Gordon not going quietly

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 13: Jeff Gordon, driver of the #24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, sits in his car during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 3rd Annual Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway on February 13, 2015 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 13: Jeff Gordon, driver of the #24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, sits in his car during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 3rd Annual Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway on February 13, 2015 in Daytona Beach, Florida.  (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
DAYTONA BEACH, FL – FEBRUARY 13: Jeff Gordon, driver of the #24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, sits in his car during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 3rd Annual Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway on February 13, 2015 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.—Jeff Gordon likely is in total agreement with the poet Dylan Thomas who wrote, “Do not go gentle into that good night.”

From the look of it, Gordon has no intention of making a quiet exit in his final season of full-time racing. With a lap at 196.764 mph, the driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet led Friday night’s second Sprint Unlimited practice after running sixth fastest in the opening session.

“This was like old-school drafting out there — six or seven cars,” Gordon said during a break in final practice.

The only driver to reach 200 mph in either practice, Kurt Busch topped the speed chart in the opening session with a lap at 200.749 mph.

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.