NASCAR: Gordon ready for comeback race

It was just over a week ago that Jeff Gordon was vacationing in France when he received the "call me" text from Rick Hendrick, so mentally and physically preparing for a race as grueling as the Brickyard 400 was the furthest thing from his mind.

But here we are, back home again in Indiana, and the four-time Sprint Cup champion has found himself back in a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet as a substitute for Dale Earnhardt Jr., who is continuing to recover from concussion-like symptoms.

• Earnhardt sees 'light at the end of the tunnel'

The five-time Brickyard winner called the process "overwhelming" but believes he has never put more preparation toward a race weekend than he has over the past three days.

In short, Gordon is back, and he's ready to compete.

"All I can tell you is that I have done everything I possibly can over the past three days to get ready for this race the best way that I can," Gordon said. "We'll find out what kind of condition I'm in. There certainly are going to be challenges this weekend, but I feel like I am capable of doing it. Rick and the whole team have given me a lot of confidence in choosing me and asking me to do this."

Between not having sat in a car since the season finale at Homestead last November and the extreme heat conditions forecast for this weekend in Indianapolis, Gordon expects a challenge. But he spent several hours in the Chevrolet race simulator on Thursday, and believes the improved cooling system this year will offset his lack of seasoning.

"There are going to be challenges – there is no doubt about it," Gordon said. "Qualifying is the first thing that comes to my mind, even before the heat. To me, qualifying and having to lay down laps, advance to the second round, and hopefully get in the third round will be tough. Qualifying is very important here.

"So to do that in a short period of time with the amount of practice we have today in the heat of the day is going to be tough. As far as hydration and all of those things, that is the most important thing for me, to just make sure hydration-wise that I get through the race in good shape. Jimmie Johnson has offered me his cool vest. They know I'm old and not in the kind of shape that I was, but of any track that I can think of [wanting to] come to, heat or no heat, and come and do a good job for this team, it's right here in Indianapolis."

And why shouldn't he feel that way? Gordon has won this race a record five times and has a 9.9 average finish across 22 starts. He's posted top-5s in 11 of them. That's why he's in the car this weekend. Hendrick believes he's the most capable man for the job while Earnhardt is on the sidelines.

"I think between Jeff agreeing to drive the car and Junior walking in the shop, the team is really excited," Hendrick said. "Jeff's situation with our company, everybody there knows him, [and] the talent that Jeff has here at Indy. But more than anything, when he walked in that building, it just lifted everyone up. So, we're really excited. Everybody is there for Junior and his health is number one priority, but we feel good about where we are right now."

Gordon is set to drive the car for the next two weekends at Indianapolis and Pocono. That will get him to 799 starts, but he doesn't want to speculate about whether he will be needed beyond these two appearances.

"Let's not speculate," Gordon said. "Right now it's through Pocono. We hope that Dale Jr. continues to progress and that he is back as soon as possible.

"The one thing I was encouraged by when I saw him on Wednesday is his passion for racing, how much he loves being in the car and how antsy he is to get back in there. We just want him to be there when he is ready and when the doctors say he is ready."

Between spending time in the simulator and watching videos of the tire test here last week, Gordon says he believes this competition package is similar to the one NASCAR employed back in 2014. Coincidentally, that is the year Gordon earned his fifth Brickyard 400 win. That in itself gives him hope that he can come in and compete for a sixth PPG trophy.

"If you go back to 2014 even though we had more power, the traces are more similar," Gordon said. "I kind of liked '14. It was a good year. I was happy to see that. I took that information and went to the simulator the next morning in Huntersville [North Carolina] with Chevrolet and they put those set-ups and this package in the car and I was able to drive it.

"This [package] is closer to the past with the braking points, turning points, car handling, all those types of things. I'm hoping that really pays off for me."