ARLINGTON, Va. - Last year at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Jeff Gordon
was the runner-up in the No. 24 Dupont/National Guard Chevrolet.
This weekend, he hopes to start the season off with a strong showing in
Atlanta.
"We ran well when we had the National Guard on the hood last season, so I
hope to continue that streak this weekend in Atlanta," he said. "This
DuPont/National Guard team will do all we can this season to put on a good
show and have solid finishes."
In eight outings last year with the National Guard on the hood, Gordon scored
an average finish of 4.375. His best effort was a win at Texas Motor Speedway
in April, while he scored runner-up finishes in Atlanta in March, Michigan
International Speedway in June and Chicagoland Speedway in July. He finished
fifth at Darlington, S.C., Raceway in May, third at Richmond, Va.,
International Raceway in September and fifth at Martinsville, Va., Speedway
in October.
"It was an honor having the National Guard as a sponsor last season and being
able to recognize some of the special initiatives they have in place," he
said. "When we won at Texas, not only was it a proud moment for me since it
was the first time I won at the track, but it was great to have members of
the National Guard in Victory Lane there to celebrate with us.
"I'm thankful for the men and women who serve in the National Guard every
day. They allow us to have the freedom to do what we love, and the National
Guard has given a lot back to our nation."
In this race last year, Gordon led 47 laps. More recently, he started fourth
and scored an eighth-place finish last September at Atlanta. The four-time
Sprint Cup champion led 30 laps and spent 97.5 percent (317 laps) running
inside the top 15.
In 35 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts in Atlanta, Gordon has posted four
wins, 14 top-five finishes and 23 top-10s. He also has earned two pole
positions and led 1,128 laps.
Gordon ranks sixth on the all-time career Cup wins list with 82 and fourth in
all-time career Cup poles with 68. The NASCAR veteran is only one victory and
one pole away from tying Cale Yarborough, who ranks fifth and third,
respectively.
Also in Atlanta, Dale Earnhardt Jr., will drive the No. 88 AMP
Energy/National Guard Chevrolet. He has scored one win, one pole position,
eight top-five finishes and 10 top-10s at the track. The 35-year-old has an
average finishing position of 11.9 and has completed 99.4 percent of all laps
he's attempted (6,716 of 6,757 total). He has led 633 laps at the 1.54-mile
oval.
"We've always run pretty good at Atlanta, so I look forward to going there,"
he said. "It's a wide track, and it gets slick. Atlanta is a driver's track
- if one groove doesn't work, then you can find another one. It's a fun
track, and it's a fast track."
In other Guard sports news, National Guard Suzuki's Jake Zemke ended an
almost four-year winless drought in AMA Superbike racing at Daytona
International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., March 4.
This is his first season with the Michael Jordan Motorsports team.
National Guard fishing pro Brent Ehrler of Redlands, Calif., caught a 5-bass
limit weighing 22 pounds, 2 ounces Thursday to capture the lead on day two of
the FLW Tour event presented by Cabela's on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Mo.,
March 4.
His two-day catch of 10 bass weighing 38-pounds, 8-ounces gives him a
commanding lead in the tournament which features 148 pros and 148 co-anglers
from across the United States.
"I can't wait to go fishing tomorrow, I am just so excited," said Ehrler, who
is coming off an FLW Series National Guard Western Division win at Lake
Shasta in January. "I had a great day today, I found two great areas and
wanted to quit at noon. I also had a couple of random lucky bites that really
helped me tip the scales this afternoon."
Finally, North Dakota's top skier Sgt. Blake Hillerson won the sprint and the
individual races on March 1 and 3 at the Chief of the National Guard Bureau
Biathlon Championships held at Camp Ripley, Minn. The team is favored to win
the patrol and relay races today and Saturday.
What makes their rise more impressive is that North Dakota doesn't have its
own biathlon range or a course to practice on. The team's father-son duo of
Sgt. 1st Class Kent, and Spc. Brandon, Pulst have built their own
mini-biathlon course in the back yard of their country home so that they
could practice.
"We've capitalized on the limited biathlon talent and resources that we have
in our state," said North Dakota's coach Spc. Jordan Becker. We've produced
some quality biathletes on our own, and brought in some talent from other
states, he said, referring to the off-season pick-up of Army Capt. Eric
Nordgren, formerly of Minnesota.
About 18 states are represented this week and will battle it out tomorrow and
Saturday for the team title.
The Washington Capitals showed their support for America's armed forces with their seventh annual "Salute to the Military" appreciation night event held March 4 at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.
While the Capitals gained a 5-3 victory over the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning, more than 800 service members and their families enjoyed the game courtesy of tickets the Capitals provided free through local military Morale, Welfare and Recreation offices.
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Douglas B. Wilson and Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli stressed the importance of garnering civilian support for the military and their families during a pre-game reception honoring the military.
Service members attending the event expressed appreciation for the Capitals, including Master Sgt. Andrew Berger, who is assigned to the Army National Guard Readiness Center.
"Tonight has been great," he said. "Since we've been here they've really taken care of us. The Washington Capitals are awesome. It's great to be here to show our support to them as they've shown their support for us."
(Master Sgt. Greg Rudl of the National Guard Bureau and Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Elliott Fabrizio of the Pentagon Channel contributed to this report.)