I had the pleasure of spending some time with NASCAR star Jeff Gordon in New York in between media appearances to promote NASCAR’s playoffs, the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup, and it’s hard not to come away impressed by his media savvy — and frankly just the fact he comes across as a great guy.
While he is currently in a drive (sorry) to win a fifth NASCAR championship, many may know his face from his stints filling in for Regis Philbin alongside Kelly Ripa.
And he wouldn’t mind keeping it that way, as he hopes to be sitting in Philbin’s chair again one day, though there’s nothing set as of now.
As for who is going to take Regis’ chair fulltime, he figures that decision won’t happen for ages, as he sees a long period of test hosts and fill-ins before the torch is permanently passed.
But while he’s great on camera, don’t count Gordon among those candidates, as he recently snagged his 85th win, and has no intentions of slowing down (again, sorry) anytime soon.
In fact, he is considered by B&C’s resident NASCAR expert Robert Edelstein (shameless plug: click here to buy his latest book) to be a favorite for the title this year. To do so, Gordon will have to beat out an All-Star field of 10 other drivers in the Chase. Technically there are 11 other drivers in the post-season, but Dale Earnhardt Jr. would actually have to win a race most likely to have a shot, and I think the last time that happened the original Charlie’s Angels was on the air, not the new remake.
After spending some time with Gordon, it will be hard not to pull for him, despite the fact my kids are big Tony Stewart fans and the wife is partial to Jimmie Johnson. Yes, I am a Jewish guy from Minnesota, and I am a NASCAR fan in a NASCAR family. I have no idea how that happened either.
Anyway, if cars turning left for a few hours at very high speeds is your thing too, NASCAR’s chase kicks off Sunday afternoon on ESPN.
