Freshrubber Blog

Jeff Gordon, a four-time Cup champion and winner at Watkins Glen International, indicated the residual effects could go on for weeks. “I’m hurting. Everything feels good except my lower back, where I’ve already had issues,” said Gordon, NASCAR’s all-time leader in road-racing wins with nine. “It wasn’t that hard of a hit, it’s just my back can’t stand too many hits. It will just take a couple of weeks for it to heal. By then we’ll go to Bristol (Aug. 22) and get through that, then we’ll be alright.” — Racin’ Today

Jeff Gordon is relieved that his back pain has subsided — and not just because he feels better. “It’s been really nice to not get asked too many of those questions these days”, he said. “? It seems like it’s tapering off a little bit, which is kinda nice because it started to get a little bit too much. It’s slightly improved since the beginning of the year, and then it’s just sort of leveled off where I’m just able to deal with the pain that’s there, or the discomfort. At these types of tracks it’s more discomfort than it is pain. At Bristol is where we’re really going to find out just where I’m at. I was in a lot of pain there the last race, and that seems to be the toughest race. But for this weekend, there shouldn’t be any issues. We’re in good shape”. — USA Today

Jeff Gordon, when asked why better in-car speed-monitoring devices have not been installed: “That’s a great question. I think it’s a little easier than that, even. In every other form of motorsports you come to pit road and you hit a button and it regulates the rpm and the mph and you just sit there at that rpm. And I don’t understand why we don’t have that, with all the technology that we have at our fingertips. I think the concern is it’s a wheel speed sensor and then you get into traction control and some of that. So that’s probably the downside to it. But we’ve gotten our tachs a lot better now and we’re able to read it pretty close.” — Racin’ Today

The word Tuesday from Sprint Cup drivers taking part in the latest tire test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway was mission accomplished. All agreed that they now have a tire from Goodyear which will allow them to avoid the type of race-day embarrassment the sport suffered a year ago in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. “I will guarantee it,” four-time series champion Jeff Gordon said Tuesday when asked if fans will see a good race this year at Indy. “I’m 100 percent confident. I ran this tire as hard as I possibly could, put numerous laps on them. It’s a dead issue.” — Racin Today

With a wary eye toward NASCAR’s longest race of the year, four-time champion Jeff Gordon was injected with an anti-inflammatory this week to quiet the nagging pain in his lower back. So far, the treatment is working. And as long as his No. 24 Chevrolet is handling well enough that he doesn’t have to use the brakes too much entering the high-banked corners of Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Gordon said he ought to be fine in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600. But for the first time since acknowledging his back trouble earlier this year, Gordon conceded Thursday that if medication or surgery can’t alleviate the discomfort over a full season, he will be forced to retire sooner than he had hoped. — Washington Post

Jeff Gordon had an injection in his back to help ease the pain he’s had for more than a year, and the four-time NASCAR champion says he’ll be able to drive this weekend in the longest race of the season. Gordon was treated Monday in a procedure that typically calls for an injection of lidocaine or anti-inflammatory medication. Gordon, the Sprint Cup Series points leader, is sore but looking forward to the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway . “I’ll definitely take that brief bit of soreness if it stops the recurring back pain I’ve had,” he said Tuesday. “I hope that will end the back issues I’ve been having, but it’s too early to tell if that fixed the problem.” Gordon zeroed in on a cause for his aching back last month. An MRI revealed a touch of arthritis and other issues he described as possibly related to “trauma, from a crash, or maybe just from years of beating it up.” Fox Sports

The wife of NASCAR superstar Jeff Gordon is begging him to quit racing - because she’s terrified back spasms he’s been suffering will lead to a horrifying crash. Jeff and his beautiful wife Ingrid Vandebosch are locked in heated arguments about the speed racer’s future, say sources close to the couple. “Ingrid is beside herself with fear that Jeff will be gravely injured should one of these back spasms occur while he’s behind the wheel and he loses control,” said an insider. “She feels he’s been lucky until now and wants him to get out from behind the wheel for good while he’s in one piece. “Her fear is he’s tempting fate and wants him to retire at the end of this racing season.” — National Enquirer

New details surrounding a proposed $200-million, 65,000-seat international motor speedway in Fort Erie have surfaced. An article published in the inaugural edition of Professional Motorsport Circuit, an international trade journal, says NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon is involved with the project. Gordon’s name has been tagged with a signature speedway and a driving school that’s part of the proposal. The article was written by Azhar Mohammad - executive director of Emirates Consulting, a Toronto-based subsidiary of Kuwaiti-based investment bank Bayt Al Mal Investment Co., that is financially backing the project. — Niagara Falls Review

Jeff Gordon snaps 47-race winless drought with victory at Texas, beating Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson. Gordon, already the Sprint Cup points leader with four top-five finishes in the first six races, did a few burnouts on the frontstretch before grabbing the checkered flag and taking his No. 24 Chevrolet for a victory lap, his first since October 2007 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte.

“How ironic is this that when we go into this streak and we end it here in Texas, a place that’s just eluded us for so long,” Gordon said. “Incredible team effort. This whole year has been amazing. What a great car. I’ve never had a car like this at Texas. We finally had one and put it in position.”

Jeff Gordon 47 race losing streak , and never has won a race at Texas Motor Speedway makes this weekend a challenge. But nobody has been better than the four-time Cup champ this season. Gordon has six top-five finishes in 16 races at the 1.5-mile track, more than any other driver. “We’ve been hit or miss there,” said Gordon, who is leading the Nascar Sprint Cup standings by 89 heading into Sunday’s Samsung 500. “In 2007 when we hit on the setup, I hit the wall with about 20 to go while leading and it ruined that opportunity. Another time we had electrical issues while leading late in the race. But those were instances when we ran well and had a shot at the win. Other times, we’ve been off the mark.” Jeff Gordon is clearly back on his game this race season, and it’s only a matter of time before he visit victory lane.