BROOKLYN, Mich. (AP) — Jeff Gordon made it clear: Even if his back isn’t 100 percent after a hard crash earlier this week, he’s done talking about it.

Speaking at Michigan International Speedway on Friday, Gordon admitted to having a “couple of rough days” after a wreck at Watkins Glen on Monday aggravated his already-ailing back.

But when pressed to talk about the injury, one that’s been bothering him to varying degrees for months, Gordon grew a little testy – a rare loss of composure for one of NASCAR’s most calm and collected drivers.

“Man, let’s stop talking about my back,” he said, speaking to a small group of reporters in the garage area. “We’re done talking about my back. Let’s move on. I’m here. I’m fine. Let’s move on to something else.”

Before putting the brakes on questions about his back, Gordon said he wasn’t likely to take a week off from racing – even though he’s third in the Sprint Cup series standings heading into Sunday’s race at Michigan and could take a week off without missing the season-ending championship chase.

“If I had a diagnosis from a doctor that told me I was in danger of major injury, then I would consider it, certainly,” Gordon said. “But I haven’t had that.”

Gordon also offered his thoughts on changes that might help drivers avoid similar injuries.

“The last couple of hits I’ve had have really affected my midsection, especially my back,” Gordon said. “It’s something that we’re going to look into in the future.”

Gordon noted that while NASCAR and teams have done a good job working on safety equipment to help prevent head, neck and upper-body injuries, a new focus on injuries to drivers’ midsections might be needed.

“It’s just weird,” Gordon said. “Because in the old days with the older car, I worried way more about my neck and head injuries than anything else. I think what’s happened is, as we’ve gotten better about the technology of the seats and the belts and how we’re strapped in the car, it’s created new areas that we need to focus on.”

Gordon said it was common for new issues to pop up as advances are made in safety.

“You start to narrow down weaker links,” Gordon said. “Right now, the weakest link is that midsection. We don’t really have a good way of isolating that area.”

Gordon also called on Watkins Glen officials to take a fresh look at safety measures, particularly in the area that Monday’s multicar crash occurred.

“That’s definitely going to be a topic,” Gordon said. “It’s something I think the track needs to focus on.”

Veteran driver Mark Martin has raced with back problems and says they can linger for years.

“A lot of stuff goes away in a month or so,” Martin said. “Jeff is experiencing a problem that lasts years, not months. I’ve been through that and many other drivers have as well. They last a lot longer, especially low back problems.”

But Gordon’s teammate, Jimmie Johnson, says Gordon is having an easier time now than earlier in the season.

“He’s changed his lifestyle in some ways, seats and all kinds of stuff has been going on,” Johnson said. “I think he’s doing much better now than he was earlier in the year. I can only imagine how hard it would be to be in a car and not be able to push the brake pedal like you need to. Martinsville, some of the road course stuff, I know earlier in the year was tough for him. He’s definitely been dealing with some pain.”

But driver Ryan Newman has had enough of what is turning into NASCAR’s latest mini-drama.

“We’re kind of tired about hearing about his back,” Newman said.

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