Jeff Gordon's back pain is starting to look ominious

   
    Jeff Gordon: no longer Wonder Boy, now 37 and feeling all those aches and pains (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)
   

   By Mike Mulhern
   mikemulhern.net

   MARTINSVILLE, Va.
   Okay, what's the deal with Jeff Gordon's back?
   He's talked for three weeks now about chronic back pain. And that sounds suspiciously like the type of pain that Ricky Rudd and Mark Martin have endured.
   Martin himself had major back surgery a few years ago to alleviate his pain.
   Gordon has made no mention of any possible surgery, but his repeated complaints are raising eyebrows.  
   At the moment he's been doing some heavy-duty workouts to try to relieve the pain.
   "My back is hurting so bad I'm just trying to do something to alleviate some of the pain," Gordon says.
    "Jimmie (Johnson, his teammate) has stepped up his (exercise) routine too. And Mark (a long noted physical fitness buff) definitely has been a big influence on Rick (Hendrick)…and Rick has been jabbing me.
    "Ever since I reached 30, your body changes. When I was in my 20s, it seemed like I was untouchable. I could bend over and touch my toes, I could get out of bed with no aches, and get out there and run 500 laps at Martinsville….and then do it the next day if I wanted to.
   "But that's not the case now.
    "I'm in my 30s, and because I have had some back issues, I decided to start doing more exercising.
   "I will say I feel fantastic…even though last week in Bristol my back was still hurting.
    "From a cardio standpoint, I felt like I could have run another race. I got out refreshed, without any kind of muscle soreness. Besides my back, I felt fantastic.
    "So I will say I'm in some of the best shape I've been in in a very long time."