But the most ideal part? “I cramped, and then the cramping led to me passing out in front of cameras and everybody to see”.
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But with the FOX portion of the season behind him, Gordon will make his 798th Sprint Cup start on Sunday, in a race he never dreamed he would drive. The way Gordon ended his career – at the time – felt like a goodbye. Gordon agreed to pinch-hit when he returned.
“The biggest thing is going to the 88 stall, not the 24 stall”, Gordon laughed. “It is probably the most focused I’ve been getting ready for a race”.
The number change didn’t bother Betty Koulos, 50, from Naperville, Ill.
And the driver is why she chose to make the trip to Indianapolis with her family after previously deciding to skip the race this year.
Gordon is scheduled to fill in for Earnhardt through next week’s race in Pocono and wouldn’t speculate beyond.
In what has quickly become an important component of NASCAR’s diversity and inclusion platform, the scholarship program helps both organizations attract young, diverse talent to the world of motorsports.
Earnhardt fans have been trying not to cry for a different reason. “I had a couple of friends send me messages and they were furious about it, going, ‘Oh he is stealing your thunder.’ I’m like, are you kidding me?”
“I’m not buying a program; I’m not buying anything”, said Paul Bunnell, 33, from nearby Lawrenceburg. “I can only imagine how loud they’re gonna be at driver intros and how bonkers this place would go if he’s able to win”. “It is what it is and we will come out and race tomorrow”.
He certainly does not want to see Gordon win in the No. 88, he said, because he’s anxious it would make Earnhardt look bad. “I’m so impressed with (crew chief) Greg Ives and the 88 team”.
Rosberg posted a time of 1 minute, 19.965 seconds according to provisional results, 0.143 seconds faster than Hamilton, who barely made it to the last of the three qualifying session, finishing 10th in session two. After five seasons and no Indianapolis 500 wins, Stewart left his home state for the higher-profile, better-paying NASCAR circuit that turned him into a megastar. “It’s going to be an emotional weekend with Dale not being there and seeing Jeff back behind the wheel”. The whole series wants to win here.
“No part of me wants to see Gordon get out of that auto in victory lane on Sunday”, she said.
Rosberg’s fourth pole position of the season – and 26th of his career – was confirmed later Saturday by officials after reviewing whether the overall leader had slowed down enough during a yellow flag situation. Mostly they were happy for the opportunity to see the four-time NASCAR champion at work again.
“When (team owner) Rick (Hendrick) said to me, ‘Are you coming to Indianapolis?’ I said ‘Yes I am”.
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“The only guy I know who retired and had no regrets was Rick Mears”, Castroneves said of the four-time Indy 500 victor and longtime Penske driving coach.
