Jeff Gordon is ready to pull his firesuit out of storage and come off the bench for one more shot at winning one of NASCAR’s crown jewel races.
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Hendrick Motorsports team owner Rick Hendrick said Sunday in New Hampshire, where Alex Bowman was filling in for Earnhardt, that Gordon will be available if needed.
Johnson, a two-time race victor this season, could use a boost following a five-race slump when he failed to finish better than 13th. Hendrick Motorsports announced that Alex Bowman would be in Earnhardt’s No. 88 as a substitute driver this weekend at New Hampshire, and will update their plans next week regarding the July 24th “Brickyard 400” at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
According to Hendrick Motorsports general manager Doug Duchardt, Gordon has agreed to come back and race in this month’s Brickyard 400 if Earnhardt Jr. isn’t medically cleared.
The choice is logical.
If Jeff Gordon can’t step up next weekend, it’s unclear who will fill in for Earnhardt should his symptoms force him to sit out again. It is expected he would get one, but Hendrick said he hasn’t even applied for one yet, as the focus remains on Earnhardt’s health. “And at that time, it was in the contingency that he would have to backfill for Dale after Dale started the race. This kind of thing can beat you down and get you sad, but I’ve got a lot of good people around me and a lot of people supporting me”. “(Thursday) around noon is when I found out that Dale could not be in the vehicle for this weekend, based on their suggestion”.
Four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon may be coming out of retirement to race in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
On a positive note, Earnhardt said his brain feels “real sharp” aside from his symptoms. “In the meantime, we have full confidence in Greg (Ives) and the team, and we know they’ll do a great job”. “We want him back as soon as the doctors give him clearance”. “If there was something major wrong, I think they would have seen it already”. I’m really confident in the whole team. “He’s doing good. He wants to be in the vehicle”. Download, seem to indicate the timetable for his return to racing might be more unclear than just missing a race or two.
Early in his debut season with Joe Gibbs Racing a year ago, Carl Edwards had a rough time. In fact, Gordon won the very first NASCAR race at Indy back in 1994 and also visited victory lane there just two years ago in 2014.
The first NASCAR Sprint Cup practice this week is scheduled for Friday at 1:30 p.m.
“When that didn’t help, I chose to dig a little deeper”, he said. “We want him for a long time”.
“I’m riding the wave that is JGR”. “I really appreciate all the support I’ve got. Making the right decision really was out of the question; I made the decision I had to make”.
Am I the only one who noticed the term “When we miss the Chase” rather than “If we miss the Chase?”
“I wish we had the finish, but they knew we were here”.
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Kyle Busch was second, followed by Martin Truex Jr., Kurt Busch and Denny Hamlin. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Ryan Newman held his own against the modified stars, finishing 10th.
