Racing Series

On this Easter morning, Jeff and Brooke Gordon will get dressed up and go to church. They have much to be thankful for. Jeff won a race for the first time in 13 races last Sunday in Talladega, Ala. And after it was over, he found himself greeted by cheering fans. Jeff was stunned by the warmth of his reception, and Brooke, smiling shyly, held tightly to his arm as they climbed into their car and were driven away. A few years ago, when "Wonder Boy" was in the midst of winning his third Winston Cup championship, cheers were hard to come by. Boos usually drowned any out. Signs that once said, "Anyone but [Dale]

WASHINGTON - David Brabham was hot, and as he looked in his rearview mirror with a little more than 30 minutes left in the Cadillac Grand Prix, he realized everyone on the racetrack was feeling the tug of exhaustion. In Brabham's driver's seat, leading the field in his Panoz LMP01 with Tom Kristensen's Audi on his rear bumper - where it had been for nearly an hour - the strain was palpable. When a full-course caution came out on Lap 93, he radioed the team. Wouldn't it be a good idea to get co-driver Jan Magnussen back in the car with four fresh tires?

Those who study the schedules of the various racing series might be surprised to notice that the most versatile drivers in professional motor sports are Winston Cup stock car drivers. Unlike every other series, the Winston Cup drivers pursue victory on tracks of every size and style - from two miles to half-miles and from superspeedways to short tracks to road courses. That's not to say all stock car drivers like all of those challenges. One who doesn't is series points leader Matt Kenseth.

Being the engineer for an F2000 Championship Series driver is no glorified position. But that doesn't matter to Eric Langbein of Annapolis. "I really love what I do," Langbein, 35, said. "There's too much time involved for anybody who doesn't love it to keep doing it. " Langbein engineers racecars for driver Tim Minor, who is in fifth place in the F2000 Series. The circuit is primarily a proving ground for up-and-coming IndyCar drivers. Minor, 50, is part of the "Masters Class" in F2000 racing, meaning that he is among a competitive class of older drivers in the series.

IndyCar fans have a card set, too.This is the second year AW Sports has produced an IndyCar series, and this year's edition is a big improvement over last year's. The card stock is better, and the cards are a lot better looking.The 100-card All World Racing set features drivers of the past and present -- but no A.J. Foyt. According to Bill Doak of AW, Foyt is not part of the Championship Drivers Association, which grants licenses."A.J. cuts his own merchandising deals," says Doak. "He's the only racer who declined to be in the set."

While Maryland and District of Columbia Road Runners Club of America affiliates get ready for Sunday's Team Challenge 10-Miler, individual runners might want to take note: The race is the first in the 1995 Maryland RRCA Championship Series.The series is in its second year, and Evan Thomas, the RRCA Maryland representative and director of the Maryland RRCA Championship Series, says: "We had a few hiccups in getting all the results coded correctly from all the clubs the first year. It should be that much easier to get that corrected this time around."

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Seven is the buzzword, and not just for baseball's latest climactic classic. Horse racing also is about to unveil a dramatic fall finish.The seven-race, $10 million Breeders' Cup will be held Saturday at Churchill Downs with a new twist on a familiar theme: Victory in any race could mean riches and a championship for a horse and its connections -- but winning all seven could mean an unprecedented coup for those fans watching and betting throughout the country.For the first time since its 1984 inception, the Breeders' Cup will offer a national Pick-7 wager.

Silver Charm helps launch an inaugural "NTRA Champions on Fox" series today on the Fox network that will conclude Aug. 29 with the Pacific Classic at Del Mar.Despite breaking from the far outside and conceding six to 16 pounds to his 11 rivals, Silver Charm is the 8-5 morning-line favorite in the $500,000 Donn Handicap, a 1 1/8-mile Grade I stakes at Gulfstream Park.The race will be televised on Fox (Chs. 45, 5) beginning at 4 p.m.The series of 11 races is designed to showcase the nation's older horses as they compete for millions of dollars in bonuses.

The Breeders' Cup Challenge doesn't begin until July 28 at Saratoga Race Course, but that isn't stopping trainers from talking about the new format that will qualify up to 24 horses for the Oct. 26-27 Breeders' Cup with just one win. "They're trying to ramp up some excitement for the Breeders' Cup program with this `Win and You're In' concept instead of points," said trainer Rick Violette, who will run his talented turf horse, Summer Doldrums, in the...