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Memorial race honors a smiling fixture of speedway

When driver Bobby Gordon takes the wheel of car No. 29 on Saturday, he will be thinking of his late sister, Jackie.

By LOGAN NEILL
Published August 31, 2006

A marble memorial near the entrance of Citrus County Speedway sits not far from where Jackie Gordon used to stand on Saturday nights, cheerfully greeting visitors at the gate.

It's there because the speedway was a big part of Jackie's life. And it's there because that life ended much too soon.

Jackie Gordon was just 19 when a congenital heart defect led to a serious downturn in her health. In May 1997, she suffered a heart attack during a family outing in Orlando, and was told that the damage to her heart was irreparable.

She underwent a heart transplant that October, but had complications after the surgery. She died at Shands at the University of Florida at Gainesville on Dec. 5 of that year.

Though it's been nearly a decade since his sister made her last visit to the speedway, Bobby Gordon still feels her presence there on the night he races at the track.

When he talks with fans, fellow drivers and track workers, he's reminded of how deeply people cared about Jackie, and how inspired they were by her courage.

"People poured their hearts out to our family," Gordon said. "Their support helped us through a real tough time."

All of which prompted Bobby Gordon to organize the Jackie Gordon Memorial Race for wingless sprint cars, which will be held Saturday at Citrus County Speedway as part of the track's regular feature races.

Gordon, who drives the No. 29 machine in the Central Florida Wingless Sprint Car Association's race series, began organizing the event about a month ago. He and his twin brother, Tony, got permission from speedway ownership to hold a ceremony before the event. He expects 20 to 25 cars to be entered in the 35-lap race.

As a child, Bobby and his siblings always looked forward to Saturday races at the speedway. Their parents, Marlene and Walter Gordon, became good friends with many of the regular drivers and would frequently visit the pits.

In the late 1980s, Marlene and Walter Gordon became more than just spectators when they were given the duties of collecting admission at the front and rear gates. Not long after, Bobby and his siblings became involved as well.

"Most nights, Jackie helped my mom at the front gate, and just before the races got going she, my brother and I would be out in the grandstands selling programs. She was a lot better at it than we were."

News of Jackie's illness shocked the close-knit racing community, which reacted with an outpouring of support.

Fans flooded the Gordons with cards and prayer wishes. The speedway helped organize a community blood drive, and drivers donated a night's worth of race winnings to help with mounting hospital bills.

When Bobby Gordon climbs into his race car Saturday night, he says, there will be one more incentive to race hard. His car is No. 29 - the same as the age Jackie would have turned on her birthday Sunday.

"It will definitely be a special night for all of us," he said. "I only wish Jackie could be there to share it with us."

Logan Neill can be reached at lneill@sptimes.com or 352 848-1435.

[Last modified August 30, 2006, 19:47:06]