Jeff Gordon’s Return Makes Sense For NASCAR

Although he has already called it a career, Jeff Gordon is returning to the NASCAR circuit this weekend to fill in for an injured Dale Earnhardt Jr.

In case you’ve been living under a rock during the past week , the NASCAR world was set ablaze when it was announced that Dale Earnhardt Jr. would be sitting out last weekend’s race at New Hampshire with concussion like symptoms.

While that news was big enough, it was also announced that morning that if Earnhardt was still experiencing these symptoms the next week, Jeff Gordon would drive the #88 Chevrolet at Indianapolis. As of 10:30 AM this morning, those reports have been confirmed, and Gordon will be stepping in as it was announced that Dale Jr. is not cleared to drive.

That’s right, after a year long farewell tour in 2015, Jeff Gordon is now in a position to get back onto the track.

Now, I will say that as a huge Jeff Gordon fan, this news immediately rocked my world. I was fortunate enough to attend his final race in Homestead last season, seemingly closing the book to an epic career. With this announcement, I immediately felt a bit of sadness along with my initial excitement.

When a sports figure retires, then decides to return, it more often than not tarnishes their legacy. Hardly anyone remembers Michael Jordan’s career as a Wizard, or Brett Favre as a Jet. Even Terry Labonte racing for non-charter teams late in his career left a bad taste in everyone’s mouths, as the two time champ became a back of the pack racer late in his career.

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Now, I do not think that this will happen to Gordon. When he retired, he was still competing for wins each week, and it was more of a personal reason to retire rather than professional one. Not often do we see drivers who just finished third in the points standings retire, so Gordon definitely still has it in him to be competitive. With strong Hendrick equipment, a good crew chief in Greg Ives, and his history at the Brickyard, Gordon makes the most sense in replacing Jr. to gain some owners points.

I firmly believe this move is good for NASCAR. Lately, the sport has dipped tremendously in fan support and TV ratings. Gordon’s retirement season drew in a ton of viewers, but now, that surge has started to stray away from the sport again. The match up of Gordon vs. Stewart at the Brickyard one last time is

too good for even the casual NASCAR fans to pass up.

As soon as this news was announced, many fans took to social media to express their excitement to seeing Jeff Gordon racing once again. The opportunity to see him return at his home track to try and kiss the bricks one last time is almost too perfect of a story for NASCAR. If they can capitalize on this event right, they can bring in a ton of fans, not only in person but watching on TV from all around the country.

At this point, any big news for NASCAR will help boost the ratings, which is exactly what the sport needs. Bringing back an all time favorite and putting him in arguably the sport’s most popular car number will be a game changer.

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Seeing Jeff Gordon driving any car other than the #24 will be a strange sight for NASCAR fans, but it may be just what NASCAR needs to boost ratings heading into the Chase.