Jeff Gordon getting lots of love before final NASCAR race
HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) Jeff Gordon is getting a lot of love at the end of the rainbow.
Maybe even more than expected.
Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne as well as fellow drivers Danica Patrick and Kyle Larson wore Gordon tribute hats before the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Patrick wore one with old-school ''rainbow warriors'' colors. Joey Logano posted a picture of him and Gordon on Facebook that showed them sharing a moment when Logano was little.
''You were my idol growing up,'' Logano wrote. ''Never did I think I'd race against you for wins. Congrats on a great career Jeff Gordon.''
Defending series champion Kevin Harvick got a modern-day keepsake when he stopped by Gordon's No. 24 Chevrolet - which got a police escort to pit road - and posed for a photo.
NASCAR presented Gordon with a tribute video during the pre-race drivers' meeting and then everyone in the room, including drivers, sponsors and dignitaries, gave him a standing ovation.
''Jeff, congratulations on an outstanding career. We thank you for all you've done for NASCAR and will do,'' NASCAR vice chairman Mike Helton said. ''You're a true champion and a top-shelf guy.''
Fans lined a red carpet leading to the meeting and showered Gordon with praise. Gordon responded by high-fiving scores of them.
Gordon is a four-time series champion who is retiring following the finale. He has won 93 races in 23 full seasons. One more victory would be bigger than all the rest.
Gordon is one of four drivers remaining in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. Kyle Busch, Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. also are vying for the title.
But for Gordon, it would be the ultimate ending to a storied career.
He's trying to remember all the details of his celebratory day, including a visit from racing legend Mario Andretti and sports-car ace Scott Pruett. Gordon made sure his colleagues will remember the day, too.
Gordon gave each driver in the finale field an inscribed, carbon-fiber box to commemorate his last race. Gordon recalled Richard Petty doing something similar before the 1992 season finale in Atlanta. Petty gave each driver in that race a ''Petty blue'' money clip.
''Something I've always cherished,'' Gordon tweeted Sunday along with a picture of the money clip.
On Saturday, Petty gave Gordon $93 to put in the money clip and told him he had one more dollar ready for him should he win the finale.
Homestead-Miami Speedway planned its own tribute to Gordon before the race. The track arranged for fans to send Gordon a special message with a card stunt in the grandstands.
Two cards were attached to every seat in certain sections, and fans will be asked to hold up each cue card when it is time to perform each stunt. Public address announcements were expected to coordinate the tribute.
The track also had a ''Thank You, Jeff'' banner for fans to write their well wishes to Gordon, located in the Fanatics Trackside Superstore.
