GORDON HOPES TO SOAR TO VICTORY IN THE WINSTON

CONCORD, N.C. - Jeff Gordon's No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet will bear wings 
this Saturday in The Winston all-star event at Lowe's Motor Speedway in 
celebration of Wilbur and Orville Wright's first flight 100 years ago.
    The special "100 Years of Aviation Celebration" paint scheme is one that 
Gordon hopes will fly him to the front of the field and propel him toward a 
record fourth win in The Winston. He is currently tied with the late Dale 
Earnhardt for the most wins in NASCAR's all-star event with three. 
    A win in The Winston, worth one million dollars, could almost match 
Gordon's previous winnings of $1,427,110 in all nine of his previous starts 
combined. If he were to win all three segments, the win would be worth 
$1,100,000.
    Gordon's first victory in The Winston came in 1995 when he swept all 
three segments and won $300,000. In addition to that victory, he captured 
seven "points" wins en route to his first NASCAR Winston Cup championship.
    "The highlight for me in The Winston is probably the year we won all 
three segments," said Gordon. "But the highlight of that year was definitely 
winning the championship over Earnhardt."
    Each time Gordon has won the Winston – 1995, 1997 and 2001 – he has also 
captured the NASCAR Winston Cup championship. In fact, The Winston winner has 
proceeded to win the championship in eight different years.
    In the 2001 running of The Winston, Gordon's night included a wrecked 
race car, a mandatory trip to the infield care center and a visit to victory 
lane – in a backup car. 
    "That night sure was memorable," Gordon said. "I thought our night was 
over on lap one after wrecking in the rain. Initially, our night lasted about 
as long as the Wright Brothers flight.
    "In the care center, I was told that NASCAR was allowing all the teams 
involved in the wreck to use their backup. When I finally made it over to our 
garage stall, guys from our crew, the No. 5 (Hendrick Motorsports) crew and 
the No. 25 (Hendrick Motorsports) crew were thrashing on the backup in an 
effort to get it race ready.
    "It was awesome how everyone at Hendrick Motorsports came together to 
help the No. 24 DuPont team. It says a lot about our team and organization 
when you can win with a backup car under these conditions. Really, The 
Winston is not only about having a great race car but a great race team too."
    With clearance, Gordon hopes to land in Victory Lane once again.