NEWSWEEK: You had a bruising experience with private lives going public during your divorce. Why seek this exposure? Jeff Gordon: I guess I’m a little more comfortable with allowing people to be there. It’s behind the scenes, but it’s not like people are waking up with me or following me in the shower.

What about you will surprise people? That I’m a regular guy. The perception people have is based on what they see on Sundays at a race. That’s the competitor in me, or me representing my team and sponsors. That’s not who I am away from the track.

Many NASCAR fans regard you as an interloper—too northern, too slick, definitely not a good ol’ boy. Will this “regular guy” win them over? I’m not trying to win anybody over. If it makes a few new fans, great. If it just gives something to fans that have been loyal to me, that’s also great.

Has the hostility from fans bothered you? Definitely. When it first started and I was getting booed, I felt, “I’m out there winning races and trying to be the best driver and represent my sponsors,” so I didn’t understand it. Now I understand I’m never going to get those fans on my side. And I understand where my place is in the sport.

Which is where? Because I wasn’t born in the South, I have a different take on things. I’ve been able to bring something unique to the sport that has helped it grow. I’ve stopped trying to please everyone or get every fan on my side. Now it’s all about going out there and trying to get more wins and more championships.

What has propelled you back to the top? My life is well balanced right now. I have a great team behind me that the chemistry is working very well with. And I feel like the cars are driving the way I want them to drive. When you look back at the best years, all the breaks seem to go your way and it feels like you have karma on your side.

How satisfying has this season been? To have the professional side and the personal side going as well as it is—this is going to be a tough year for me ever to top. I’m trying to enjoy every moment of it.

Even NASCAR’s “Car of Tomorrow”? Nobody seems to be enjoying that. I’m still not crazy about it, but I feel like it could bring a lot of positive things to the sport in the future. And we’ve had some success with it. So I’ve accepted that it’s here and it’s going to be here. I’m just gonna do my job and drive and not worry about it.

NASCAR has been hot for a while now, but its following seems to have plateaued, even cooled a little. What does NASCAR have to do to be the sport of tomorrow? It’s always important to put great races out there and there’s been some great racing this year. While we may not be seeing the benefits of it today, we will going forward.

Is that enough? We’ve got to look at how we grow outside the U.S. I think we need to stay in North America, but there are areas, be it Canada or Mexico, where we can grow. I think there are a few tracks on the schedule—I’m not going to mention any—that could maybe go away and there are a few that maybe could be added. Getting a track in New York City is important and it will be exciting to see how that materializes.

Are you worried about your sport’s future? NASCAR has been around for 50 years and auto racing even longer. I’m a little bit concerned with American [automobile] manufacturers struggling. Our sport is definitely all-American. It’s nice to see other manufacturers moving in, but we want to make sure that the ones who have been a part of it stay strong with their car sales and continue to be a part of racing.

Life as a NASCAR driver can be pretty tough on families. If you’re in the midst of your career and you put too much focus on that and it’s time for the kids to go to school, that can be tough. I’m fortunate that these changes are coming along at a good time in my life. I’m not going to be driving competitively in another 10 or 15 years, so I feel I’ll be able to put my efforts into being the best husband and father I can be.

If they make another documentary about you 10 years from now looking back at your career, what will your legacy be? People still look at me and say, “How can this guy be a race-car driver? They’re supposed to be rough and tough and all those things.” Well you know they come in all shapes, sizes, looks and personalities. I feel I’m a down-to-earth guy that learned how to drive a race car well at a very young age, and I went on to do things that I never even expected to do. I just hope they look at me as a champion. That’s all I wanted to be: one of the top guys in one of the top series.