Will Sunday be Jeff Gordon's last race? 'Your guess is as good as mine'

MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- Nearly one year after Jeff Gordon retired from the Sprint Cup Series, the four-time champion will run his “last race” Sunday at Martinsville Speedway. Maybe.

Gordon used air quotes in describing his “last race” during a news conference Friday, leaving the possibility open he could run again next year if the circumstances were right.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” said Gordon, who will substitute for Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the eighth time this season on Sunday. “I can promise you I had no intentions of this happening, but here I am. ‘Never say never’ is all I know to say.”

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Gordon was retired from Cup racing until Earnhardt sustained a concussion and stepped out of the car in July. NASCAR's most popular driver later announced he was out for the year while he recovered. Gordon, now a Fox Sports analyst, said he didn’t think he’d race a Cup car again after Sunday, but added: “Go ask Rick Hendrick.”

“That really has more to do with him than anything else,” he said. “I hope in the future that the drivers don’t have a situation like what we had with Junior where they need somebody to fill in for them. … If I had to do it, then certainly I would, but I don’t anticipate it.”

The 45-year-old hasn’t had the results he hoped for since returning for the July race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. A 10th-place finish at Dover International Speedway is his only top-10 in seven races.

But Gordon is feeling optimistic for his return to Martinsville, where he is the defending race winner – and has nine victories overall.

“Obviously, I have amazing memories from this race last year,” Gordon said. “I guess there was a part of me that wasn’t sure if I wanted to come back and take away from that, but at the same time I’ve always said if there is one track that I feel like I could get back in the car and feel comfortable and competitive, it’s this track. For that, I’m happy that I’m here.”

Teammate Jimmie Johnson said Gordon has been “one heck of a sub,” but he couldn’t predict whether his 805th start will really be the last.

“I’m not sure he is ready to completely stop,” Johnson said. “I think he was ready to get off the merry-go-round of 39 races a year, but the full stop I don’t think he is ready for.”

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