Gordon: More lead swaps needed at Indianapolis
The Brickyard 400 is a shadow of its former self, said Jeff Gordon. When he thinks back on his victory in the inaugural race in 1994, he remembers some “pretty darn good racing.” But that’s not what he’s seeing anymore.
The retired NASCAR star said he loves Indianapolis Motor Speedway but there hasn’t been spectacular stock car racing on the track there in more than a decade, and that’s why there are no longer 200,000 fans in the seats. Fortunately, he said, there’s a path toward a more successful future.
The current Fox analyst, who will be behind the wheel of the pace car, spoke Thursday about why he believes there’s hope for the Brickyard 400, his predictions for this weekend’s race and how he’s taken to the broadcast booth.
Q: Are you enjoying retirement — or being away from the track full time?
A: Very much. It’s a grueling, hectic schedule with 38 weeks. And now there’s a lot being asked of everybody on the team. ... To do that for as long as I did, it took a lot out of me. But I enjoyed it very much, and now I’m enjoying this next chapter in life. I’m not calling it retirement, although some others do (laughs). I feel like I’m as busy as I’ve ever been. Since the Fox season has ended, I’ve been able to spend some real quality time with my kids and my wife, and I’m enjoying that very much. We’re going on a family trip in August overseas. Then I’ll be pretty hard back at it with Hendrick (Motorsports) and some other partners I do some work for.
Q: Now that you’ve been in the broadcast booth for two years, is it as much fun as you’d hoped?
A: I’m enjoying it more than I ever anticipated. I was excited about it last year but nervous, like anybody is when you’re going into something new for the first time. This year I enjoyed it more because I’m more comfortable, more confident, a little bit more relaxed. I understand the flow of (the) weekend, the people I’m working with. ... It’s fun. I think it’s the best way for someone like myself to transition because I still have that little bit of competitiveness in me. Of course, as a race car driver, you have a little bit of that adrenaline rush that you’re looking for and that comes with live TV. Pushing yourself and trying to analyze a race in the best possible way.
Q: When you started racing the Brickyard 400, hundreds of thousands of fans were attendance. Now, only a fraction of that comes to the race. What happened? And how can it be remedied?
A: There’s no easy answer. I had the chance to come to the Indy 500 when I drove the pace car a couple years ago, and it reminded me of — because I went to the 500 as a kid and I follow all forms of motor sports — how special that event is. ... The racing ’s been pretty darn good lately, too. I think that was the case for the Brickyard for the first five or 10 years. But the racing itself has not been spectacular.
I think this year with less downforce and stages, it gives it an opportunity to have the best race we’ve had in several years. But I’m probably more interested in what we’ll see in the Xfinity Series race with the changes they’re making aerodynamically and horsepower-wise there to see if we can find a package that works. ... Stock cars traditionally have not gone great on flat tracks. ... Indy is a one-groove racetrack other than those double-file restarts. It’ll be great to see if we can get the racing back to being spectacular with drafting and the swapping of the lead.
Q: What are your thoughts on the Brickyard being moved to September?
A:
If you can find a way to improve the racing, so there’s a little bit more passing going on, then also moving later in the season — it’s brutal there in July. Coming there last year, it was my first race back, and I was dying inside that car. So I can’t imagine what fans are going through in grandstands.
Q: Alex Bowman was named the successor to Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 88 car. Was he a good choice?
A: I think he’s a great choice. He’s young. He got in the car last year and did an amazing job. The team liked working with him, and Junior has really supported it. So have the sponsors and the fans. I think all the way around it’s a win-win for everybody. He did such an amazing job behind the wheel. I know what that car was like. I drove it last year (for eight races, including Indianapolis). We started improving our performance when I was in the car, but then Alex went to Phoenix and sat on the pole and had an excellent chance at winning that race. He’s just a great driver, and I think it’s going to be fun to watch.
Q: Any predictions for this weekend? A:
Oh, man, right now, it seems like (Martin) Truex Jr. and (Kyle) Larson are the class of the field. I think Kyle Busch is due, and he’s won at this race. This could be a sort of breakout weekend for him. They’ve been dominating lately but just not getting the wins. ... I’m interested to see if Larson can step up. The way he’s running, he just seems to be one of those guys that when it’s a big event and there’s a lot on the line, he has a way of stepping up.