NASCAR’s most recognizable superstar, Jeff Gordon, has informed the world that if he can’t find a solution to his chronic back pain, he may have to retire from racing. While speaking today at Dover Motor Speedway, Gordon had this to say about his painful back spasms, which almost forced him out of the Coca Cola 600:
”I can tell you, if that happens many more times, I won’t have a choice [but to retire]”.
According to Yahoo Sports, Gordon had never felt pain as intense as what he dealt with after driving the 600 miles of last weekend’s contest . He will be trying a new routine in order to try to make it through this weekend’s race, however he doesn’t feel his back will ever be 100% again while spending hours sitting in a stock car.
[Gordon] had soreness Monday and Tuesday, though that didn’t deviate too much from how he would feel after driving 600 grueling miles. He said his back is not at 100 percent, and probably never will be behind the wheel.
He said he’ll make adjustments to his race weekend routine to keep his back loose to withstand hours crunched in a stock car. He needs to stay active and not sit during lengthy breaks in practice and qualifying. Gordon sat more than three hours last week between practice and qualifying, a gap that left he believed led his creaky back to a breakdown.
Even if you’re not a NASCAR fan, chances are you know who Jeff Gordon is and what he looks like. That’s saying something for a sport in which most drivers are seldom seen outside of their vehicles on race day. The retirement of Jeff Gordon could be a huge blow for racing in terms of mainstream popularity, as no single driver since the late Dale Earnhardt has amassed the level of celebrity Gordon has over the years.