For four-time NASCAR champion, Jeff Gordon, a 600-mile endurance race could not slow him down, not even with an ailing back.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points leader and most recent winner entered Memorial Day weekend with back spasms that first appeared Thursday during the first round of qualifying for the Coca-Cola 600. Gordon would qualify 27th for NASCAR’s longest race and no one truly knows how much this ailment affected the 42-year-old on Thursday evening.
While the deep starting spot was a little disheartening for Gordon and crew, there was very little concern as Thursday turned to Friday, and for good reason. Gordon was driving the same chassis that nearly won at Auto Club Speedway and ran in the top 5 almost all night at Darlington Raceway. In addition, Gordon was hardly feeling any discomfort throughout Friday as the series enjoyed a rare day off.
This all changed Saturday morning.
Shortly after the cars rolled out for their first practice, Gordon’s back began to flare up once again. As a result, Gordon only ran 11 laps before the pain forced him out of the car.
“It was everything I could do to do that,” Gordon said. “I just had to tell the team that I think it would be best if I sit out the rest of the day so that I can be prepared for this long, tough race that’s going to happen tomorrow.”
Gordon’s 11 laps were still enough to place the No. 24 car sixth in the session and placed him first in the best 10-lap average speeds for the first practice.
But shortly after debriefing with the team, Gordon left the track to meet with Dr. Jerry Petty, a Charlotte-area neurosurgeon and spinal specialist who has worked with many NASCAR drivers.
This is not the first time Gordon has had serious back issues. Gordon’s first serious back problem occurred in 2008 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway when he spun off turn 2 late in the race and smacked an unprotected part of the inside wall, which launched his racecar’s radiator more than 100 feet. Many people, including Gordon, believe that this crash affected Gordon’s performance the rest of the season as he went winless for the first time since 1993 – his rookie campaign. Gordon had another serious crash in August, 2009 at Watkins Glen International when he again crashed into an unprotected area of the road course which reactivated some back discomfort.
Since these two incidents, Gordon has done everything he can to keep his body as healthy as possible. Gordon diets and workouts on a daily basis, something that he never did during his youthful years. In an effort to keep his back in good condition, Gordon also includes stretch workouts and routines during the week, which has helped the 4-time champion remain focused and comfortable in the car in the last four or five years.
“It’s unfortunate,” Gordon said after the Saturday practice. “I’ve had some spasms in the past, but this one is a little bit different. And so, I just want to really be cautious and take care of it. It doesn’t do me any good to be in the car right now, especially when the car is as good as it is. It’s really about getting prepared for 600 miles tomorrow. I have no doubts that I can be in this car and be competitive tomorrow if I just take it easy over the next 24 hours.”
After receiving treatment for most of Saturday, Gordon returned to the track on Sunday determined to continue his streak of 736 consecutive starts (most among active drivers) and more importantly – to challenge for the win.
Once the race got underway, Gordon quickly showed that a bad back would not slow him down.
Gordon charged from 25th (after Kyle Busch had to start in the rear) to the top 10 in 59 green-flag laps. He moved into the top 5 in just 115 laps and ran there past halfway. After a debris caution slowed the field down on lap 222, Gordon came to pit road while running 4th for fresh tires and adjustments and exited in 10th after some cars played the strategy game.
Gordon proved to have one of the best cars on the long run after he charged from 10th on lap 227 to 2nd on 272 with a pass on eventual race-winner, Jimmie Johnson.
As the race reached its final 100 miles, it appeared that a battle was brewing between Johnson and Matt Kenseth who were winless entering the night. But another long, green-flag run allowed Gordon to get into the mix. Running in 3rd and eight seconds behind Johnson with about 50 laps to go, Gordon used the long run to erase more than five seconds of the deficit as the race reached 30 laps to go.
With about 26 laps to go, Johnson and Kenseth pitted for the final time for four tires and fuel. Meanwhile, Alan Gustafson, Gordon’s crew chief, rolled the dice and changed two tires with 25 laps to go. The gamble placed Gordon several seconds ahead of Kenseth and Johnson as pit stops nearly cycled through. Ironically, it was this same strategy by Gordon first crew chief, Ray Evernham, which gave Gordon his first career victory in 1994 at Charlotte.
Unfortunately for Gordon, the race did not stay green as Alex Bowman’s cut tire slowed the field with 21 to go.
Leading the race on two tires, Gordon was no match for the guys on fresh tires. Gordon lost the lead to Kenseth in turn 2 with 16 laps to go and would ultimately fade to 7th at the finish.
In the end, the two-tire call was a great gamble that needed a green-flag finish to pay off. And Gordon had no issue with his crew chief’s decision.
“I love the call at the end, just like the call that was made when we won the first race here (1994),” Gordon said post-race. “I don’t know if I could have held off Matt, but we were going to give him a heck of a run. The car was pretty good right there. It was just a matter of whether it was going to tighten up over 20-something laps. I got a decent restart, but when Matt got to my outside I got loose. At that point I was a sitting duck. It was a good effort.”
Asked if he was uncomfortable in the racecar throughout the race, Gordon stated that he might have not even finished the race if it wasn’t for those who gave him treatment on Saturday.
“The procedures and the different work in therapy that I did helped. There’s quite a few people who were tending to me and I appreciate every one of them,” Gordon said. “I don’t think I would have gotten through this long race. It was tough. I was aching in there. There was one time I got on the brakes and it triggered something. I didn’t know what was going to happen after that. But it settled down.”
While the defeat will sting for Gordon and the No. 24 team in the days following the race, Gordon still sees his decision tough it out as a sign of commitment to his team.
“I’m happy that I got through it. It tells me a lot about what kind of (pain) threshold I have,” Gordon said. “I just want to show this team the kind of commitment I have to them because of what they’ve shown me this year.”
His seat time was hampered during Saturday’s two practices. His streak of consecutive races was serious jeopardy. And there were doubts whether he could even be competitive under this condition.
For more than 20 years, Gordon has made a habit of proving critics, fans and the media wrong. He did than once again on Sunday night by nearly capturing his 90th career victory.
Many people will be talking throughout the week about Johnson breaking his short winless streak or Kurt Busch’s sensational performance at Indianapolis. Yet, not many will remember Gordon’s gutty performance during the Coca-Cola 600 in the days to come.
In every championship season, there is a moment that becomes the turning point for the winning team.
In 2004, it was Kurt Busch at Homestead when his right front tire came off and he barely missed the pit wall by six inches. In 2008, it was Jimmie Johnson escaping calamity at Talladega even though he was right in the middle of The Big One. In 2011, it was Tony Stewart pulling off the improbable win at Martinsville.
If Gordon goes on to win the championship at Homestead in November, he might be remembered for the gritty performance he pulled on Memorial Day weekend.
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Main Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
