Just Gordon being Earnhardt

In the 1990s, I was sitting beside editor Deb Williams of Winston Cup Scene in the Darlington pressbox, and I noticed something interesting.

Dale Earnhardt was leading the race and coming upon lapped traffic in turn one. Instead of waiting to pass them on the backstretch, Earnhardt dove in between them and passed a second lapped car on the high side in turn two. He was pulling away in the backstretch.

I told Deb, and she said that was just Earnhardt being Earnhardt.

A few years later, we were back at Darlington, and Jeff Gordon was leading. At one point, he encountered lapped traffic in turn one, dove between two cars, passed the second one on the high side and pulled away in the backstretch.

I thought Deb would say that was just Gordon being Earnhardt.

EMAIL: tgilli52@gmail.com  TWITTER: EDITORatWORK

More entries from TARJ

• Angel in Black: Remembering Dale Earnhardt Sr.

(a book of great stories about the Intimidator)

• Then Junior Said to Jeff...

(the book of great NASCAR stories)

• My best day as a sports writer

• Jeff Gordon's milk toast to Dale Earnhardt

• Wayne Auton: A life in racing

EDITOR@WORK blog entries 

• You really DO need an editor

• Reminders for would-be novelists

• What I charge (it's a deal) and what I edit

• What I do when I'm editing

• Slogging through the Internet

• J-school: More eyes on your stories

• J-school: Go out and learn•

Entries from The Dog Blog

• Katie cried

• Growl and pull

• 13-plus years with my dog Lady

• ... said the spider to ...

• The Dog Diary (2014)

• YIP! YIP! The stereo-sound huskies

• What Lady and Michael Jackson had in common

More blog entries by Tom Gillispie

• Resume for a writer and editor

• An editor's views on powerful writing

• Advice for be and would-be novelists

• Links to TG's stories online

• Favorite quotes

• What I do when I'm editing

Anecdotes by Tom Gillispie

• Wipeout at Death Valley

• Days with rainbows

• A desperate writer working in the dark

• Yer outta there!