'Race of Champions' to Re-Air on SPEED

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Dec. 3, 2003) – The 2002 Race of Champions, dubbed “Jeff and Jimmie’s Excellent Adventure,” will re-air Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. ET on SPEED Channel. The Team USA entry of four-time NASCAR Winston Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon, Winston Cup driver Jimmie Johnson and World Superbike champ Colin Edwards stunned an international field with the Canary Islands Nations Cup victory, creating lasting memories for all three. Gordon got a little more than he bargained for during a Nations Cup practice session, riding shotgun with World Rally champion Marcus Gronholm to get a better feel for rally-style driving, when the car clipped a corner and rolled four times. "I just wanted to learn from Marcus and I found out he was driving deeper into the corner," Gordon said. "He clipped one corner and the next thing I know we're flipping like we were in a sprint car. “We came to a stop and he asks me if I'm all right. I just start yelling that that was one of the coolest things I've done recently.” Gordon credited Johnson, his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, who faced possibly the toughest competition of the Team USA trio. "Jimmie probably has the worst record among us and, yet, he was probably the best driver on our team," Gordon added. "He had a tough draw facing guys who race these types of cars in these types of conditions every weekend. But he was putting up some great lap times and giving those rally drivers all they could handle. “I'm glad we participated in this event. It was a lot of fun and it was cool racing for our country. I'm just glad we didn't make fools of ourselves. Well, except for me on my first run."