Jeff's Month of June...in Review
Needless to say, the highlight of June for Jeff was celebrating his daughter's 2nd birthday, but before we get to that, let's review some earlier happenings.
Jeff took a pretty good lick to his back when he crashed into the wall at Dover in late May, but despite his pain he still participated in a Road Atlanta test that following Tuesday on June 2, in preparation for the Sonoma race.
However, Jeff's back did hurt enough to warrant canceling his run in the Prelude to the Dream, Tony Stewart's charity race on dirt at Eldora Speedway. Fortunately for Jeff, the event was rained out so he may have the opportunity to drive in it when it's rescheduled!
So Jeff was then off to Pocono later that week (he drove from NYC). It was a weather gamble all weekend as Jeff started second and finished in fourth.
After Ella's last day of school, Jeff stayed in NYC the following week and appeared on Live with Regis and Kelly on Tuesday the 9th. After a couple of days filled with conference calls and an appearance in Manhattan, Jeff boarded a commercial flight on the afternoon of the 11th and flew to Detroit.
Driving the National Guard car, Jeff unfortunately blew an engine during Friday's practice session and moved to a back-up car. Even though Jeff technically qualified 27th, he had to start at the rear of the field for the race. Jeff had a really strong car and finished second behind teammate Mark Martin after a few other drivers ran out of gas at the very end.
Jeff flew to Indianapolis that evening. He took part in a semi-soggy Goodyear tire test at Indy Motor Speedway and had nothing but compliments for the tires to be brought back to the track in July.
After a quick stint back at home, Jeff was off to California. It was a busy weekend for Jeff...his weekend was filled with interviews, meet & greets, racing, and oh yeah-Ella's birthday party! Several family members and close friends joined Jeff and Ingrid to wish Ella a happy 2nd birthday on Saturday the 20th at a private party. Ella had a great time riding a pony and playing in a pink bouncy house. Be sure to check out the exclusive photos here! As for the race, there would be no Victory Lane celebration for Jeff on Father's Day due to a pit road penalty incurred during the race, but he rallied from behind in the closing laps to finish ninth.
Jeff spent the next week in NYC before heading to New Hampshire. Once again, Mother Nature kept everyone guessing all weekend. Qualifying was rained out so Jeff started in second, then the race itself ended up rain-shortened and Jeff finished in the runner-up spot.
From Loudon it was back to NYC for just a day before heading to Charlotte for a few days, en route to Daytona.
See what's in store for Jeff this month...read below!
Looking Ahead
What's happening in July? Jeff travels to Daytona International Speedway where he'll try to win under the lights. He's also scheduled to appear at the Daytona Beach Bandshell for Pepsi on Friday the 3rd around 7pm...check it out!
Jeff will leave home again on the 9th, traveling to Chicago where he'll meet hundreds of JGN members and their guests at the Network fan event on Friday the 10th. Then Jeff will attempt to grab a second victory in Chicago-if he and teammate Mark Martin finish 1-2, they will win a $1 million bonus! Let's go Jeff!
After racing at Chicagoland, Jeff departs for a well-deserved summer getaway. Look for him to still be "here-and-there" though...keep it tuned in here!
Next after vacation will be racing in Indy, where Jeff is excited to get back to after a really great tire test there in June. Jeff will also host his annual bowling tournament for the Jeff Gordon Foundation.
The remainder of the month will be spent on conference calls, phone interviews, meetings and hopefully a visit to kiss the bricks!
Stay tuned for more throughout the month at www.JeffGordon.com!