10 Questions for Jeff Gordon

How does it feel to go from the kid to the old man on the tour? --Janeen Pickle, CYPRESS, CALIF. I love what I've accomplished in this sport. If I knew then what I know now, I probably would have loosened up a little bit and shown a little more personality. I was trying to be what I thought people or my sponsors wanted me to be, trying to be too perfect.

What's it like to hear people booing you? --Gary Schubert STROUDSBURG, PA. I've gotten so numb to it. I get more concerned when the cheers and boos aren't as loud. I learned that a long time ago when people were booing Dale Earnhardt. It's O.K. as long as they're making noise.

Will having Dale Earnhardt Jr. as a teammate cut down on the number of bottles and cans thrown at you when you win at Talladega this year? --Eric Mason GUNTERSVILLE, ALA. I hope not I know NASCAR doesn't want me to encourage people throwing things, but I want his fans to be as passionate as they have been.

Why is it that some parts of the country support you and others don't? --Elizabeth Bradley, DENTON, MD. In California, especially Northern California, the fans really cheer for me. In the Southeast, though, there are a lot of Earnhardt fans. My image lends itself a little bit more to the modern fan, sometimes more toward the kids, and I guess more toward the wine drinkers ... I mean, I have my own wine, and fans love to pull for people they relate to.

If Dale Earnhardt Jr. is in the lead for another win at Daytona, would you bump him and take out your team member? --Gary Smith UNION GROVE, WIS. No. If I'm going to win, I'm go ing to try to race as cleanly as I can. I can't say there's not going to be bumping and some banging. Let's hope it's all the kind that gets you to the finish line still in one piece.

NASCAR seems to be shying away from core fans to go more mainstream. Is that a mistake? --Laura Eddy, GREENVILLE, S.C. I don't think so. When you have a sport that's grown the way this sport has, you have to capitalize on it. The ticket prices could be a little less, though. We have to keep our fans watching not just at home on TV but here at the racetrack too. This is where you sell people on the speed and excitement of racing.

Why hasn't Formula One racing caught on in the U.S.? --Mat Smith, CARDIFF, WALES I'm a huge fan, [but] I don't know if cool technology and exotic cars are as popular in the U.S. as in Europe. We want high scoring, lots of action. Soccer is one of the biggest sports in the world, but not in the U.S. I think a lot of people look at it as sort of boring.

What advice would you give to a young girl who wants to become a race-car driver? --Ellen Hayes, MIAMI I never try to put anybody in a different category. It doesn't matter whether you're male or female. It's about starting young and getting into the best equipment and going out on all different types of tracks. In NASCAR, you don't have to be as physically strong as in some other forms of racing. You've just got to be able to endure the heat and endurance of it.

What is your favorite car--one that you bought? --Dennis Abplanalp DAYTON, OHIO I love my Chevy Tahoe. Especially now with the baby, I need something to hold all my luggage. But I'll do some things to make it cool--lower it down, put some big wheels and tires on it, a nice sound system and blacked-out windows.

Your wife is taller than you. Has that ever made you self-conscious? --Rozzie Franco, ORLANDO, FLA. Actually, she's not taller than me. Just with heels on, she's a lot taller. But you know what? She's beautiful, and I love it when she feels glamorous and beautiful. So it doesn't bother me. I know the truth.

As a child, did you grow up wanting to be a racecar driver? Or did you have something else in mind? --Sara Simpson, Gulfport, Miss. As a kid, you're not making a lot plans. I got into racing through my mom and my stepfather, particularly my stepfather. It really just started out as a hobby, and then we started having success. Then you start looking around at the big-time racecar drivers and they become your heroes. Once you get behind the wheel, you get past some of the fear, because anything new can be fearful. It doesn't matter if you're riding a bike or driving a racecar. And honestly, I think I've been more injured riding my bike than riding a racecar.

What are your feelings about being in the "Car of Tomorrow" for its first full season? --Kelly Alexander, El Dorado, Kans. I'm excited about it. When it first came out, I wasn't a big fan. As a racecar driver and somebody who loves cars, and cool cars, you want something that's sleek and aerodynamic and cool looking. It took a lot for me to accept it. Now, the teams have really spent time looking at this car and the characteristics of it. We've really gotten the cars driving better. I think you're going to see the 50th anniversary Daytona 500 be one spectacular race.

How has becoming a father changed your perspective on life? --Chris Brockway, Chandler, Ariz. It doesn't make me want to be less aggressive on the racetrack. I love what I do. It makes me more passionate because now I see real purpose. I want my family to be proud of me, I want my wife and my daughter to come and be a part of what's been a part of my life for so long. It's brought a whole new excitement to my life.

Do you feel that NASCAR is really a team sport? Or do you see this more as a partnership, with all of you sharing information but competing against each other for the championship? --Charles Musante, Fort Monroe, Va. People are a little confused sometimes when we talk about teamwork and sharing information. Teamwork in any other sport means that you work together for your team to win. In our situation, we're all separate teams working together to make sure that one of us wins. We're all trying to do it ourselves. It's not that much different than, the All-Star event in basketball. You've got a lot of guys that are on the same team. But they're all individually trying to score the most points.

Critics describe NASCAR as watching cars go in circles. Has the growth of NASCAR's popularity surprised insiders like you? --C. W. Roberts, Pittsburgh, Pa. Absolutely. Growing up racing, seeing a thousand people was a big deal. It was like, 'wow, I got a great crowd tonight.' I went to the Indianapolis 500 as a kid; that, to me, was just mind-boggling. Then when you get on the NASCAR circuit, and every weekend is like that, you're absolutely blown away. I've been blown away for so many years. I love bringing people to the track who haven't ever been to a race before. They're like, 'wow, everybody makes a big deal out of a baseball game that had 60,000 or 65,000 people.' We're averaging over 100,000. It's pretty nuts.

Over the last few years, NASCAR has seemed to take the raw emotion, good and bad, from race day? Is this is a positive thing? --Terry McDonald, Portland, Ore. Here's the thing - there's a lot more media attention. So you're under a little bit more of a microscope these days. The penalty for showing your emotions sometimes can be bigger. But that's not good for the sport. The sport is built on personality, and fans love to see the jubilation of victory, and the frustration of defeat. They want to see people's true personality coming. That's one thing we've struggled with over the years.