Are We Seeing The Sun Set On Jeff Gordon’s Career?
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.
My Interview with NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Driver German Quiroga
Right now my guess is many of you are saying to yourselves, who is German Quiroga? Well, I hope to change that!
I call this an interview, but in actuality it really wasn’t one. It quickly felt more like I was chatting with a friend than interviewing a driver. It quickly became clear that Quiroga is someone special and I hope after reading this you feel the same way as I do.
Quiroga was born in Mexico City, Mexico in 1980. He began his racing career at age 15 in the Retro Neon Series and went on to claim Rookie of the Year in 1996, followed by the Championship in 1998. Quiroga claimed the Formula Renault 2000 championship alongside Rookie of the Year honors. He then started racing in the NASCAR Mexico Series and went on to collect three consecutive championships from 2009-2011, the only driver in history to do so.
After his success in Mexico, he left everything behind, his family, his home, his friends, and his fame.
“It wasn’t easy,” he said, “but I committed a year and half ago myself to it. I wanted to get to a higher level. That’s how my dream started.”
He came to America to race in our NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and now drives the Red Horse Racing No. 77 Toyota Tundra. He made his debut in 2011 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, finishing 16th.
When Quiroga started in the sport there wasn’t a lot of diversity in drivers but Quiroga said that everybody was willing to be nice and helpful.
“The NASCAR Community, I think, and everyone has been very friendly and willing to help me, not just the drivers and teams but NASCAR as a company. I have a lot of opportunity for sure,” Quiroga told me.
In speaking of his first year in the sport, he also talked about the learning curve, stating, “the learning curve will keep on growing but we are past the rough part in the beginning.”
This past season, Quiroga finished 13th in points with two top fives and six top 10s, including a third at Pocono. The success this year has the driver feeling proud of his accomplishments.
“We had a decent year,” he explained, “achieved some very good things, as a Mexican driver, to accomplish a third place ever in a National Division in NASCAR. We also had a pole and a track record. Obviously I wanted to get my first win. Unfortunately that didn’t happen last year but with the changes we are making for next year I think we are going to be very strong.”
We also talked about the differences and how difficult it was coming from the NASCAR Corona Series to the NASCAR Camping World Truck series. I asked about any difficulty adjusting to the different type of vehicle.
“There is a lot of aero involved,” he said. “The first thing I noticed was the speed. In our ovals we would go maybe 160-165 mph average but here you jump to 200 mph average. It doesn’t seem like it would be a lot but when you are on the track you notice the difference.”
Quiroga also stated that the tires were a challenge because in Mexico they do not race radial tires. They run on normal tires.
“Getting to know the tracks was another challenge,” he continued. “Growing up I saw them on television but you don’t get the experience until you are there and for me, getting to know the tricks on gaining positions or passing someone; there is a lot to learn. I am excited to be a part of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. It’s a great series to learn. I want to do very well here and step up my career to the next level which is the NASCAR Nationwide Series, then hopefully lead to NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.”
We talked awhile about his past championships in Mexico and his past season. He stated that he was trying too hard and felt that maybe could have hurt his season some. This year he plans on going back to what he knows and is familiar with, including running for wins but also for points so at the end he can contend for the championship. Focusing on this year I asked him the question that probably every driver gets asked, but being from Mexico I thought his answer would likely differ.
I asked him what the words Daytona 500 mean to you.
“You hear Daytona and it’s such a legendary track. 2013 was actually my first year there, my first thoughts are, I had been testing and gotten back to the hotel and turned on the television to watch the finish of the Daytona 500. I saw what happened to Dale Earnhardt Sr. I had watched the last 50 laps or so and I was very, very sad. Dale Earnhardt Sr. was a hero to me and unfortunately he died there.” He went on to say, “I like super speedways, the first super speedway I actually ran was Talladega in 2012 and then 2013 was my first race at Daytona.”
His first race at Daytona ended in a crash but he was thankful for the opportunity and Quiroga said he wished he had been racing back when Earnhardt Sr. drove. He was someone you could have learned a lot from.
I asked him what he thought his greatest or best moment to date was.
“I came to the United States with nothing so getting to know people and to keep on working to accomplish my dreams. I have two good sponsors, Otter Box and Net 10 Wireless, and having the opportunity to race the entire season. I want to pressure myself to achieve what I want.”
He talked further about needing to be physically fit for racing so he wants to get his strength up to get ready for the upcoming season.
“I had a challenge this year to run a marathon,” Quiroga said, “which is something I really don’t like to do is running, but I trained. Some days I was up at 4:00 a.m. and go running then go to work and race all day but it is something I am proud of.”
I put him a little on the spot by asking him where he thinks he may get his first win, which earned me a slight chuckle on his part. He did say though he really, really likes Pocono since he almost won there, but it’s too far along in the season.
“I did really well at Martinsville qualifying in the top ten and finishing in the top ten both races, he said.”I like mile and a half tracks like Texas as well. We had a third place finish there and I was very comfortable there. The only track I didn’t like was Homestead but after running well there too all the tracks are fun actually and wherever that first win comes will be great.”
My last question to him was this. When your racing career is done and it’s time to walk away, what kind of legacy do you want to leave either personally or professionally?
His answer was fairly simple, “I want to be well known in my country because of my achievements and how I represent the people of Mexico. My life has changed a lot. I have had struggles. I want to be the guy that achieves all of his dreams and worked very hard for them.”
I have to say that this has been one of the best interviews I have done to date. German Quiroga was one of the nicest, most down to earth drivers I have had the pleasure of talking to. He opened himself up to me and quite honestly has left an impression on me that will stay with me. I am proud that I had the opportunity to get to know him and hopefully you have too. He is so genuine and caring and deserves respect for leaving Mexico and chasing his dreams. I hope I am there when he accomplishes them.
Takuma Sato and A.J Foyt continue partnership for 2014
A.J. Foyt Racing announced earlier this week that Takuma Sato will continue to drive the No. 14 ABC Supply Honda in 2014 for the team.
“It is great news that I will continue to drive with ABC Supply/AJ Foyt Racing next year,” Sato said. “We had some great results in our first year. I know what the team is capable of and what I am capable of in the coming season.”
Last season, Sato brought Foyt his first victory since 2002 when he dominated the Long Beach Grand Prix. He also brought the team their first pole since 1998 when he won the pole for the Houston Grand Prix.
A.J. Foyt Racing also confirmed veteran chief engineer Don Halliday and performance Raul Prados will be on board with the team for the third straight year.
“Working with A.J., Larry, Don and all the boys (and, of course, ladies!) is just fantastic,” Sato continued. “This team is really special for me. I always felt that the team was behind me and it gave me the confidence to go for the win in races. I’m very excited to continue to build this great relationship. We know what we need to focus on next year. We are anxious to test the new Honda engine–from what I hear, the engine will put us in a great position to be up front more often in 2014. I am convinced that we can be a contender in the Championship.”
Sato started off the season with three top 10s in the first 10 races, though failed to finish inside the top 15 in the final nine races of the season. Three crashes, as well as three engine failures took the Japanese driver out of contention.
“Having everyone back next year is a big plus for our team,” said Foyt. “We came out strong but then had some problems midway through the season. We are making changes so we will get stronger as the season goes on, which I believe is the key to being one of the contenders in the title race.”
If A.J. Foyt Racing wants to go after the championship, they will need to look for consistancy and raining in their determined young driver.
Sato will be one of the drivers taking place in the test at Sebring Raceway tomorrow.
