DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - For a guy who'd just lost the last Daytona 500 he'll likely ever run, Jeff Gordon sure looked like a man at peace.
The race had just ended. Some cars were parked out on pit road; others, like Gordon's mangled 24, were already being loaded onto their haulers. As fireworks sounded and race winner Joey Logano celebrated over in victory lane, other drivers walked from pit road back toward their haulers, some alone, some accompanied by a couple of autograph hounds or cameras. All wore a similar expression: exhaustion with more than a tinge of scowling frustration.
All except Gordon. Gordon, who towed a crowd in his wake that grew like an avalanche, wore an absolutely beatific smile.
Of course, why shouldn't Gordon be at peace? He's done everything it's possible to do in the sport. He's won four championships. He's celebrated in victory lane more times than all but two drivers in history. He stood toe-to-toe with The Intimidator as a newcomer, and he's mentored an entire generation of champions as a veteran.
"Being able to race against [Gordon] for the lead in the Daytona 500 is a dream come true for any kid," said Logano, an avowed Gordon fan from way back, in his winners' press conference, "and I'll always remember that."
Yes, acclaim is nice, but let's be honest: trophies are nicer, and for Gordon, Sunday had to be inordinately frustrating. Make no mistake, he still wants to win. Being at peace doesn't necessarily mean being content. Gordon won the pole, and led the most laps (87) all day. The afternoon was setting up as another of those proverbial storybook finishes that Daytona seems to deliver every so often.
But no, it wasn't to be. As the race wore on, Gordon had trouble sticking with the leaders, and he continued to get shuffled back on restarts. By the time the final green-white-checker came around, Gordon was starting ninth, and that left him vulnerable. On the race's final lap, Austin Dillon, who once starred as a child in a television commercial with Gordon, tapped Gordon's left bumper, sent the 24 spinning, and effectively extinguished any last hopes Gordon might have had of winning his final Daytona 500.
Think back to last year at Texas -- just four races ago, schedule-wise -- and recall how furious Gordon was then at Brad Keselowski. The normally placid Gordon unleashed both rage and profanity, knowing what we didn't: that perhaps his last best chance at a championship had just gone spinning.
On Sunday, Gordon wasn't raging. He didn't even seem outwardly particularly upset. He knew his chances for winning had slipped away long before he spun.
"This was an amazing week and an amazing day," he said after the race. "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."
He then began the hundred-yard walk from pit road to his hauler, picking up more and more autograph seekers with every step. Gordon never stopped moving -- that's an old Richard Petty move, don't let the crowd surround you -- and the fans picked up their pace to stay in step.
"Jeff! You're not quitting, are ya?" one fan shouted. "Tell me you're not quitting!"
Jeff just smiled, not replying. He signed a few more hats and jackets for fans who shrieked with glee, then walked inside the #24 hauler. One race down, just 35 left to go.
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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter.
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