Jeff Gordon’s victory in the Virginia 500 would have been a lot harder to pull off if NASCAR officials hadn’t been gracious. They called for Gordon’s crew chief, Robbie Loomis, twice at the start of the drivers’ meeting before Loomis finally materialized, barking “Here” as he stormed into the meeting and took a seat. The rest of the drivers and crew chiefs joined in a chorus of “Oooooooh” and laughed at the near miss. NASCAR could have sent Gordon to the back of the field if Loomis had been late for the mandatory meeting. “I was getting a little nervous,” Gordon said. “Usually it’s the other way around — he’s looking for me, going `Where’s Jeff?’ — and I show up just in the nick of time. He was just getting me back.”( Mercury News )(4-25-2003)
