NSCS: Jeff Gordon Open To Running More Races at Martinsville Following 2015

“This has been a fantastic racetrack for me throughout my career” is an understatement for the amount of success that Jeff Gordon has had at Martinsville Speedway over the years, scoring eight wins, 28 top-fives and 35 top-10s in 44 career starts. For that reason, it’s not a surprise that Martinsville is a place that he could possibly return behind the wheel for a race or two following his final full season in the Sprint Cup Series this year.

“Martinsville is probably the reason when we made the announcement in January why we left that little bit of window and door open,” he commented. “This is probably the first track that comes to mind for me that if I ran another race – not that I have plans to – that I’d do it at Martinsville… Truck, Cup, maybe Late Model. I just love this track.”

Gordon says the keys for him about Martinsville is aerodynamics don’t matter and tires don’t change much compared to every other track where aerodynamics start to make a different in how you drive the car, set up the car and the knowledge you have about the cars. He added, though, that this week may be a little different than years past simply due to the new horsepower reduction rules for this season.

Despite all of the years coming to Martinsville, though, he hasn’t explored much outside of the race track, saying that the test last year was the first time that he came and left the race track. That exploration allowed him to check out the Dutch Inn, which he says was very interestng.

“It hasn’t changed much since I first started racing in NASCAR,” he commented. “It’s a cool, quaint little town. When we get time, we get out and go to some restaurants. Ever since they put the bus lot in back there, my favorite thing is that I drive to Martinsville. We don’t drive to tracks that often, so I really enjoy it. I have dinner with my family; say goodbye and I drive to Martinsville. I get here, enjoy the weekend, stay in the bus and work on trying to get a Grandfather Clock.”

About the Author

Ashley McCubbin

Joining OnPitRoad.com mid-2013 season, Ashley McCubbin is now the Managing Editor and contributes to each racing division as needed. Since studying journalism at the University of Guelph-Humber, Ashley has published articles on a couple of different websites, while serving as a public relations representative for different short track teams. Born in North York, Ontario, Ashley currently lives in Bradford, Ontario and spends her weekend at the local short tracks in the area. She has spent her entire life at the short track level, falling in love with the sport at the age of five. Beyond her love of short track racing, she also has grown an interest for both NASCAR and the IndyCar Racing Series. She also enjoys taking photos and working on websites, while playing a couple rounds of Candy Crush afterwards.

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