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 For
several obvious reasons, Tina Gordon is no the prototypew for
a typical stock car driver. Primarily, this is a driver who
was not part of an illustrious racing dynasty. She did not spend
her youth and teen years as a grease monkey in her grandfather's
garage or follow her father around to various dustry racetracks
working on cars and racing. Gordon's story behind the wheel
begins with her in grandstands, chering on her husband, Gary,
who raced on dirt tracks in their homne state of Alabama. During
one of those dirt track races, Gordon took on the challenge
of the "Powder Pff" event that pitted women against
each other.
"The
Powder Puff races were for wives and girlfriends,and I'd never
even been in the car," Gordon recalled of her first race.
"I almost didn't do it. I mean, the helment, which was
Gary's, would fall in my eyes.Somehow , I still won the race.
I ran two Powder Puff races in 1995 and three in 1996, and I
won every race I was in."
The
novelty of these initial races quickly spurred Gordon into a
new quest: she wanted a full-time ride of her own and some serious
competition. In 1997, she ran a full schedule on the Thunder
Mountain Speedway dirt track in Fyffe, Ala., where she garnered
a few checkered flags and steadily became acuainted with her
new chosen profession. By 1998, she had moved into model car
and up to the more physically demanding asphalt tracks such
as Birmingham International Speedway. For the past two years,
Gordon has raced in the NASCAR All Pro series, which she hopes
will be yet another notch for her as she continues to move forward
toward a futurein NASCAR's Major leaque- The Winsston Cup series.
Surviving
the Drama:
In 2001, Gordon took some big,notable steps in her professional
career. She tried her hand in the NASCAR Busch series for the
South Carolina 200 race at Darlington Raceway. FOr gordon, it
was an exercise in patience and a true test of her commitment
to the sport. After a crash in practice and no budget to repair
her broken machine, Gordon was forced to withdraw from her firrst
major foray into big-league racing after only one complete lap
around the track.
"Darlington
was one of the hardest things i've had to do," Gordon explained.
"The whole situation turned into me having to make the
right moves without looking really terrible. It just was not
the right for me to try that race.
"That
situation was tough, and it made me sick in the stomach. But,
in racing, you have to believe things happen for a reason,"
she continued." Racing is an emotional roller coaster.
There
are a lot of good things and bad times, too. The bad days can
put you at rock bottom, but you have to remeber not to quit."
The
experience with her crew, fans and media during the Darlington
fiasco only cemented Gordon's drive to improve her skills behind
the wheel as much as possible. Everyone who is apart of her
racing experience, especially the fans, has been especially
supportive of her endeavors. As such, she takes every opportunity
to get aseat time, including working as a driver for the Richard
Petty Driving Experience to get the necessary lessons and a
chance to interact with the fans.
"That's
the thing about racing," she did not disappoint. She finished
the grueling race with a top 10 finish and a new respect for
how drivers handle the demands of such an immense track.
"Racing
is a tough deal," Gordon explained. "These cars have
no air conditioning or remote control seats. You have to stay
in shape for these endurances races. At Talladega. I couldn't
feel my right foot because othe heat was so intense. That ARCA
race was the fastest I'd raced in my life. My stomach was in
my throat going into turn one." The joy at her preformance
on such a notorious track and so close to her home in Centre,
ALa. was a fitting way to end her race season . Hoever, her
pursuit of excellence in a race car is far from over. SHe expects
to make quite a splash on tracks during the 2002 season.
"Racing is worth it just for those good weekends you have,
like Talladega," Gordon noted. "So much work goes
into a successful team, and when it all clicks and you have
a really good run, the accomplishment is so wonderful and fun
you don't even have to win the race, just show up with a good
preformance from your crew and as a driver. That makes the bad
days worth it."
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The Home
Crew:
Gordon,
of corse, also stands out on the racetracks for another reason:
her gender. While she personally does not place much importance
on being a women in a typically male-dominated sport, Gordon
fully expects that gender barriers, real or imageined, will
be a thing of the past as she and other female drivers continue
to impress the masses. Meanwhile, the one title that she proudly
wears above all others, including professional race car driver,
is "Mom." Beyond racing, Gordon has one other passion,
her 10-year-old son and biggest fan, Seth. He has been on the
road with his mother for many of her notable events. Hoever,
not unlike most boys, his favorite sport is baseball. WHen mom
was taking a stab at her first Busch race, Seth opted for a
tavel day with his Little League team. Proud mom just takes
it all in stride.
"Racing
is something I do do just for me. Seth is something else,"
Gordon explains. "These's nothing else i'd rather do than
shoot basketball with him in the yard or help him with homework.
"Seth
gets to travel with us alot for racing," Gordon continued.
" Especially when we take him out of school, we try to
make it eduactional. For instance, while we were in St. Louis
for a race, we took him to see the Gateway Arch. We like to
save the end of the week for family."
Seth
also has a grft for his mom's sport of choice. He has been racing
go-carts since age seven and has won some races. In fact, Seth
has been quite schooled behind the wheel . He already knows
how to maneuver his mother's car annd is learning how to drive
a manual transmission - now that he can reach the pedals.
"Seth
is amazing. He can go back to racing and win after months because
he doesn;t race unless I am with him,"
Gordon
said laughingly. "I am never as nervous as when I watch
him on go-carts. Actually, he has done other things. When we
were at Atlanta MotorSpeedway, he got to drive on the track.
He is a smooth and consistent driver. Better than his daddy."
Seth's
"daddy" Gary Gordon also is an extrenely important
member of her team, and Tina greatfully acknowledges that without
his help, she would not have had the success she already has
enjoyed. Gary , since retired from his own raceing pursuits,
has been her leading team builder since the earliest race outin.
He and a contingent of loyal volunteers have remained one of
the most enduring and endearing things about Gordon's racing
career.
"We've
all had to learn as we go along, and these guys have been great
to me," Gordon said. "These have been more times that
we've worked on the cars until we had to load them up and haul
them to the tracks. We met all these guys while racing, and
they have helped me at all the little dirt tracks and the big
race at Talladega. Hopefully, these guys will contnue to move
along with me."
Moving along in racing means one thing for Tine Gordon. Gordon's
current pursuit is to earn her way into full-time ride in the
NASCAR Winston Cup series and, perhaps, the opportunity to challenge
another notable Gordon for a shot at the checkered flag.
"I
take everything I do in this sport seriously, and I think people
recongnize that," she added. " If I wasn't serious
about my future in this sport, I would have hung it up during
the bad times. I would never have gotten into the car to begin
with. Right now, every experience is a lesson. Definitely, Winston
Cup is where I want to go."
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