Gordon's last full-time year

An announcement from 4-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon today, said this year would be his last full-time in the Cup series. He hasn't said he would officially "retire" from NASCAR entirely, but it is possible he could run part-time the next few years. This comes as a surprise, considering he had 4 wins, 14 top-fives, 23 top-tens and 3 poles last year, and was in contention for the championship. But also at the same time, it should not come as a surprise.
Chase Elliott, who has been long rumored to take over Kahne or Gordon's spot, Hendrick is considering running Elliott full-time by year 2016, with the possibility of running part-time this year. Another possible factor into Gordon's last full-time year this year is his back. Gordon has taken some hard hits in the last 9 years, such as the 2006 June Pocono race, 2008 Las Vegas race, 2009 Watkins Glen race, and the 2011 April Richmond race. He has long said his back has been hurting him. Though it hasn't hurt him as much lately, it's still been a liability for him inside the car.

So what does this mean for the future of NASCAR? There is much debate about if the storied 24 car number should be retired, or if Elliott will drive it in 2016 full-time. Will Gordon officially retire after this year? How will Gordon perform, knowing this is his last full-time season in Cup? One thing is for sure; many fans will pay attention to how he does this season and hoping for their driver to win more race and possibly a championship.