CONCORD, N.C. – Jeff Gordon isn’t worried about his focus.
Sunday’s event at Homestead-Miami Speedway is far from just another race for the 44-year-old. Not only is it scheduled to be his final start as a full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver, it’s one last shot at a fifth championship.
But as a four-time champion, he’s prepared for what the moment brings with it, and he’s gotten plenty of advice on how to handle the outside distractions.
“I just tapped into a six-time champion, Jimmie Johnson, and I said, ‘What do I need to go do?’” Gordon said. “He’s been giving me some great advice about how to shut it off. It’s been a while for me, but we’re determined and focused as a team to go down there and stay focused and do everything possible.
“You’ve got to have good people around you to help guide you and give you good direction and give you that time that you need to not have the distractions. My wife and I have been having a lot of discussions about that, and I’m looking forward to staying out at the track, a long way from everything else and everybody else, and just staying focused on what we need to do for Sunday.”
Gordon and the No. 24 team have been preparing for the task at hand Sunday ever since he led the final 22 laps at Martinsville Speedway en route to Victory Lane and a berth in the Championship 4.
The driver of the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet SS said he’s excited about his chances and the opportunity that lies ahead of him.
“I love Homestead,” he said. “I love that racetrack. I think we showed that last year. I can’t wait to get down there and get that car on track and start tuning it in for the race.”
Last season, to Gordon’s point, he led 161 laps before earning a 10th-place result.
His 16 starts and seven top-five finishes are the most at the 1.5-mile track, while he is tied with Kevin Harvick for the most top-10s at the Florida venue.
"Jeff has got to feel good about his chances."
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
On Nov. 18, 2012, he led the final 13 laps of the race on the way to his only Sprint Cup victory at Homestead.
He’ll hope for a similar result this time around.
“There's only one lap I want to lead, and that's the last one,” Gordon said. “Yeah, I mean, this has been incredible the way our season has been real up and down, and then the Chase has been really solid for us and of course Martinsville, and we feel very, very fortunate and excited. When I set out into this season and made the announcement that I made, I just hoped that this could possibly happen, and it is, and now it's not enough for us just to go down there and be a part of it. We want to go there and push hard and get every single thing we can out of ourselves and our team and see if we can't give these guys a run for their money.”
Teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. – who along with Jimmie Johnson earned back-to-back victories following Gordon’s Martinsville win to make it three in a row for Hendrick Motorsports – said the organization’s recent success should only encourage the No. 24 team.
“I think Jeff has got to feel confident with the way the Hendrick Motorsports cars performed the last three weeks,” he said. “Jeff has got to feel good about his chances.”
As the final race approaches, Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick knows it will be a monumental event regardless of the outcome – but he has one particular finish in mind.
“It's going to be an exciting and a very emotional race at Homestead,” Hendrick said. “I think it would be a storybook ending and really amazing for Jeff Gordon's career if he could retire winning a championship.
“I don't think it could get any better than that.”