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Gordon delivers millionth meal for Drive To End Hunger to 89-year-old race fan: As a four-time Sprint Cup champion and one of the most recognized and popular drivers in NASCAR, Jeff Gordon admits he "gets to do a lot of really cool things." On Thursday [Oct 23rd], Gordon was able to do another "really cool thing," but it was also extremely meaningful in the process, delivering the one millionth meal served by one of Gordon's key sponsors, the Drive To End Hunger. On his way to Martinsville Speedway, Gordon stopped by the house of 89-year-old Freida Evans, who lives not far from the speedway in Stoneville, NC. "It's opened my eyes so much to this cause and how many millions of people are dealing with hunger issues in America," Gordon said during Friday's weekly media availability at Martinsville. "Yesterday was definitely one of the highlights. A woman named Freida (Evans) ... relies on Meals on Wheels to deliver her meals every day. She's the classic story of individuals who need those meals desperately because she worked so hard to feed her family throughout her whole life and gave everything for them. And now, she relies on those meals. And it was pretty cool to be able to deliver that one-millionth meal for Meals on Wheels to her in the state of North Carolina." Gordon didn't just drop off the meal. He spent a significant amount of time talking and visiting with Evans, who confided she watched him race on TV this past Sunday at Talladega.(NBC Sports)(10-28-2014)

Homestead testing UPDATE2: Five teams will test at Homestead-Miami Speedway next Tuesday and Wednesday (Oct. 28-29): Stewart Haas Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, Team Penske, Roush Fenway Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing.(NASCAR)(10-24-2014)
UPDATE: Six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams and more than 15 of the top NASCAR Sprint Cup Series cars are slated to test at Homestead-Miami Speedway tomorrow, Oct. 28, with an optional testing day on Wednesday Oct. 29. Testing will run from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Seven of the eight drivers in the Eliminator Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup are set to test their cars at Homestead-Miami Speedway in preparation of competing at the Ford EcoBoost 400, where the Championship 4 drivers will compete for the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship. Testing will be open to the public from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the infield Pit Road Cabanas. Fans may enter and park in the parking lot on SW 336th Street and 137th Ave and take a tram to the infield to watch testing. Snacks and drinks will be available for purchase in the infield in the Pit Box.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Teams Testing
#2 - Brad Keselowski, Team Penske*
#22 - Joey Logano, Team Penske*
#5 - Kasey Kahne, Hendrick Motorsports
#24 - Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports*
#88 - Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Hendrick Motorsports
#48 - Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports
#16 - Greg Biffle, Roush Fenway Racing
#17 - Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Roush Fenway Racing
#99 - Carl Edwards, Roush Fenway Racing*
#11 - Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing*
#18 - Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing
#20 - Matt Kenseth, Joe Gibbs Racing*
#14 - Tony Stewart, Stewart-Haas Racing
#4 - Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing*
#41 - Kurt Busch, Stewart-Haas Racing
*Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers in the Eliminator Round. #31-Newman is the Chase driver not testing.(HMS)(10-28-2014)
UPDATE2 Six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams and more than 15 of the top NASCAR Sprint Cup Series cars tested their cars at Homestead-Miami Speedway today in preparation of the Ford EcoBoost 400, November 16. The two-day session will conclude on Wednesday, Oct. 29. Seven of the eight drivers in the Eliminator Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup took their cars to the track Tuesday to test and tune their cars as much as they can before heading to South Florida in November, where they could possibly be one of the Championship 4 drivers racing for the title at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
"That's why you see so many cars down here testing," #22-Joey Logano said. "It's all going to come down to Homestead. Making sure you have a fast car down here is important because that's going to be the difference of winning a championship or not. I think you're going to have to win here to win the Championship."
"This is really a key test for us," #2-Brad Keselowski said. "It's our final test, with NASCAR's testing ban, so there's something to be said for that. We've have solid performances here, but we want to find a little bit more to be able to win. You have to enter Homestead with the expectation that you have to win to win the Championship and we've got two cars here in the hunt to be able to do that."
Two drivers also testing at Homestead-Miami Speedway today are #24-Jeff Gordon and #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. for Hendrick Motorsports. The pair finished first and second at Martinsville Speedway last weekend, respectively, and Gordon is still in contention for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship in the Eliminator Round. Earnhardt was eliminated following the final race of the Contender Round at Talladega. "We're in a bit of a different situation than Jeff is," Earnhardt said. "We're looking forward to the race. We feel like we had a good car here last year, we just want to learn a few more things and looking forward to the race."
"It's all about speed," Gordon said. "This is a very challenging racetrack, especially in the heat of the day. It's difficult to get the balance right on this track. We have had some good cars here the last couple of years and want to simulate that. We hope that we're in the battle for the Championship when we come back here, and if we are, we have a car that can win the race."
#99-Carl Edwards is also still in contention for the Championship title, and headed to South Florida to work on his car as well and learn more about the 1.5-mile oval. "It's nice to come down here, the weather is beautiful and this is one of my favorite racetracks," Edwards said. "We're hoping to be as prepared as we can be for a championship battle at Ford Championship Weekend. It's an opportunity to make sure if we are one of the final four that we can perform."(HMS)(10-29-2014)