Other articles by Pete Diprimio:

Tony Stewart looks forward to the next phase in his careerGordon not ready to follow Stewart's example Win, not fence, is Indy barrier for 'Spider-Man'

Technical
Unitek USA
Satellite Installers Sales and Marketing
Town and Country Foods
Sales Manager Driver/Transportation
Pioneer Landscaping
Dieel Fleet Mechanic Trades/Construction
Mechanical Systems, Inc
Plumbing/Piping Superintendent Construction
Green Valley Heating & Cooling
HVAC Service Tech Health Care
Sonora Behavorial Health
Executive Assistant Production and Manufacturing
QUALITY MANAGER

INDIANAPOLIS — Retire? Jeff Gordon? Sure, it will happen eventually. Gordon will give up his Hall of Fame-caliber NASCAR driving career, but here's the twist — it might happen sooner than you think.

In fact, the 36-year-old Gordon insists 40 might be his point of no return.

"I don't see myself driving past 40 very much," he says.

"In some way I'll always want to drive a race car, but to do it full-time in the Sprint Cup Series, I don't see myself doing it more than four to five more years."

What does he see himself doing after that?

"I would love to do the Rolex 24-hour race again," he says. "I'd love to do LeMans. I'd like to drive cars I used to drive or don't get a chance to drive. Heck, even the dirt track late models we do at Tony's has been a blast."

That's a reference to fellow NASCAR driver Tony Stewart's dirt track at Eldora Speedway in Ohio where NASCAR drivers gather each summer for a night of grass-roots camaraderie and racing.

Gordon also figures to get more involved in managing the Hendrick MotorSports team where he's already a part owner.

"If they think I can add something to that," he says, "I'd like to try it."

That Gordon is even considering retiring in his mid-30s reflects the strain of racing combined with a season of poor-handling cars and juggling fatherhood (he and wife Ingrid Vandebosch have a 1-year-old daughter, Ella).

"I've worked harder this year as a driver than I ever have before," he says. "There's the testing. The sport is getting more expensive so we're asking more of our sponsors so, in return, we have to give back more. It doesn't come for nothing. Then the car. Being a dad. All of those things have been overwhelming. You want to find ways to taper back because it wears you down."

Gordon, who grew up in nearby Pittsboro, won't taper this weekend. He's trying to win a fifth Allstate at the Brickyard 400, impressive considering no one else has won it more than twice.

Gordon does not go in as the favorite, not even on his own team. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson each have won a race this season, while Gordon is winless.

Still, Gordon is sixth in the driver standings thanks to his seven top-5 finishes and eight top-10 finishes. And he does, after all, have 81 career victories and is a four-time NASCAR champion, with plenty of opportunity to add a fifth driver title along with more2 0Indianapolis Motor Speedway success.

"I love the position I'm in with the sport," he says. "I accomplished more than I ever dreamed I would. I've gotten more respect than I've ever gotten before. I'm like the old lion who just keeps plugging along and doing my thing and trying to get the job done."