Is Jeff Gordon laying groundwork for retirement?

Jeff Gordon’s contract extension with primary sponsor DuPont doesn’t mean the driver is already laying the groundwork for his retirement from NASCAR Sprint Cup competition.

“I think people are reading into it a little bit too much," Gordon, a four-time Cup champion, said Friday prior to qualifying for Sunday’s Best Buy 400 at Dover International Speedway. “I haven’t made any decisions for what’s going to happen one way or the other past 2010. I’ve always been the type of driver – I never look too far ahead.

"I wanted to secure my position at Hendrick Motorsports. That’s why I worked as hard to be an equity owner and do a lifetime contract with Hendrick Motorsports, because I knew that’s where I wanted to be as long as I’m driving a race car."