When you think about it, there hasn’t been anyone like Jeff Gordon in the history of NASCAR before or since. Of course, there have been great drivers with great and unique personalities. But sooner or later, a new driver comes along and he gets pitted into a certain category, and gets compared to a great driver because of one resemblance or the other between the two. But has there been a ‘next Jeff Gordon’ yet? Not really. Because there really won’t be another considering his contributions to the sport on and off the track.
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Gordon’s exploits in a statistical sense are pretty well documented. After all, he is one of the all-time greats, sitting in the top echelon of most record books. However, the intangible aspect of Gordon, his personality and his persona, is something many in and around NASCAR have commented on over the years. Recently, legendary broadcaster Mike Joy did the same.
Mike Joy on what sets Jeff Gordon apart from everyone else
In a recent interview, Joy was asked by a fan who is the driver he admires the most. His response included names like Dan Gurney, Alan Kulwicki, and Jeff Gordon. Joy went on to describe what makes Gordon so special in NASCAR and what characteristic of his really sets him apart from the rest.
“A lot of people were not fans of Jeff as a racer because he was beating their favorite drivers and I mean when you pile up 93 wins, you’re gonna beat everyone’s favorite driver at least a few times. But Jeff took our sport to a whole another level. He hosted Saturday Night Live. He did things like, he started movies. He just did things that took racing to another level and he always did it with a great attitude, with a great enthusiasm, both, whether he was driving, whether he was working on a car, whether he was shooting a piece for FOX, or whether he was in the broadcast booth,” Joy described.
“He always had a great awareness, a great situational awareness of everything around him, and behaved accordingly … Great guy, great friend, and somebody that if you call them today, and say, ‘I need help with this, that, or the other,’ he’d drop whatever and do everything to help you.”
In fact, Joy even went on to claim that Gordon is one of those he would want his own son to be like.
Gordon’s racing career isn’t over just yet
These days, Jeff Gordon has kept himself away from racing for the most part. In the last year or so, Gordon has fully committed himself to the executive role at Hendrick Motorsports. But that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t get in behind the wheel every once in a while. Later this year, Gordon will be making his debut at Laguna Seca in the Porsche Deluxe Career Cup North America.
This world-famous racetrack is going to be a special one for the NASCAR Hall of Famer considering he hasn’t raced there yet and that he grew up not far away from it. “I’ve never raced at that track, and going back home to my home state, it’s a track that’s always been on my radar. I don’t know if we’ll be able to pull it off with the schedule,“ he said as per NBC Sports.
It remains to be seen how he fares in that race later this year and whether he will be adding more to his racing career numbers. But the thing is, even if he doesn’t do well, his legacy is secure.
After all, he is Jeff Gordon.
