Jeff Gordon’s Return Comes With Hiccups But Isn’t A Failure

Jeff Gordon’s return to NASCAR has had some bumps in the road through three races but it’s by no means been a failure.

Jeff Owens of Sporting News recently wrote a piece on Jeff Gordon in which he refers to Gordon replacing Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 88 machine as a failed experiment. Although Owens is an incredible journalist, his take here is a bit off of the mark.

When it was announced that Gordon would be filling in for Earnhardt Jr. at Indy and Pocono, I was in the same boat that Owens and many NASCAR fans were in. We all believed that Gordon was not only the perfect choice to drive the No. 88 machine but we also felt that the tracks he was subbing on set him up for success. The results have not been what many of us thought and that made Owens make the below comments about Gordon in his recent piece.

"Maybe it’s time to admit that this coming-out-of-retirement thing was not such a good idea. Maybe it’s time to admit that Gordon is not helping his reputation and legacy. Nor has he been much help to Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s team. Dare we say that maybe someone else would have been a better choice to get behind the wheel of Dale Jr.’s car?Maybe it’s time to admit that Gordon, now 45, just isn’t the driver he used to be."

Here is the thing though, Gordon’s return to NASCAR can’t be referred to as a failed experiment because it’s not an experiment at all. Heck, I would shy away from even calling his return a comeback because it really isn’t that either. Gordon didn’t come back in 2016 because he wanted to compete again at a high level and win races every weekend. He didn’t come back because he was a handful of spots away from winning a title in 2015 and he thought he could make another run at it this season.

Gordon came back as a favor to his longtime friend Rick Hendrick and his former teammate Earnhardt. Gordon came back in an effort to give something back to an organization that put him in a position to become a four-time NASCAR champion and win 93 races along the way.

Sure, Gordon most likely thought he would find more success than he has found. Sure, Gordon might have had a vision of winning for a sixth time at Indy and kissing the bricks once again or adding to his win total at Pocono. While those thoughts might have been there, those thoughts weren’t the reason that he returned.

Throughout the entire process Gordon has been steadfast in describing what he is doing and why he is doing it. Gordon has always put Earnhardt and his health at the forefront and has yet to put personal goals or aspirations to win in the same sentence. Had Gordon come back and said he plans on running up front, contending for wins and getting the No. 88 machine into victory lane, then this run could be deemed a failure.

Despite the poor finishes, Gordon actually hasn’t performed that bad. In Indy Gordon might have had a top-10 car if he didn’t get killed on restarts late in the race, which resulted in a 13th-place finish (Owens referred to that finish as uninspiring). In Pocono he was running just outside of the top-10 when he had the seatbelt issue on a restart (which led to a 27th-place finish) and at Watkins Glen he finished 14th after suffering some major damage to the nose of his car early in the race.

Take the seatbelt issue out of Pocono and Gordon most likely would have finished inside of the top-15. Are three top-15 finishes for a driver coming out of retirement and the broadcast booth really all that bad? I suppose if you thought Gordon was going to light the NASCAR world on fire and win races, then you might be disappointed with his current run. However, if you accept this return for what it truly is, it’s hard to classify it as a failure.

This also doesn’t take into consideration whatever the No. 88 team is getting from Gordon behind the scenes. Nothing against Alex Bowman but I would venture to guess that Gordon might be able to provide the team with a little more insight and assistance out of the car in the garage area.

must read: Ranking The Best Chase Performers Of All-Time, Where Does Gordon Fall On The List?

At some point Earnhardt Jr. is going to return to the No. 88 machine and Gordon is going to hang up his helmet once again. When that time comes Gordon’s career will not be any less prestigious because he came back after being gone for eight months and had a couple of decent runs and a couple of sub-par runs. This return for Gordon isn’t going to be remembered by what he did on the track (unless of course he wins) but instead by the fact that he was there when his team and friends needed him.

In life everyone measure failure and success differently. When it comes to Gordon in the No. 88 machine, I find it hard to call what he is doing a failure. Then again, that’s just me.