Jeff Gordon believes there are 'limits' to off-track activities for NASCAR drivers
NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon doesn’t really want to put restrictions on what drivers do in their free time. But should they take some responsibility and be a little more cautious at times? The vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports believes that’s a fair ask.
Gordon recently joined SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and was asked about what drivers do in their spare time. While he doesn’t want to put limitations on the athletes, he does think that there has to be some accountability.
“I think they have to have a certain amount of responsibility of their own choices and decisions,” Gordon said. “We want you to come to the racetrack on Sunday and be as well prepared as you possibly can be to drive the race car. That’s physically, mentally and balanced in every way possible. To me, that means you gotta have a home life and friends and family and relationships and activities that contribute to that.”
Gordon then reflected on the snowboarding injury sustained by Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott. The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion suffered a broken leg that required surgery, keeping him out of the car for several weeks.
“My whole career I snowboarded. I did all kinds of stuff,” Gordon said. “So, I don’t have a problem with these guys doing things, just be smart about it. Just make wise choices as you’re doing it.
“And, you know, when I picked Chase’s brain about what he was doing, there’s nothing that I think he could’ve done any different. Is he gonna make different choices because of what he’s gone through and how being out of the car has impacted his season? Maybe. And that’s on him.”
Elliott missed six races on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit earlier this year because of the snowboarding accident.
Jeff Gordon wants to see NASCAR grow internationally
As NASCAR continues to find new ways to expand, Gordon says he hopes the sport extends its reach internationally. He thinks it would be a great way to bring in new fans.
“I know that there’s been conversations about Montreal, and I’m not sure if that’s going to happen or not, but I would love to see us be international,” Gordon said. “Not international like, overseas. Because we’ve done that in Japan, and if that happens again, I’d like to look at how we go about it. I don’t know that that actually grew the sport. But I think there’s a lot of fans in Canada. I think there’s a lot of fans in Mexico and South America, that we’re not tapping into, that I think would grow the sport, and put a lot more eyeballs on it.
“So I would love to see it, whether it’s next year or the year after that, I would love to see it.”