Although Jeff Gordon had a legendary career with four Cup Series titles across 25 seasons, his entry into NASCAR was far from smooth sailing. He first entered the sport through the Busch Series (now Xfinity Series), but in his first three races, he failed to qualify for two — at Charlotte and Martinsville — while driving for Hugh Connerty Racing.
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It wasn’t until the following season, after switching to Bill Davis Racing, that Gordon began to catch the eye of key figures in the sport, most notably Rick Hendrick.
Recalling those early days on Rollin’ With The Punches, Ray Evernham shared how things came together. At the time, Gordon was with Bill Davis Racing, but the team lacked the budget to bring Evernham on board. But Jeff Gordon was determined to work with Evernham. Eventually, Evernham got the green light — thanks to Ford’s financial backing — to join Bill Davis Racing.
The duo hit the ground running. In their very first weekend together, Gordon qualified on the outside pole, setting the tone for what would become a dominant partnership. In the fourth race of the 1992 Busch Series, which was Gordon’s second full-time Busch Series season, Gordon and Ray Evernham made their mark by winning at Atlanta.
Reflecting on that turning point, Evernham recalled, “Mr. Hendrick saw Jeff, and Jeff had an opportunity to drive for some other Ford [Cup] owners that didn’t want him to pick his crew chief.
“So, he chose to say to Rick Hendrick, ‘I’ve got this guy I want to bring with me.’ And of course, Rick is like, ‘Whatever you want to do.’ So I didn’t know I was going to be the crew chief.”
Gordon had already received offers from several Cup teams, but he turned them down for one reason: he was adamant about having Evernham as his crew chief. This insistence proved pivotal in shaping the course of both their careers.
When Gordon made the leap to the Winston Cup Series with Hendrick Motorsports at the final race of the 1992 season, Evernham was right by his side, and he remained Gordon’s crew chief through 1999. Together, they ended up winning 47 Cup races and three championships in 1995, 1997, and 1998. At their peak, Gordon and Evernham were the gold standard in the Cup Series.
But then, in 1999, Evernham parted ways with Hendrick Motorsports and Gordon-Evernham Motorsports to chart his own path. He founded Evernham Motorsports, where he added 13 more Cup wins to his resume as an owner. His contributions to the sport earned him a well-deserved place in the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2018.
