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NASCAR

Jeff Gordon Should Retire the Car But Not the Sport

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Jeff Gordon should retire from NASCAR within the next two years. Nothing else Gordon will do could change his legacy. He has been to victory lane 92 times in the Sprint Cup series and has won four championships. Another championship or hitting the 100-win mark will not change the overall feeling of the incredible composition that is Jeff Gordon’s career. Jeff Gordon’s racing will be celebrated and respected for years to come and his work for the NASCAR community is unrivaled.

With a lot of youth coming up through the ranks of NASCAR, positions on teams will be harder to come by in the next couple of years. A NASCAR race in the 80s would have a full field of drivers in their 40s, but from Gordon’s success in his early career at a young age, the trend moved more towards the youth. A driver in his 40s today, with 20-plus years of experience, is not only a veteran, but a legend.

The Chase Elliott‘s in the Xfinity series and him being signed to JR Motorsports, which is partially owned by Rick Hendrick, leads one to believe Elliott will be part of the Hendrick team in the near future. If the lineup stays the same, that would leave five drivers for team Hendrick. No team has yet fielded five drivers. Kasey Kahne just signed through 2018. Chase Elliott could be Jeff Gordon’s replacement.

There’s no debating the importance of the success Gordon had in NASCAR and the level of where the sport is today. Retiring from NASCAR should only be from the car, not from the sport. He has a natural knack for the camera, knowledge for younger drivers and overall experience to be great in multiple positions within the sport.

Kevin Jacobs is a NASCAR writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @KevinJ816 “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google

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