Gordon’s last Brickyard race turns into disaster

Indianapolis — Jeff Gordon slid into the No. 24 for the final time at Indy with a car more fit for a junkyard than the Brickyard.

His shot at a record sixth win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway over, Gordon could only watch with a blank stare as his team hammered, welded and duct taped the mangled remains of his Chevrolet into shape for the final laps of the race.

And of his career at the track that oozes racing history.

Gordon’s career at the track spanned from first-to-almost worst as NASCAR’s only fivetime winner at the Brickyard limped to a 42nd-place finish on Sunday.

“It’s not the way we want our day to go here,” Gordon said.

Gordon was feted last week with a parade last in his old home of nearby Pittsboro, where he attended high school and pursued his racing career. It was the first stop of a farewell tour this week that had earmarked victory lane as the final destination.

Gordon tried to avoid Clint Bowyer and spun out about 50 laps in and connected with the outside wall.

He parked the car on pit road as his crew furiously worked to fix the damage. He returned three laps down before he was forced to garage for more repairs, unable to maintain the minimum speed of 58.11 mph on track

Gordon’s uncensored rant was heard over the radio, his crew chief helpless to get any extra oomph out of the car.

“It’s wrecked buddy, I don’t know what to tell you,” Alan Gustafson said.

Gordon made it back out and salvaged only two points, a crushing blow in his pursuit of a Chase for the Sprint Cup championship berth. Gordon is winless in his final full season and will need a checkered flag over the final six races before the cutoff to make the 16-driver field.