Jeff Gordon has always been level-headed. Rarely did he lose his temper during his NASCAR career. Okay, maybe a few times, but for the most part, the Pittsboro, Indiana native’s personality was much like his driving on the racetrack — steady and even.
Advertisement
The four-time NASCAR Cup champion, who is the third-winningest driver in Cup history with 93 victories (behind Richard Petty’s 200 and David Pearson’s 106), recently sat for an extensive interview with RACER magazine, essentially covering much of his racing career, from his early days on the West Coast to moving to the Midwest, plus wanting to (but never getting the chance to) race in the Indianapolis 500 and more, Gordon talked about both high points and regrets.
Among the questions posed to the 54-year-old married father of two were the best and worst decisions of his career. Ironically, his answers were very similar.
The Best Decision of Gordon’s Career
First, here’s Gordon’s take on the best decision he ever made, and it’s not really a surprise.
“The game-changer for me was the opportunity that came along thanks to Rick Hendrick and Hendrick Motorsports,” Gordon told RACER. “At that time, I was driving for a good team in what was then called the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series, Bill Davis Racing, and we were racing Fords.
“I had built a good relationship with both the brand and the team, and it looked like I was going to move up to the top, NASCAR Cup, it was going to be with them. And then Rick came along.”
“It was a tough decision because I knew there were going to be hurt feelings, and there were still going to be challenges. But I also knew already that it couldn’t be a bad decision because the resources that Hendrick Motorsports had, the type of person Rick is, the commitment I saw there, all made me confident. And it worked out.”
The Worst Decision of Gordon’s Career — With A Recent Twist
When asked about his worst career decision, Gordon had already hinted at it when he mentioned that there would be hurt feelings after he announced he had signed with Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet.
“Unfortunately, it goes hand-in-hand with the best decision: it was how I told Bill Davis that I was joining Hendrick,” Gordon continued. “Bill was getting ready to move up to Cup, and we were having a good season in the Busch Series, and yet I knew I’d made this decision to change teams.
“But we flew up to Chicago together to meet with Target, and I was thinking that this is the right way to do it – help Bill land the big sponsor, and then on I go to Hendrick. The meeting went really well, and as Bill and I came down on the elevator, he was really excited: he said, ‘Hey, this is it, we’re rolling!’
“And I said, ‘Er, Bill, I gotta tell you something.’ Well, there was never going to be a good time to tell him this, but that was a really bad time. So yeah, I think that’s my worst decision. I should have told him long before then.”
Sadly, Davis, who gave Gordon his first start in NASCAR, passed away last month at the age of 74.
Another interesting part of the interview with Gordon, who made the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet one of the most iconic cars and numbers in NASCAR history, was when he discussed his dozens of teammates. He called former Cup driver Ken Schrader his best-ever teammate and highlighted the significant impact Schrader had on both his career and his life.
