While recently retired from NASCAR competition, Jeff Gordon has revealed that he still has one major race left on his bucket list, with the four-time Sprint Cup Series Champion targeting a drive in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The 44-year-old, who has now become part of FOX Sports’ NASCAR broadcast team, told Reuters last weekend in Daytona that he hasn’t given up on the idea of returning to the wheel, with Le Mans being the main goal.
“I’ve always said that if the right opportunity came along I would like to,” Gordon told Reuters. “When it comes to competing and racing I don’t take it for granted of what it takes to be competitive.”
Gordon’s only previous sports car racing start came in 2007 at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, where he teamed with Wayne Taylor, Max Angelelli and Jan Magnussen for a podium finish in their Riley-Pontiac DP.
Given Gordon’s close ties with Chevrolet, a run with Corvette Racing in the French endurance classic would make the most sense, but the three-time Daytona 500 champion doesn’t appear to have gotten that far into any potential negotiations.
“I wouldn’t do any [type] racing if I couldn’t fully prepare for and I couldn’t bring something to that team to enhance their chances of winning,” he said.
“If I feel healthy enough with my back. Physically fit enough to handle the [high gravity forces] … make the lap times. It would definitely be the goal.”
With nearly the entire grid of drivers secured for this year’s race, including all six of Corvette Racing’s drivers, it would appear 2017 could be the earliest that Gordon would be able to fulfill his target.
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