MILTON, Del. -- Jeff Gordon may as well have been any average sports fan, sliding up to the bar and ordering a beer.
But for a guy who has mastered winemaking as well as he has winning races, Gordon needed a remedial course on the finer points of handling a cold one.
"Do you smell the beer like you do with wine," Gordon asked.
He raised the glass to his nose, inhaled the fruity complexity and pungent hoppiness of a Dogfish Head 61, and started to drink.
One sip turned into two sips. After a few more swigs, Gordon was suddenly the Delaware version of TV barfly Norm Peterson.
"I think I have a new appreciation for a good beer," Gordon said Wednesday, laughing to the delight the staff at Dogfish Head, one of the top craft breweries in the business.
Gordon has had plenty of hops in his step this year, enjoying a career renaissance with Hendrick Motorsports that has him with three victories and a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship field.
He is coming off a victory Sunday at Michigan International Speedway that thrust him to the top of the points standings, and he has backtracked from the retirement talk he fueled earlier this season at the Daytona 500.
Gordon looks every bit a title contender, and his cars have been as stout as some of the dark, roasty and complex beers Dogfish Brewery stirs up.
"I feel like we're the best team," Gordon said.
So do the folks at Dogfish Brewery.
Gordon toured the brewery and had lunch at the brewpub Wednesday to promote the Sept. 28 race at Dover International Speedway.
He seemed as interested in the ingredients that go into brewing beers as most fans would be at an inside racing tour at the Hendrick shop. Forget fuel tanks. Tanks and tanks of beers -- enough to satisfy the palate of all the race fans at Dover -- filled the brewery.
Dogfish founder Sam Calagione led Gordon on a personal tour of the complex, and they startled the rest of the public who had their routine stroll turn into so much more. Many fans were left with their mouths agape when the four-time NASCAR champion walked by with his safety goggles on.
"I had no idea he'd be here," said Gary Cancrow, who snapped a quick picture. "He's my favorite driver."
Gordon will be among the favorites this weekend at Bristol. He has victories at Kansas and the Brickyard 400 to go along with his victory at Michigan, which have pushed his career total to 91. Suddenly, No. 100 is within sight.
He has established himself again as a top contender for the championship, and his first in the Chase era.
"It's great to play a role in the results on Sundays and know my guys believe in me," Gordon said of his renewed success this season.
And what about that brief mention of retirement earlier this season?
"I don't believe in retirement," Gordon said. "I believe in the next step in life."
Sports on 08/21/2014