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DOVER, Del. - Four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon said Friday he will have to retire if he continues to suffer the same, excruciating back pain that he did before last weekends Coca-Cola 600. The 42-year-old Gordon is in no hurry to slow down. But he said he hopes he has found some solutions to the back woes that nearly forced him out of NASCARs longest race. Gordon cut short his practice runs last week because of back spasms and there was some concern whether or not he would be able to race. Regan Smith was on standby and Gordon needed treatment after the practice session. But he wound up in his familiar seat behind the wheel of the No. 24 and finished seventh, his ninth top-10 finish in 12 races this season. Gordon knows consistent, shooting pain like he suffered at Charlotte Motor Speedway could drive him toward an early retirement. "I can tell you, if that happens many more times, I wont have a choice," Gordon said Friday at Dover Motor Speedway. Gordon had soreness Monday and Tuesday, though that didnt deviate too much from how he would feel after driving 600 grueling miles. He said his back is not at 100 per cent, and probably never will be behind the wheel. At Daytona this year, Gordon insisted he was serious about considering retirement should he win a fifth championship. He looks every bit a title contender — he has a win and holds the points lead — and gutting out Charlotte proved to his Hendrick Motorsports team "its going to take a lot to get us down." Gordon suffered serious issues years ago in his back, specifically his lower spine, and needed anti-inflammatory medication and workouts with a trainer to return to full strength. He drove in pain during a winless 2008 season and briefly contemplated retirement. For all his back woes, Gordon said he never felt the stabbing pain there like he did last weekend. Gordon said hell make adjustments to his race weekend routine to keep his back loose to withstand hours crunched in a stock car. He needs to stay active and not sit during lengthy breaks in practice and qualifying. Gordon sat more than three hours last week between practice and qualifying, a gap that left he believed led his creaky back to a breakdown. "Once that happened, there was nothing that was going to fix it until I had those injections on Saturday," he said. Gordon has no standby driver at Dover. He felt fine on Friday. But once inside the No. 24, all bets are off. "Its just something I continue to learn and push through," he said. "Its no big deal." Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys . Join World Soccer Pickem 2014 for your chance to win $5,500 in cash prizes by picking the winner of each game all the way through to the tournament final. Will you ride a favourite such as Spain or Germany, or cast your lot with an underdog like Ivory Coast or Mexico? Perhaps key victories from Netherlands or the United States will be your key to victory. Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys China . Torres tells Spanish daily AS "in football you never know where you will be inside one month. Im going to work hard, thats all you can do with this last part of the season so important. http://www.clearancenfljerseys.com/. -- Mixed martial arts fighter Cristiane Justino Santos has been suspended and fined for testing positive for steroids. Supply NFL Jerseys . -- Jonathan Diaz is easy to spot in the Blue Jays clubhouse. NFL Jerseys From China . -- Ryan Millers debut for the St.SASKATOON -- A junior hockey player hospitalized in Saskatoon with meningitis remains in critical condition, but is stable and improving. A statement by the Saskatoon Health Region says doctors are slowly trying to wake Tim Bozon from a medically induced coma. His family has indicated he is responding to verbal stimuli. Bozon plays for the Kootenay Ice of the Western Hockey League and is a prospect with the NHL Montreal Canadiens. The 19-year-old was admitted March 1 to Saskatoons Royal University Hospital where he was diagnosed. His parents, Philippe and Helene, say they have been overwhelmed by email and social media messages of support from people around the world. "The family is very appreciative and will respond sometime in tthe near future," said the statement released Thursday.dddddddddddd "The family also wants to express thanks to the doctors and staff at Royal University Hospital for the care Tim has received." The Western Hockey League has established a trust fund to assist the Bozon family with medical and rehabilitation costs not covered by insurance. Details are to be released later this week. Bozon fell ill following a game Feb. 28 against the Saskatoon Blades. Health officials have been working to make sure anyone who may have come into contact with the bacteria that causes the illness receives appropriate treatment. Bozon was selected in the third round, 64th overall, by Montreal in the 2012 National Hockey League draft. ' ' '