Photo Credit: Noel Lanier
Jeff Gordon has won at every track on the Sprint Cup Series circuit – except Kentucky Speedway. Gordon is hoping to change that this weekend and is off to a solid start as he was quick in practice and in qualifying.
“It would be very cool,” Gordon commented on the possibility to check off Kentucky. “Most of my energy is spent with do we have a shot at winning at this track. I feel like we have run solid here the last few times we have been here. I feel like as good as our cars are this year that this is probably the most legitimate shot that we’ve had of crossing that one off the list. It would mean a lot. It would be quite an accomplishment and it’s something that I would love to say I have done.”
Though while Gordon is quick, some concerns lie towards his back. Gordon had to sit out practice earlier this year due to back spasms. With Kentucky being known as one of the roughest tracks, some worry about Gordon’s condition throughout tomorrow night’s 400 mile race. Gordon says that it’ll “play a slight toll” but shouldn’t become an issue as his back was at Charlotte. In speaking of the bumps, Gordon added that it’d be nice if they could repave the frontstretch.
“I love the corners,” Gordon commented. “I love the challenges of the grip, the cracks, the bumps and the corners. Those don’t bother us. That front straightaway is pretty absurd.”
Though beyond dealing with the bumps, the drivers have another challenge as they practiced throughout the day, when they’ll race tomorrow night.
“It’s that guessing game of what the track conditions are going to be like, how the car is going to react, how the pace is going to pick up and what your car is going to do,” Gordon commented. “Especially these days we’ve got these ride heights down so low on a rough track like this it’s about trying to keep that splitter sealed up or as low as possible and the platform being right on the car. Yet you are crashing into the race track like you do here it’s a compromise. The team that does the best job managing that I think is going to be the team to beat that is going to have a fast race car.”
