MIKE HARRIS
AP Motorsports Writer
NEW YORK (AP) _ Jeff Gordon got a bit of a scare during his visit to New York City for Friday's night's NASCAR Awards.
``We were visiting a firehouse with Engine No. 24,'' said Gordon, who drove his No. 24 Chevrolet to his fourth Winston Cup championship this year.
``Some of the firefighters were showing me around and they asked if I'd like to take a ride,'' he explained. ``I said, `Sure.' But just a minute after I got on the truck, a guy came up and said, `We've got to go.'''
The No. 24 charged out of the firehouse like Gordon taking the green flag.
``I thought we were just taking a joyride, then we were pulling out in front of traffic and I saw everybody else getting into their gear,'' he said. ``I was all thumbs-up and smiles and then I saw their eyes and how serious they were all of a sudden. Then I got a little scared. I realized they didn't know what they were heading for, either.''
It turned out to be a small fire a few blocks away and Gordon was able to walk away with an interesting, if unsettling, memory.
The NASCAR champ, who will receive checks totaling more than $5 million on Friday night, also visited ground zero.
``They took us right down into the hole,'' Gordon said of his visit to the site of the World Trade Center attacks. ``I was really overwhelmed. You can't imagine the magnitude of it until you see it in person and talk to some of the people who are working there.''
