CUP: Jeff Gordon's Sponsor Observing 20th Anniversary

Sprint Cup

CUP: Jeff Gordon’s Sponsor Observing 20th Anniversary

Notes and quotes from Saturday’s NASCAR Preview 2012…

Mike Hembree | Posted January 21, 2012 Charlotte, NC

Jeff Gordon's new No. 24 Chevrolet 2012 paint scheme. (Photo: Dupont.com)

Sponsor DuPont has been a part of Jeff Gordon’s rise and success in Sprint Cup racing from the start.

Gordon unveiled a 20th anniversary paint scheme honoring the long run of the sponsorship Saturday as part of NASCAR Preview 2012 at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

"If anybody would have told me when I was a teenager living in Indiana racing open wheel sprint cars and midgets that not only would I be racing at this level, but having the success – and the longevity of success – that we have had, I would not have believed them," Gordon said. "If (team owner) Rick Hendrick and DuPont didn't take that chance on me almost 20 years ago, I honestly don't know if I'd be where I am today.

"I'm very fortunate to have an incredible sponsor like DuPont that has invested so much in me and this No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team. To stick with one driver and one team through all the highs and lows, and to still be here with us today celebrating our 20th full season, is really incredible.”

DuPont has used the sponsorship to advertise its automotive paints and to entertain thousands of clients at NASCAR events.

Gordon, a four-time Sprint Cup champion, made his debut in the season finale in 1992. That race also was Richard Petty’s final event as a driver.

Politics, Anyone? – For those who haven’t noticed, the presidential political season is in high gear.

Expect appearances by presidential candidates and their representatives at speedways throughout the upcoming NASCAR season as politicians grapple for the highest office in the land. And people with NASCAR ties will be involved.

NASCAR Hall of Famer and 105-time winner David Pearson made an appearance in his hometown of Spartanburg, SC this week with Republican challenger Mitt Romney as part of Romney’s campaign leading to Saturday’s primary in South Carolina.

Smile, Chevrolet – The most-photographed car on the main display floor of Saturday’s NASCAR Preview 2012 was Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s bright green and white Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

But a long line of race cars spread down the center of the huge convention center floor received attention as thousands of fans wandered the area all day Saturday. The cars were the centerpiece of the area, with autograph lines at driver stations taking up much of the space on the sides of the room.

Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 30 years. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.

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