Few NASCAR stars have more experience with getting booed for doing well than Jeff Gordon.
He can certainly relate when the fan derision stems from preventing a Dale Earnhardt Jr. appearance in victory lane at Talladega Superspeedway.
So when told Joey Logano had joked about receiving hate mail after barely beating Earnhardt under caution Sunday at Talladega, the four-time Sprint Cup champion chimed in with his own personal experience on the subject, according to nbcsports.com.
"That's what happens when you wrong Junior, especially at Talladega," Gordon said with a laugh Friday after Sprint Cup practice at Martinsville Speedway. "I'm very familiar with that. I wasn't even a part of it and I think I got some hate mail."
In the May 2004 race at Talladega, Gordon was awarded a victory when the yellow flag flew just a few seconds before Earnhardt made a pass for the lead with four laps remaining. The rest of the race was run under caution, freezing the field and eventually providing the impetus for the green-white-checkered rule to ensure green-flag finishes.
Gordon celebrated with frontstretch burnouts that resulted in his No. 24 Chevrolet being pelted by beer cans and debris, just as Logano's was Sunday.
The reception is relatively new for Logano, who has three consecutive victories and 11 of 14 career victories since last season when he first emerged as a legitimate title contender. Gordon has been hearing the boos since his first championship in 1995, when he regularly began to outduel Earnhardt's late seven-time champion father.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver said the negative feedback doesn't affect a driver's psyche.
"Not if things are going well for you," Gordon said. "I think if things aren't going well, then you did something that caused that reaction from the fans, then that will eat at you a little bit. But if you're like Joey, he's doing everything right.
"I don't think there is one single thing he can sit there and say, 'Yeah, I wish I hadn't of done that; that was a bad idea as far as Talladega is concerned.' "
Getting his kicks
Florida's backup kicker wasn't even on the roster two weeks ago.
Neil MacInnes was one of 216 people who tried out for a roster spot Oct. 21 after backup kicker Jorge Powell went down with a season-ending knee injury against LSU on Oct. 17.
Today, MacInnes will be with the Gators for a crucial SEC East game against Georgia in Athens.
"It's pretty much a dream come true," MacInnes told GatorZone.com. "I wanted to kick in high school and obviously being part of this organization, and Gator Nation, is kind of cool."
MacInnes, a 6-4, 219-pound senior who is studying to be a dentist, was a kicker as a high school junior and senior at Chamberlain High School in Tampa, Fla. He hasn't kicked in a game since December 2011, when he made two field goals (43 and 48 yards) in a high school all-star game. He also was a standout in soccer and track and field in high school.
MacInnes was practicing with the team three days after his tryout and learned that he'd travel with the team to Athens on Friday as the backup behind Austin Hardin.
QUIZ
What was Jeff Gordon the first NASCAR driver to do on Jan. 11, 2003?
ANSWER
Gordon was the first NASCAR driver to host Saturday Night Live.
Sports on 10/31/2015