Fans' Home Is A Shrine To Gordon

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - Checkered flags and rainbow banners flutter on the wraparound porch of Diane and Walter Witt's Victorian-style home, where a sign proclaims it "Jeff Gordon Boulevard."

Several life-size cutouts of a smiling Gordon and a 9-by-7-foot oil painting of him and his rainbow-colored, No. 24 Chevrolet Monte Carlo also adorn the porch. In the yard beside it is an autographed Chevy Cavalier painted to match Gordon's car and enclosed in a glass case decorated with flags and red, blue, green and orange lights.

The house and shrine to Gordon in downtown Johnson City, about 30 miles from the Bristol Motor Speedway, is owned by perhaps the world's biggest fans of the three-time Winston Cup champion.

Some people mistake it for a memorabilia store and just walk in the front door. The Witts welcome them.

"People say I'm crazy all the time," Mrs. Witt said, laughing. "I have a lot of fun with it."

To say the couple have an affinity for Gordon is an understatement. Mrs. Witt planted flowers in the shape of a "24" in the front yard but promptly removed them when they started to wilt.

"I won't do anything to disgrace him," said Mrs. Witt, a 46-year-old mother of six and grandmother of five.

Inside the home, the living room walls are covered with dozens of framed photos and 10 life-size cutouts of Gordon. The curtains, quilts, sofa pillows, rugs, lamps and tables all have a checkerboard pattern.

A few miniature Gordon cars hang from the ceiling, and a matching go-cart is parked in a corner. The curio cabinet is filled with plates, bowls, mugs and glasses - all with Gordon's picture. At Christmas, Mrs. Witt decorates a 10-foot tree with Gordon memorabilia.

The Witts never miss a Winston Cup race, usually watching on their 46-inch television. They have recorded every race Gordon has driven in since 1993 - more than 400 videotapes organized by year in a large entertainment center.

Each year they attend both races in Bristol, where Gordon has won the past four spring events. They plan to be at the Food City 500 today.

"We'd postpone a funeral before I'd miss Gordon on the track," Mrs. Witt said without a hint of exaggeration.

Several years ago she saw the Cavalier, which was already painted the rainbow colors and signed by Gordon.

The $10,000 car was more than the Witts could afford. So, she traded her husband's New Yorker for it and made him ride a bike to his job at East Tennessee State University, where he's a lab assistant in the chemistry department.

Witt recently came home for lunch and found his wife painting more of their possessions to match the colors on Gordon's car.

He stayed home the rest of the day to make sure she didn't do the same thing to the outside of the house.

"I wouldn't put it past her," he said. "But that's where I draw the line."

Mrs. Witt didn't know much about racing until 1993, when her brother-in-law watched the races at her house while recuperating from surgery. He told her to pick a car and follow it, and she chose Gordon's because of all the colors.

Her brother-in-law laughed and said Gordon was "just a rookie." But Mrs. Witt said she had a feeling about Gordon, who has gone on to win 43 races so far, including this year's Daytona 500.

Her husband admits he wasn't always a Gordon fan; he used to pull for Dale Earnhardt. His wife converted him.

"I said it's cheaper to switch drivers than to get a divorce," he said, smiling.

The Witts met Gordon once when he was signing autographs in Pigeon Forge. Mrs. Witt was so nervous she could barely speak, but she said Gordon was gracious and polite.

"That's why I like him so much," she said. "Whether he wins or not, he'll thank the Lord for a good race. You want somebody to be a good role model."