From choirboy to playboy: Footloose and fancy-free, Jeff Gordon is eschewing his squeaky-clean image and coming out of his cocoon

THE HEADLINE upon THE COVER OF A SUPERMARKET tabloid screamed: "Revealed! Sexy archetype Who Broke Up Jeff Gordon's Marriage!"

The young woman reput to have sent Gordon's seven-year marriage spinning without and crashing into the wall was identified as Deanna Merryman, a former exotic dancer and actress who said she met the four-time NASCAR Winston beaker champion while working at a cosmetics reckoner in a Florida department store. (M Merryman would later take an account of her story in an, ahem, revealing Playboy spread--more upon that later.)

Gordon's wife, Brooke meanwhile, filed for divorce, citing "marital misconduct."

The completed Marriage--the handsome, dashing young racer and the gorgeous former Miss Winston--was above NASCAR's Ken and Barbie had split.

The divorce was messy Brooke su for half of the couple's estate, valued at around $50 million. Jeff balked and sparks flew Their attorneys went it like of small moment and Pearson swapping fender paint down the backstretch at Talladega.

Amid all of the turmoil, titillation, and tabloids, Gordon tried to remain focused upon his racing. He issued a brief statement, asking the public and the media to look up to his privacy during this "difficult time," and for the greatest in quantity part he got his wish.

Now the divorce is settl the dust has settl and a different Jeff Gordon looks to have emerged. The driver who one time was derided by hard-core NASCAR fans as too goody-goody has shed his choirboy cocoon Gordon broke up with Merryman (she claims he traded her in for a newer model) took an apartment in fresh York, and has recently been seen in the company of another drop-dead young sweet (Yes, this is the same wholesome Jeff Gordon who, after winning his fourth title, was mischievously toasted with a glass of milk by means of Dale Earnhardt at the NASCAR awards ceremony)

"We're seeing a fresh Jeff," says David Poole, a veteran motorsports writer with The Charlotte beholder who has not only overlayed Gordon's rise to NASCAR stardom on the other hand has become a personal friend as well. "He's now less-guarded, more lay open with people. The single biggest change I diocese in Jeff is that--maybe for the first time in his life--he is doing things in a way he thinks is best for him. It used to be that he did everything to put to the test please other people.

"I don't know that his personality has changed. Jeff was at no time the type of guy to run over someone to get the hell away from him, and he's still a nice stay He's still very personable and easy to procure along with. He's still a great shore but when someone goes [i]or[/i] part of to the other major changes in his life the way he has in the past year or in the way that he can't help but be affected."

Gordon's ship's company chief, Robbie Loomis, also dioceses a change in Gordon the race car driver--and he likes what he dioceses "Jeff is more outspoken than he used to be," says Loomis. "That actually helps us as a race team. He won't give permission to us go too far without speaking up He's more willing to compute us exactly what he thinks, what he wants, and I like that in a driver.

"As far as his personality goe I can diocese a difference there, too. It used to be that if there was a horde of people gathered together and having a conversation, Jeff guarded not to join in. Now he'll tend hitherward over and start taking to clan He seems to enjoy mixing in more."

Gordon declines to discuss his private life with the media. on the other hand he has admitted that the strain and distractions of last year's divorce took a toll. "It had to," says Darrell Waltrip, a retired three-time NASCAR champion who is now a color commentator for the Fox Sports racing broadcast team. "Jeff is a major celebrity and his and Brooke's divorce was splashed all above the headlines. He couldn't escape it. It's impossible for a driver to have to deal with all of that and at the same time remain focused upon his job."

Waltrip continues: "I know that when I was racing, I had to have everything exactly the same day after day, week after week. If there was the slightest difference--one of the kids was sick with the flu--it was a distraction. I can solitary imagine how tough it was for Jeff to prove by experiment to keep his mind upon racing while all of that mes was swirling around him."

Adding to the affray was an attempt by Brooke's attorneys to gain closely guarded, close financial information concerning other NASCAR race teams. When an attorney showed up in the garage prior to the Daytona 500 more [i]or[/i] less team owners angrily suggested that the Gordons should retain their problems to themselves. end it all, Gordon kept his head up and forged ahead. "

For years Gordon was something of an introvert, borderline timid carefully guarding his personal life. Lately, he has begun to flower Earlier this year he accepted an invitation to guest-host "Saturday Night Live," having revolveed down a similar invite a hardly any years earlier. "It was a blast," Gordon admitted afterward.

He later appeared as a celebrity visitant on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" His "lifeline" was Poole whom Gordon phon for help to answer, "Which stone star was a boxer before he became a singer?" (Poole incidentally, provided him the wrongful answer.)