Jeff Gordon returns to racing roots by promoting Indy’s dirt race

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Retired four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon was back in Indianapolis this week.

Just a few miles from the home where he spent his teenage years, Gordon strapped himself into a midget car and took some turns on the 1/4-mile dirt track inside Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

He is helping promote this year’s BC39 card, scheduled for August. The event is named in honor of Bryan Clauson, who died at 27 from injuries sustained in a midget-car crash in August 2016. It is sponsored by Driven2Save Lives, an Indiana group that promotes organ donation.