Jeff Gordon retired from NASCAR racing after 23 seasons back in 2015 and turned the metaphorical keys to his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet over to 2016 Rookie of the Year Chase Elliott. (This season, rookie William Byron is in the 24 car, while Elliott is in the No. 9.)
Gordon briefly returned to the track for eight races in 2016 as a substitute driver for the No. 88 car when Dale Earnhardt Jr. was sidelined with a concussion.
Beyond that, it would have been fair to assume the 46-year-old driver-turned-broadcaster for FOX Sports would retreat to being happily retired. But during an online Q&A on Saturday, Gordon hinted he might come back.
When a fan asked if Gordon would ever consider racing part-time in one of the lower tier NASCAR series – the Camping World Truck Series or the XFINITY Series – Gordon said:
“I always thought about maybe looking at an opportunity to drive a truck at Martinsville or a track like that. I like the short tracks. But to do it on part-time basis at a like mile-and-a-half or a superspeedway (like Daytona or Talladega) – no, I’m happy to be up in the booth and out of the car right now. I’m enjoying myself and time with my family. I’ll let you know if that opportunity comes up at Martinsville, though.”
Over the course of his Cup Series career, Gordon racked up nine wins at Martinsville Speedway’s .526-mile track. His most recent trip to Victory Lane there was also his final career win in November 2015.
— USA Today —