It's no secret that the drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series like to do stuff away from the racetrack during the week when they are not racing.
NASCAR Hall of Famer and Vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports Jeff Gordon doesn't see a problem with what the drivers do when they aren't at the track.
Gordon does think the drivers should pay attention to the things they are doing when not racing though. Given what happened to Chase Elliott this season, when he went snowboarding during the third-week of the season and broke his leg.
Gordon's most recent appearance on the Sirius XM NASCAR Radio channel, covered the subject in great detail, and he talked about how there is no way to stop the drivers from doing what they want in their free time. But he does suggest they have be held accountable when they go off snowboarding or anything of that form, especially during the season.
?? @JeffGordonWeb on drivers extracurricular activities ??
? ?They have to have a certain amount of responsibility of their own choices and decisions.?
Where do you land on the debate?
? ? https://t.co/qesEcbHBRS pic.twitter.com/UAdBZOJxic
— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) October 5, 2023
"I think they have to have a certain amount of responsibility of their own choices and decisions," Gordon said. "We want you to come to the racetrack on Sunday and be as well prepared as you possibly can be to drive the raced car. That's physically, mentally and balanced in every way possible. To me, that means you gotta have a home life and friends and family and relationships and activities that contribute to that."
Gordon then reflected on Elliott's injury and cited that he used to do the same stuff.
"My whole career I snowboarded. I did all kinds of stuff," Gordon said. "So, I don't have a problem with these guys doing things, just be smart about it. Just make wise choices as you're doing it. And you know, when I picked Chase's brain about what he was doing, there's nothing that I think he could've done any different. Is he gonna make different choices because of what he's gone through and how being out of the car has impacted his season? Maybe. And that's on him."
Elliott missed six races following surgery to repair his broken leg, and suffered from it as he missed the 2023 NASCAR Playoffs.
However, having learned from the incident, he was still able to get his No. 9 into the owners championship hunt, and heads into the Charlotte Roval inside the top 5 of those standings, looking to reach the round of 8 on Sunday.
Like Kevin Harvick said earlier this year after the news of Elliott's injury, 'we as drivers have to live our lives outside of the race car'. That statement clearly carries weight.
