Is Gordon About Finished With NASCAR?

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Eagle1

Guest
When Jeff Gordon climbed out of his car after finishing third in the Ford 400 and third in the Chase for the Championship, he looked and sounded weary. It seems as though the 2004 season had beaten him down. His comments on the new points system:
"This points system only makes careers shorten up," said Gordon, "it doesn't lengthen them out. The intensity of this points system has increased. It's greater than it's ever been. The pressure is unreal and the sport's not getting any cheaper. We're asking more of our sponsors and they're asking more of us. Our sport is growing so there are new race tracks coming along. The schedule is not going to be any less. As far as I'm concerned, crew members and drivers are going to have a shorter career span, but reap the benefits more because the sport is as healthy as it is. If it continues like that, guys can build a career but it'll be shorter. I don't know how many years I have left but I know right now I can't wait to get out of this race track and not see a race track for a couple of months - other than that one in Paris."
 
DL is gonna HURT you! :)
Everybody needs some vacation time, and Jeff will be full of vim and vigor after attending Jimmy's wedding! :) :beerbang: ;)
 
kat2220 said:
DL is gonna HURT you! :)
Everybody needs some vacation time, and Jeff will be full of vim and vigor after attending Jimmy's wedding! :) :beerbang: ;)
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yep..agree with you Kat...he and all the drivers need that much needed break.....to come back full force and with a lot of energy in February...... :beerbang: doing what they all love to do..RACE....... :beerbang:
and make money :D :D :D
 
Hopefully it'll be Jimmy full of vim and vigor after his wedding. Jeff better not! LOL :beerbang:
 
Eagle1 said:
Hopefully it'll be Jimmy full of vim and vigor after his wedding. Jeff better not! LOL :beerbang:
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NOW I'M GONNA HURT YOU! You with me QT? he needs to be ganged up on! :D
 
Gollum said:
Jeff Gordon finidhed? :lol2: :lol2: :lol2: Don't make me laugh.
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you got it Gollum......Jeff has many many many more exciting years left....... :beerbang: I'll probably croak before he is finished with driving..... :p :p
 
Right after that last race, I believe that every driver except Kurt, of course, would have been very, very happy to have never seen another track. They were exhausted, both mentally and physically.

But, come February, the competitive juices will be flowing again.

However, I do believe that the younger drivers(and I include Jeff) will not compete beyond the age of 40. There is just too much to lose.
 
I seem to be hearing the intro to a bad musical coming.
If the season gets longer, demands get heavier, time is at a premium, and the drivers and crews are totally pooped half way through the season.................what happens to them during the stress and demands of the C4C????? I think we saw part of it. The drivers are just plain tuckered!!!!! Both mentally and physically!!!!! That just sucks swamp water!!!!!! :confused: :confused: :eek: :eek: :cool:
 
Perhaps the drivers will learn to pace themselves a little through the first 26 races. Jr is correct in saying that they do not mean near as much as they did in previous years. I would expect to see J. Gordon racing long enough to rack up 3 or 4 more championships.
 
muggle not said:
Perhaps the drivers will learn to pace themselves a little through the first 26 races. Jr is correct in saying that they do not mean near as much as they did in previous years. I would expect to see J. Gordon racing long enough to rack up 3 or 4 more championships.
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I'll second that :beerbang:
 
muggle not said:
Perhaps the drivers will learn to pace themselves a little through the first 26 races. Jr is correct in saying that they do not mean near as much as they did in previous years. I would expect to see J. Gordon racing long enough to rack up 3 or 4 more championships.
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Sounds like music to My ears.I'll fourth that. :beerbang: :growl:
 
Unless someone has seen the pressures placed on these teams first hand, I'm not sure one can comprehend how difficult the sport has become.

This is no longer the game of "run whatcha brung" and one minute pit stops. It was bound to happen as it has in other sports wherein playoffs place tremendous pressures on an individual. Now these pressures are placed on every team member.

I agree, drivers will no longer be successful into their fifties like Harry Gant. The professional expectancy of any driver will end in the early to mid-forties.

I wonder how many reading this have dealt with long term pressure filled situations wherein not only being subjected to pressures but also requiring split second decisions, any one of which could result in a less than hoped for result ??? Such as a full time race driver in the NEXTEL NASCAR series faces 38 times a year.

I empathize with Jeff Gordon. He has been under scrutiny since November, 1992. He continues to endure catcalls and negative comments despite abilities others could only hope for. He has performed consistently for over a decade, and it is taking a toll. Mentally. No other driver I can remember has had to undergo the scrutiny Jeff Gordon has, other than Kyle Petty and that did not last long.
People do get burned out whether in industry, as professionals, blue collar workers or family members. We all have varying stress levels and some perform better than others.
But a race driver must concentrate FULLY for over three hours of time, in less than desirable conditions while making judgement calls that affect his entire team.

It ain't easy and that is why they make the big buck$.

As far as pacing themselves in the first 26 races and busting hump the last ten, it could go either way. My thought is the intensity needs to be there the entire season. NASCAR has screwed the players by placing them all within fifty points, in most cases undeserved, in the C4C.
 
As far as pacing themselves in the first 26 races and busting hump the last ten, it could go either way. My thought is the intensity needs to be there the entire season. NASCAR has screwed the players by placing them all within fifty points, in most cases undeserved, in the C4C.

I surely agee with that parpgraph! If the teams don't "bust hump" in the first 26 races they will be unprepared to do it in the last 10. Then in the last 10 any accident can knock out the deserving yearlong champion and cause an underserving "alsoran" driver to get to the top accidentaly. Sort of like what happened this year.
Betsy
 
Uhhhhhhhhhh, under NASCAR's C4C rules, KB wasn't an "alsoran", He certainly WAS a contender!!! I'm not a KB fan either!!
KB won, driving and winning under the NASCAR rules this year. Shame on NASCAR, but the drivers did all they could to win and KB just took it.
Soooooooooo, as far as I am concerned, it's over. No sense continuing to cry over spilt milk. It ain't gonna un do anything. :beerbang:
 
dragonlady424 said:
Uhhhhhhhhhh, under NASCAR's C4C rules, KB wasn't an "alsoran", He certainly WAS a contender!!! I'm not a KB fan either!!
KB won, driving and winning under the NASCAR rules this year. Shame on NASCAR, but the drivers did all they could to win and KB just took it.
Soooooooooo, as far as I am concerned, it's over. No sense continuing to cry over spilt milk. It ain't gonna un do anything. :beerbang:
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I'm not sure anyone is crying over spilled milk here, just pointing out what are conceived as inequities with the C4C points and rules change. For the record (and a broken one at that, but we both seem to be pointing out the same thing) the teams who bust their butts and strive to gain points in the first twenty-six races, no matter how lucky, consistent and durable, have their point lead reduced to within fifty points of the tenth place car, a distinct disadvantage as shown this year wherein a top contender loses an engine and another one crashes, both to come back and finish one and two.
Deservedly or not, in my book, it ain't fair, but it is done and the Crowned Price of NASCAR has made his proclamation.
There was a time, when television did not rule the world and influence the outcome of sporting events.
At the risk of being redundant and repeating myself, the decision has been made and the Championship C4C is what it is.
That said, I'll sit back and finish my popcorn. :lurk:
 
However that is not the case anymore and some people should just get over it and accept it. Besides, drivers ALSO race for some money, and they get that no matter what.

Yet again the playof argument comes into play: the best teams in ANY sport don't always make it.
 
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