Jeff Gordon said a year ago that if he won a fifth NASCAR championship in 2014, hed call it quits on his illustrious career. Julian Edelman Jersey .He fell just short of another title, but acknowledged Thursday he never would have done it anyway.Instead, this year, his 23rd in NASCARs elite Cup series, will be his last. He made the decision midway through last year, when he was invigorated by his on-track performance and a very strong title shot.When Gordon finally steps out of the famed and sometimes feared No. 24 Chevrolet, hell close the books on one of the most successful careers in auto racing history. He goes into this final season with 92 wins, trailing only Hall of Fame drivers Richard Petty (200) and David Pearson (105).He won all the big races, collected four championships in just seven years and had 58 victories before his 30th birthday. The 43-year-old driver also has three Daytona 500 victories and a record five Brickyard 400 wins.But there are many who believe Gordon would have broken the record of seven championships shared by Petty and the late Dale Earnhardt if not for NASCARs adoption of the Chase for the championship format in 2004. He went down to the wire in the title race that year, lost an epic battle to teammate Jimmie Johnson in 2007 and was denied a shot at the winner-take-all finale last season by just one point.Coming so close but falling short a year ago stung tremendously, and Gordon said Thursday in an interview with The Associated Press that it spilled over to pit road at Texas, where he and his crew brawled with Brad Keselowski and his crew.I knew it was going to be my final year. And to be that close, and to have one of the best years of your career and a championship right there within reach — it was tough to handle, he said. I think that contributed to my reaction to what happened at Texas. How upset I was on the track, with the incident, it wasnt just this new Chase format that creates more intensity, I was looking slightly ahead at what could be my final year.Gordon said last season, a four-win campaign in which he led the point standings for much of the year, only fueled him to go out on top this year.Im motivated by that. As good as we ran last year, I dont see any reason why we cant do that one more time, he said.Here are some other interesting things Gordon told AP about his career:___ON DALE EARNHARDT: Gordon had an early rivalry with the blue-collar Earnhardt, who ribbed the Wonder Boy when he first broke into NASCAR. They had a rivalry on the track, but an appreciation for one another off it that developed into a friendship.Gordon said he was reminded of some of his early days with Earnhardt this week in a discussion with one of the late champions confidants.I was always so confused as to why he and I spent the amount of time together at the track that we did, Gordon said. I never understood it, and this person told me, Well, he had so much respect for you. I thought, Thats funny. Why would he have respect for me? I was just some punk kid.But I had tremendous respect for him and looked up to him. And even though we had our run-ins on the race track, and our fans were complete opposites, there definitely was a common respect there.Gordon credits Earnhardt for showing him what he could accomplish through NASCAR, both with on-track success and off-track opportunities.ON HIS CAREER HIGHLIGHT: Of his 92 wins and four championships, Gordon believes his victory in the inaugural race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway was the best moment of his career.Although he was born in California, he moved as a young driver to Indiana for more racing opportunities, and the relocation gave him a profound respect for Indianapolis. But he was never able to move up the ladder in Indy cars, and instead made a move to NASCAR that initially shut the door on his chances to race at the Brickyard.But when NASCAR made its debut there in 1994, he finally got his chance.Driving into that race track as a kid, picking up Valvoline oil, watching Indy cars there ... I hate that I was never there in an Indy car, he said. But to go there and do that in a stock car in their inaugural race was amazing.He believes to this day that the Brickyard win propelled him into superstar status.All the things that I could dream of, if I could have scripted what it was like to be a professional race car driver, that would be it, he said. To have that moment transcend you, and maybe even your sport to another level to where you become a household name — all of a sudden your face is on billboards and you are signing autographs and getting your picture taken and people are recognizing you and you are making more money than you ever knew you could possibly make and you are part of a team that you are going to every race with a shot at winning — that, to me, that all changed after that day.ON WHAT HELL MISS MOST: Gordon didnt use the word retire because he doesnt want to rule out racing again.He said hell remain with Hendrick Motorsports in a role that hasnt been revealed yet, but was confident the weekly competition will be a tough void to fill.Im going to miss going out there and getting behind the wheel of the car and knowing that your input, verbally as well as physically, it makes a difference, he said. Its about experiencing what its like to pull into victory lane at Daytona, or Indianapolis, or winning a championship. Thats just an amazing feeling.Even though you lose a lot more than you win, its those moments of being proud of what role you played in it. Thats going to be tough to fulfil. Unless Im in a competitive environment, I am going to yearn for that.ON HIS FINAL SEASON: Gordon didnt want to be a driver who goes out with a sappy farewell tour in which he receives parting gifts from every track. But he had to announce his decision, and it made for a very emotional day filled with tears that he insisted were out of happiness.Still, he acknowledges theres some uneasiness about life outside the No. 24.Of course Im nervous. I dont know what its going to be like when I take that last lap, he said.But, for now, hes focused on one final season.Im pumped up and excited about this year and keeping the momentum from last year and go out on top, he said. Chris Hogan Jersey . -- The Detroit Lions made it crystal clear to Golden Tate that he was their top target in free agency. Marcus Cannon Jersey . Burkes Flames are one of several teams involved in heavy trade speculation going into next Wednesdays 3pm et deadline, with the most prominent name in play being forward Michael Cammalleri. http://www.shoptheofficialpatriots.com/Customized/ . In the Brewers six games this season, no starter has allowed more than three runs. "We see the guy in front of us do a great job and we want to do even better," Gallardo said after the Brewers beat the Red Sox 4-0 on Sunday, his second straight scoreless start.Manchester Citys pre-season friendly against Bayern Munich will provide the first glimpse of how they might line up under Pep Guardiola. The 45-year-old is two weeks into his City tenure, having signed a three-year contract at the Etihad Stadium, and his first match action comes with Wednesdays return to his old club at the Allianz Arena.As excitement builds about how Guardiola might transform City, we look at the top five innovations of his glittering coaching career - and wonder how they might be applied in the Premier League... The six second rule Barcelona players were told to win the ball back within six seconds of losing it Guardiolas Barcelona were famed for their devastating, possession-based attacking football, but his most significant innovation at the Nou Camp actually concerned their approach without the ball.Guardiola wanted to increase the speed at which his players regained possession after losing it. He saw it as a way of snuffing out counter-attacks and catching Barcelonas opponents out of position, and his solution was to introduce the six second rule.The idea was to recover the ball with a six second burst of high-intensity pressing. The nearest Barcelona players were instructed to rush towards the individual in possession, with the rest of the team moving closer together to form a tightly-organised defensive shape. VOTE: Who should City sign? Leroy Sane? Toni Kroos? Vote for who Manchester City should sign this summer. The technique was designed to close down passing options and force an immediate mistake from the opposition, and in the event that Barcelona failed to win the ball back in six seconds, their compact positioning would make it difficult for the opposition to break them down.Guardiola used the same approach at Bayern Munich - where he once described defensive organisation as the cornerstone of his philosophy - while Mauricio Pochettinos Tottenham and Jurgen Klopps Liverpool have employed similar tactics in the Premier League. Expect Manchester City to do the same this season.Messi as a false nine Guardiola used Lionel Messi as a false nine for the first time in 2009 No player was more important to Guardiolas extraordinary success at Barcelona than Lionel Messi. The Argentine was already an established first-teamer when Guardiola took over from Frank Rijkaard in 2008, but Guardiola unlocked his true potential with a simple positional shift.Guardiola struck upon the idea the night before Barcelonas title-deciding Clasico against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu in May 2009. Pep noticed how much pressure the Madrid midfielders Guti, Fernando Gago and Royston Drenthe put on his own players, Xavi and Yaya Toure, wrote Marti Perarnau in Pep Confidential.He also noticed the tendency of the central defenders, Cannavaro and Metzelder, to hang back near Iker Casillas goalmouth. This left a vast expanse of space between them and the Madrid midfielders - a vast, empty space.Guardiola decided to unleash Messi in that space as a false nine. The story goes that he summoned the Argentine to his office late that night to explain the idea, and the next day the plan came into effect when Messi swapped positions with Samuel Etoo after 10 minutes at the Bernabeu.The strategy worked perfectly and Barca destroyed Real Madrid, winning by six goals to two, added Perarnau. Messi had become a false No.9 and Pep was happy. From that day to this, Guardiola has stuck to this system.With Sergio Aguero such a deadly force as an out-and-out striker, it remains to be seen whether Guardiola will use the same approach at the Etihad Stadium.Positional changes Guardiola moved Philipp Lahm to central midfield at Bayern Munich Messi is not the only player to have been reinvented by Guardiola. Javier Mascherano became a world-class central defender under his guidance at Barcelona, and at Bayern Munich it only took him a few pre-season friendlies to decide that right-back Philipp Lahm would make a brilliant holding midfielder. John Hannah Jersey. Have you seen how well [Lahm] anticipates the next pass? Guardiola is quoted as saying in Pep Confidential. Have you seen how he turns and protects the ball? He can play on the wing or in the middle of the field.Sure enough, Lahm became Bayerns answer to Sergio Busquets. He understands the game, said Guardiola. Not all players do. Philipp can play in all positions. Football is a game where people move and you have to decide in one second whats going on in your position, as well as all around the field. What he decides in that moment is right.Guardiola saw similar adaptability Lahms Bayern team-mate in David Alaba, who played in all kinds of different positions over the last three seasons. There are no obvious candidates for the same kind of treatment at City, but history suggests Guardiola might have a surprise or two up his sleeve.Pre-season training with a twist Guardiola prefers his players to focus on ball work during pre-season Pre-season training is typically associated with gruelling fitness regimes and punishing bleep tests, but in the summer of 2013, Bayern Munichs players discovered that Guardiola likes to do things rather differently.There is no jogging, no long sprints, no weight lifting, writes Perarnau in Pep Confidential. They do not do any circuit training and there is no single exercise that focuses on athleticism. In fact, all that awaits the players as they arrive is a mountain of footballs. Iheanacho on Guardiola Kelechi Iheanacho talks to Sky Sports about pre-season under Pep Guardiola. Guardiola eschews the usual methods to focus on improving his players technical skill, and it is therefore unsurprising that Manchester City players have been filmed doing ball-work and taking part in rondos since the Catalan took charge of training two weeks ago.Striker Kelechi Iheanacho has admitted its a different way of training to what the City squad are used to. Hes bringing fresh thoughts and his own style, he told Sky Sports. Everything is different and everyone is adapting to what hes teaching us. We need to understand what hes telling us and what he wants to bring to the team.Formation flexibility Guardiola used a host of different formations during his time at Bayern Munich Guardiola primarily used a 4-3-3 formation at Barcelona, but at Bayern Munich he showed unrivaled flexibility and proved he is not wedded to a particular set-up.The Catalan has become famous for tailoring his formation based on his opponents strengths and weaknesses, and at Bayern he would often change things up several times during the course of a single match.In the Bundesliga alone last season, Bayern lined up in seven different formations, according to WhoScored. A 4-1-4-1 shape was the most commonly used, but Guardiola also used 4-2-3-1, 3-4-3 and 3-1-4-2, among others. The Catalan micro-manages his players incessantly from the touchline, barking orders and making constant positional changes.It is for that reason that Guardiola treasures tactically intelligent players like Lahm, Mascherano and Thomas Muller. He expects his charges to be able to switch between different systems instantly and without difficulty.That kind of approach would mark a dramatic shift for Manchester City, who only used two formations - 4-2-3-1 and 4-4-2 - over the course of Manuel Pellegrinis final Premier League season in charge.Guardiola didnt hesitate to abandon the system that brought Jupp Heynckes a famous treble when he took over at Bayern Munich, so dont expect him to pay too much attention to how City are used to operating. Also See: City want ￡50m for Stones VOTE: Who should City sign? Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Discount NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys 2018 Cheap Jerseys 2018 Discount NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys From China Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping ' ' '