors," for his success. Gordon won a record-tying 13 races in 1998 and he has 43 victories in 191 career Winston Cup starts -- fourth among active drivers.

"When you do what I do out there every weekend," he said, "you've got to have a lot of good people behind you. I wouldn't be where I am today without them."

He praised the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and said if it were up to him, he'd make sure the Winston Cup Series visited Las Vegas twice a year.

"Las Vegas is a fun town to come to, whether you like to gamble or not," Gordon said. "And now you have an awesome race track -- one of the best tracks on the circuit."

But Gordon received the loudest ovation when he talked about his strong religious beliefs and cited, in response to a young girl's question, his favorite biblical verse.

"He's too good to be true," sighed one mother, who had three young children in tow. "Now that's a role model."