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What: Jeff Gordon--Portrait of a Champion.

Publisher: HarperHorizon.

Price: $20 paperback, $45 hardcover.

Love him or loathe him, Jeff Gordon is the hottest commodity in motor racing and the number of articles, magazines, books and videos about him seem endless. Now Gordon himself, with veteran Winston Cup writer Bob Zeller, has put together an intimate, yet fascinating portrait of his 1997 championship season.

More than a story, it is a photographic treasure, loaded with color pictures of Jeff celebrating in victory circle, signing autographs, tuxedo-clad and accepting accolades, along with the ubiquitous scenes of he and wife Brooke side by side, hand in hand.

Highlighting the book are comments from Gordon, such as: “To me, every race I do not win is a disappointment,” or “My fans are awesome. When you see how long they’ll wait in a line for an autograph or picture, you realize how much it means to them. I don’t think of myself as a celebrity or superstar, so to see people look up to me that way I find overwhelming.”

Of his wife, a former Miss Winston: “Brooke helps me keep everything in perspective. She’s not only my wife, she’s my best friend.”

Of his crew chief, Ray Evernham: “Ray and I are in sync. He thinks the way I do about race cars, how I want them to feel and drive. It’s like we are always on the same page.”

If fans want more, the code, www.jeffgordon.com, is on the back of his DuPont driver’s uniform in full color on page 110.