[bevo311evolver]

.. but I think I was misled by his abilities. He is a great driver .. and I should have praised him for his successes and his late 90's dominance .. but instead i hated and booed. I was caught up in the NFAJG era, I admit. But he is one of the all time great drivers! I just pray he doesn't match or surpass Sr. for titles. It'd be hard .. seeing how competitive it is now .. but who knows with this Car of Tomorrow.

[Dupont4five]

Originally Posted by bevo311evolver

.. but I think I was misled by his abilities. He is a great driver .. and I should have praised him for his successes and his late 90's dominance .. but instead i hated and booed. I was caught up in the NFAJG era, I admit. But he is one of the all time great drivers! I just pray he doesn't match or surpass Sr. for titles. It'd be hard .. seeing how competitive it is now .. but who knows with this Car of Tomorrow.

Youre an honest person and i admire that since its not like that with most fans

[LSC9901]

There is nothing wrong with liking Jeff Gordon or any other driver. My theory is that I'd like to see some of the lesser drivers/teams get some wins. I think when any driver tends to dominate victory lane they also tend to find more "haters" of them. If Kyle Petty won todays race and didn't win another one for months on end we, for the most part, wouldn't get the "I hate him" complex. Instaed we are happy that he won and move on to the next victory. Gordon is a very good driver with a very good team, just like some of the others. The Championship Victories record will be broken someday by someone and then they will become the new top gun. I have my favorite driver(s) and like others there are some I don't like to see win but I try to look at how they actually did during the race. Was it a clean driving day, did the pit crew do well, did they cause a wreck ???? If they are fair and respectful then they probably deserve the victory. There is always tomorrow for my driver !!!

[EmpireWF]

Why did a majority of fans dislike Gordon years ago?

[Lefty Noob]

Welcome to GoTeamsGo, bevo311evolver, and thanks for joining us in the NASCAR forums! If I may ask, what was it that caused you to change your mind about Gordon? Any particular race or incident you can recall?

[Lefty Noob]

Why did a majority of fans dislike Gordon years ago?

Well, Empire, in the immortal words of Jeff Foxworthy, "People hate Jeff Gordon because he enunciates."

[bevo311evolver]

Originally Posted by Lefty Noob

Welcome to GoTeamsGo, bevo311evolver, and thanks for joining us in the NASCAR forums! If I may ask, what was it that caused you to change your mind about Gordon? Any particular race or incident you can recall?

thanks for the welcome!! im not sure why i began not to dislike him .. its just been a maturation over the years of him and me i believe. i ESPECIALLY love these past two years when the clean cut cookie cutter image has been shed. ya knew jeff gordon had it in him, you cant be that good and be that politically correct all the time. and when sr. was around, i think it just fueled that rivalry and the dislike of gordon. he is a great driver .. and has a GREAT team .. and now, has a GREAT attitude. think johnson can learn a thing or two from him? i do.. becaues johnson is trying to take the same road.

[Nevadastars]

Originally Posted by EmpireWF

Why did a majority of fans dislike Gordon years ago?

A lot of it had to do with instant success and not being a Southern Boy. I believe he came into Cup at 21 years old and to a top shelf team with a wizard (Ray Evernham) as his crew chief. People just plain got tired of seeing him win and sit on poles, week after week. Not to mention he became a media darling with his wholesome looking face and ex-Miss Winston wife, Brooke. Its like everything was handed to him on a silver platter, and it didnt sit well with a lot of the longtime Winston Cup fans.

Its kind of like the guys that dont like the Patriots, or the Yankees. You just get tired of seeing the same guys winning all the time. Then there are some who got on the Gordon bandwagon because its easy to cheer for a winner. I believe his dominating days are over though, since the competition has risen to the level of the 24 team. In the 90s, I have seen Ray change two tires on a pit stop, when everyone else changed 4........and Gordon was still the fastest car and of course came out of the pits in front. Jack Rousch even accused Evernham of doctoring up their tires. It was that kind of dominance that turned a lot of people off to Gordon, some figured they were cheating and getting away with it.

Myself, I used to really hate Gordon, but these days, I tolerate him because he is not winning every other race like he used to. But I will never be a fan of his.

[Dupont4five]

The greats will always hear boo's, Earnhardt, Petty etc.

[Nevadastars]

Originally Posted by Dupont4five

The greats will always hear boo's, Earnhardt, Petty etc.

I dont recall ever hearing Petty being boo'd. I guess Kurt Busch must be considered one of the greats since he's getting the loudest boos these days.

[bevo311evolver]

Yeah Busch gets booed because of his on track actions and his mouth

[RN12#1]

I feel obligated to blow out of the water the whole, people hate Gordon because he was always winning thing, that seems to be going on in this thread. I didn't watch NASCAR in the 90's to be honest. So, his "dominance" then means nothing to me. I am from Florida, but don't feel obligated, what so ever, to not like someone because he isn't a "Good Ol' Boy" from some Confederate state. I don't like Gordon because of what he does and what he says. I dislike him just as equally as a few other drivers that top my "Gosh, I really hope that guy doesn't get turned around and ruin his car, because that would break my heart" list. And believe me when I say that none of them got on that list because they won too many races or too many championships. I am not ignorant enough to think that narrow-minded. Everyone has made my list through their on the track behavior/actions.

[02pace]

you mean like stewart

Originally Posted by LSC9901

There is nothing wrong with liking Jeff Gordon or any other driver. My theory is that I'd like to see some of the lesser drivers/teams get some wins. I think when any driver tends to dominate victory lane they also tend to find more "haters" of them. If Kyle Petty won todays race and didn't win another one for months on end we, for the most part, wouldn't get the "I hate him" complex. Instaed we are happy that he won and move on to the next victory. Gordon is a very good driver with a very good team, just like some of the others. The Championship Victories record will be broken someday by someone and then they will become the new top gun. I have my favorite driver(s) and like others there are some I don't like to see win but I try to look at how they actually did during the race. Was it a clean driving day, did the pit crew do well, did they cause a wreck ???? If they are fair and respectful then they probably deserve the victory. There is always tomorrow for my driver !!!

[02pace]

I guess Jr never had something handed to him?

Originally Posted by Nevadastars

A lot of it had to do with instant success and not being a Southern Boy. I believe he came into Cup at 21 years old and to a top shelf team with a wizard (Ray Evernham) as his crew chief. People just plain got tired of seeing him win and sit on poles, week after week. Not to mention he became a media darling with his wholesome looking face and ex-Miss Winston wife, Brooke. Its like everything was handed to him on a silver platter, and it didnt sit well with a lot of the longtime Winston Cup fans.

Its kind of like the guys that dont like the Patriots, or the Yankees. You just get tired of seeing the same guys winning all the time. Then there are some who got on the Gordon bandwagon because its easy to cheer for a winner. I believe his dominating days are over though, since the competition has risen to the level of the 24 team. In the 90s, I have seen Ray change two tires on a pit stop, when everyone else changed 4........and Gordon was still the fastest car and of course came out of the pits in front. Jack Rousch even accused Evernham of doctoring up their tires. It was that kind of dominance that turned a lot of people off to Gordon, some figured they were cheating and getting away with it.

Myself, I used to really hate Gordon, but these days, I tolerate him because he is not winning every other race like he used to. But I will never be a fan of his.

[02pace]

Instant success? Started racing go-carts knee high, raced dirt underage, never won a bush championship, started cup in 93 and won his first championship in 95.

Originally Posted by 02pace

I guess Jr never had something handed to him?