|
 "He's the favorite," Gordon said, pointing at reigning series
champion Kevin Harvick. "We're the sentimentals. That's all there
is."
The "we" in this case referred to Gordon, Kyle Busch and Martin
Truex Jr., all of whom will be attempting to dethrone the champion
when Harvick & the Sentimentals race for the title in the Ford
EcoBoost 400 on Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway (3 p.m. ET on
NBC).
Each of the "Sentimentals" has a story. Busch made the Chase after
breaking his right leg and left foot in the Feb. 21 NASCAR Xfinity
Series opener at Daytona, an injury that sidelined him for the first
11 Sprint Cup races of the season.
Truex drives for a single-car organization, Denver, Colo.-based
Furniture Row Racing, and before this year has never been a title
contender in NASCAR's premier series.
But if there is a true sentimental favorite in Sunday's decisive
race, that honor goes to Gordon, hands down.
The Ecoboost 400 will be Gordon's final race in the No. 24 Hendrick
Motorsports Chevrolet, the seat he has occupied for an iron-man
record 796 consecutive events dating to the 1992 season finale.
The prospect of Gordon leaving the driver's seat for the FOX Sports
broadcast booth at season's end already has conjured images of other
rare athletes who have retired while at the pinnacle of their
respective sports.
It's a short list. Super Bowl champs John Elway and Jerome Bettis
come to mind. So do Rocky Marciano, who retired as undefeated
heavyweight boxing champion in 1956, and Byron Nelson, who left
full-time competitive golf at age 34 after accumulating enough money
to buy the Texas ranch he had always wanted.
Arguably, a Gordon championship would be a bigger story than those
of his predecessors because of the name recognition he has earned as
an ambassador for NASCAR racing for more than two decades.
But don't think for a minute that Gordon will be satisfied simply to
make the Championship Round and race for the title. Sentimental
favorite or not, he wants to win it.
"If I could have scripted this thing in January or February, I don't
think I could have scripted it quite the way it's going," Gordon
said Thursday during Championship 4 Media Day at the Diplomat. "I
never dreamed that we could have an opportunity to be battling for
the championship in my final race.
[to top of second column] |
"Is there pressure? I mean, I feel like there's always pressure. By
winning that race in Martinsville (Nov. 1) and putting us in this
elite group, I mean, that right there just was an incredible moment
and something I'll never forget. And knowing that we were just going
to come down here and be a part of that four, that right there in
itself is a win."
Clearly, though, Gordon hopes there's another, more significant win
on the horizon. And those who might discount his chances should
remember that Hendrick Motorsports cars won all three of the races
in the Chase's Eliminator Round, which concluded last Sunday at
Phoenix.
"If you don't think that our team is working extremely hard and very
focused and determined to be a real factor in this thing on Sunday,
then you're mistaken," Gordon said. "And so that part certainly puts
pressure on.
"I mean, I think, yeah, there's a ton of pressure taken off all of
us because we're just a part of it, and we know that we can't be
worse than fourth when this thing is all over. But at the same time,
there's definitely pressure because we all want it. We all want it
really badly."
Gordon is 44, far older than the prime for athletes in most other
major sports. In his retirement, he'll have more opportunity to
enjoy time with wife Ingrid, daughter Ella and son Leo. But Gordon
also realizes that, because of his family, a championship this
season might well be the most important accomplishment of his
career.
"This one is so much different because (of) my final year, my final
race, Ingrid and the kids," Gordon said. "Kids motivate you in a
whole new way, and no matter what, we're going to go out and be
happy and celebrate.
"But to do it as a champion, oh, my gosh, I just can't imagine
anything that would be more emotional and more exciting and more
gratifying than to look at my wife in the eyes and see that reaction
from her when that race is over -- if we win it."
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