During his January announcement that he would run his final full NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season this year, Jeff Gordon spoke about how his focus on race weekends has often kept him from enjoying himself at the track.
But now that he’s embarking on his last year of competition at NASCAR’s top level, Gordon says he’ll savor all the special moments to come. He also insists that because of his decision, he’ll have an advantage on the track in 2015.
“If anybody knows me well and works with me, they know that I’m intense ... I don’t always enjoy the moment as much as I probably could,” Gordon said in a one-on-one interview with NASCAR AMERICA’s Marty Snider.
"[But] I feel like I’m in this really cool, comfortable place because of this announcement to do two things: One, [have] the mindset going into each race, going ‘This is it. I’m gonna get everything out of this right now.’ ... Just kinda like, ‘Screw it - this is the moment.’ I have a huge edge on the competition in that sense.
“But also, no matter what the results are, I really want to enjoy it - and that will be on the track and off the track.”
Gordon also talked with Snider about why it means so much for him to go out while he’s still competitive as well as the back woes that he’s endured in recent years. You can watch Gordon’s full interview at the top.