Model exposes Gordon's love life in Playboy
By RICK MINTER
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer
Bristol, Tenn. -- Jeff Gordon thought he had put the tabloid-aspect of his personal life behind him. Suddenly, it has reappeared in his rear-view mirror.
The woman who allegedly had an affair with Gordon that led to a breakup of the driver's storybook marriage is telling all -- and showing all -- in the October issue of Playboy, which hits news stands today.
Deanna Merryman, who says she first met Gordon while working at a Neiman Marcus in Palm Beach, Fla., in 2000, told the magazine she didn't recognize the NASCAR star at first, though her friends did.
"I said, 'What's going on? He's this short little dude," she told the magazine.
Merryman, who also poses nude in the magazine, said she at first declined Gordon's invitations to lunch, but a year later they began an 11-month affair. She said Gordon, who previously had a straight-laced image, "became a wild man."
"He got married when he was 23 and has been on the race track since he was a kid," she said in the interview. "He used to tell me all the time that he never had a chance to have fun."
Gordon's public relations agent declined to comment, but said the driver would be available for interviews today.
Merryman, who once worked as an exotic dancer and had small roles on "Baywatch" and "Veronica's Closet," said Gordon left her for another model.
"Right before my birthday, I found out he was meeting her at the beach," she said.
For years Jeff and Brooke Gordon were the "first couple" of the Winston Cup circuit. They met in victory lane at Daytona International Speedway, where Gordon was a rookie driver and she was a "Miss Winston." They were married in 1994, and were almost inseparable until their split early last year. Court papers filed by Brooke said the marriage was "irretrievably broken as a result of the husband's marital misconduct."
Their divorce was finalized in June.
Merryman said she'd learned one lesson from the relationship.
"I'll never get involved with a married man again," she said. "Or a race car driver."
). It was truly a sad, sad day. I would love to commit to a weekly thread regarding the races. We never miss a race (on TV). I even teased DH that he would have to get his own log on to comment on the Community/Nascar boards each week
