Jeff Gordon enjoys final Daytona 500, wanted better finish

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- All the makings were there for the fairytale to come true. Making his final Daytona 500 start, Jeff Gordon took the pole-position and led 77 of the first 100 laps.

This fairytale didn’t come with the happy ending, however. A dominant force in the first half, Gordon fell victim to poor track position in the second half.

The downfall came when Gordon got shuffled out of line and became mired in traffic. On an afternoon where passing was a challenge, that was problematic, and any chance of winning a fourth Daytona 500 vanished. Gordon got collected in a multi-car crash on the final lap and finished 33rd.

“It is disappointing because things were going so well, especially that first half,” Gordon said. “I was enjoying that moment very, very much. Just being out front. Being in control of the race. I felt like we were just doing everything perfectly. The car was amazing.

“I knew it was going to be crucial to maintain that track position. That one restart I chose the outside and that line just didn’t go. From that point on, we were just playing catch-up.”

And yet despite the disappointment, Gordon was smiling as he stood beside his No. 24 car on pit-road post-race. Making his 23rd and final Daytona 500 start, Gordon made sure to enjoy the moment to its fullest.

Before the green flag, he enjoyed small quality time with his wife and two children, exchanged some well wishes with grand marshal Vince Vaughn, and seemed content to retire at the end of the season.

“This was an amazing week and an amazing day,” Gordon said. “I am just in a different place that is so foreign to me, but so incredible. To just be taking it all in and enjoying every moment.”

The only thing Gordon didn’t take pleasure in was how those final laps played out. Without a compatible drafting partner, he lacked the needed oomph to claw back toward the front. Part of the problem was Gordon found himself stuck in the bottom lane, which could never organize effectively, while the top row of rows lined in sync.

In what he referred to as a “hairy” decision, Gordon attempted to make the middle groove work with Kasey Kahne, a Hendrick Motorsports teammate. That, too, didn’t work and by the end Gordon was just holding on hoping not to get swept in a wreck, which seemed inevitable.

“I knew there was high potential of a wreck,” Gordon said. “I was just following (Kahne) through that hole and was just holding on tight to get through the corner. I saw where I had a pretty good amount of momentum coming. I think we maybe could have gotten a top-five out of it. Then they started wrecking, or somebody hit me. I don’t know.”

Nevertheless, Gordon tried to focus on the positives.

“I enjoyed every moment of it,” he said. “I enjoyed the pre-race and the race; all the way up to that wreck.”