Speaking Wednesday after a sponsorship announcement for his #24 Chevy at Hendrick Motorsports, Gordon, 39, said he figures to keep on driving in NASCAR’s top national touring series for a long time — even beyond the three years covered by his new sponsorship agreement with the AARP Foundation. Heck, he might even drive until he qualifies for AARP membership, which comes for all Americans at the age of 50. Now the father of two children with wife Ingrid Vandebosch, Gordon spoke candidly about fatherhood filling him with an intense desire to extend his career because he wants his kids — daughter Ella, 3, and son Leo, who was born in August — to be able to experience it along with him. “In some ways, that’s extended my career because I want to show them what I do. And I want them to be able to understand it and be a part of it in some way. So that definitely wants to make me think about driving longer,” Gordon said. It helps that Gordon, who was bothered by severe back pain much of last season, is feeling better this season. Gordon admitted it still is not 100 percent. He attributes being able to manage the pain better to being more dedicated to a regimented physical fitness program — citing Mark Martin as an example of the benefits of such dedication.(NASCAR.com)(10-29-2010)
