Jeff Gordon will always be, at the very, very least, one of the top ten best drivers in NASCAR history on any list. The guy whose Racing Reference page costs $95 to sponsor. The Tom Brady of racing. He’s the driver of the 1990’s who will probably end his career with over 90 wins, a first ballet Hall of Famer, and helped a team go from race winners to champions. If Jimmie Johnson is the Derek Jeter of Hendrick Motorsports, Gordon is the Babe Ruth without the drinking and about 50 pounds lighter. But is it time for him to get out?
Ten or so years ago, Gordon was at undoubtedly the lowest point in his entire life (Yes, lower than the 2008 season). In the middle of a nasty divorce with his first wife, he was at one point reduced to living with his team owner Rick Hendrick. Fast-foreword to the present. From the outside looking in (and I do think this is the case), he has a loving wife and children, a big house, and millions upon millions of dollars. Not only that, but he is the part owner of a car that has won six of the past eight Sprint Cup Series championships, is probably going to become a team manager at Hendrick Motorsports in retirement, and may even take over the entire operation if Rick ever wanted to retire. So if he were to go out tomorrow and announce his retirement, he’s already pretty set up for it.
As a talent, he’s still doing very well for himself. Ten years ago, there were only a good 10-15 cars that could contend for a win each week. Now it’s more like 30. So generally, if you come out of a season in the Chase and with a win or two, you have done incredibly well for yourself. That’s exactly what Gordon has done for more or less the last six years. That may not be Gordon like, but 95% of drivers in NASCAR would kill for that type of constant success.
However, if I were to ever point to a turning point in Gordon’s career where he went from being Gordon to being…. not Gordon, it’s Las Vegas 2008, the third race of the 2008 season. In the closing laps of the race, Gordon spun out and hit a non-SAFER barrier wall at an alarming rate of speed. While he did not break anything that I am aware of, this came less than a year after the birth of his first child. I obviously can’t say for certain, but I think something changed that day for him.
I can’t outright quote him (I can’t find the quotes), but I do remember Darrell Waltrip saying (I want to say in his book) two things about things of this nature. The first being that after you’ve been in a really bad wreck, you drive different and might not take as many risks. In 1990, Waltrip had a horrible practice wreck at Daytona that sidelined him for six races, after which he only won five more races over 10 years, in a career that finished with 84 wins. He also never finished higher than eighth in the point standings. That could be due to the fact of the teams he was driving for, but I digress. The other being that, when he was hired by Junior Johnson in the early 80’s, Junior told him at one point that the best drivers are under 35. Gordon was 36 when the accident happened.
Should Gordon retire now? No. He hasn’t fallen off the wagon like Waltrip did, and still makes the Chase and wins races every year. Is his time limited? Yes. I have a pretty good feeling that, in a few years, there will be a young Hendrick Motorsports development driver who has had some Nationwide Series seasons under his belt and is ready for the big time. The only way I can see Chase Elliott getting into Sprint Cup without jumping off the Hendrick ship, which I don’t see happening, is if Kasey Kahne leaves at the end his contact after the 2015 season (unlikely) or if Gordon retires sometime over the next three years (much more likely). At the end of the day, Gordon has probably realized this, and I think he wants only the best for Hendrick Motorsports.
While plenty of Gordon fans will probably dismiss this article as nothing more than mere retirement speculation that has been going on for five years now. When Brett Favre first retired in 2008, the first speculation of retirement was happening in 2002-2003. I think it’s only a matter of time until it happens. And, honestly, I think the last thing anybody reading this article wants is for Jeff Gordon to go out like Favre.
Chase Elliot should take over the #88 when he moves up to Cup for HMS. Replacing Dale Jr. who has only 1 legal win, and 1 Na$crap assisted win since 2006 (soon to 8 years), and is currently on another of his 0 for 1 1/2 years and still counting Winless streaks yet again. After all, Dale Jr. more often or not misses getting into the gimmick case, and has not won a restrictor plate race in 10 years. Chase Elliot would do the history of the #88 proud. But Dale Jr. being the Journeyman driver he has become, will likely be making laps well into his 50’s and make us all forget about the last years of DW’s career.
To those people who are NOT rabid fans and there are many, it tough to root for a guy that had drama two years in a row to get into the absurd The Chase. As for “races” every year, lets be realistic “a race” a year. Jeff better driving in 2014 ALL 26 races will keep you out of it.