Jeff Gordon’s name is almost synonymous with stock car racing and NASCAR. The four-time Cup Series champion is one of the most famous figures in motorsports worldwide and seldom needs an introduction. But it isn’t in every arena that Gordon is as popular as he is in racing. The man himself revealed to veteran reporter Jeff Gluck that there have been many humbling moments during which people haven’t been able to identify him.
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During the “12 Questions” interview with Gordon back in 2015, Gluck asked him if he had ever been mistaken for another driver or celebrity. Though Gordon couldn’t recall any such moments, he did say that there were a lot of instances outside the track where people could recognize but not name him. He said, “People will look at me and go, “I know you! You’re somebody, but I don’t know who it is. Are you on TV? What is it?”
Upon Gordon’s prodding that he was in auto-racing, their memories would kick in and blurt out his name. Gordon raked in 93 wins in his driving career and served as one of NASCAR’s poster faces of the generation. It is only natural that people had come across him at some point even if they weren’t exactly in the know about his stupendous accomplishments on the race track.
When Hollywood Superstar Leonardo DiCaprio couldn’t recognize Jeff Gordon
One such person who couldn’t put the finger on Gordon was movie star Leonardo DiCaprio. Back in 1997, Gordon had attended Vanity Fair’s post-Academy Awards party along with his wife. The couple had walked out of the venue after a brief chat with Tom Cruise when they encountered a 22-year-old DiCaprio. Gordon introduced himself and wished the movie star well, but he hadn’t been able to recognize the driver.
Gordon narrated the incident in the book Jeff Gordon: His Dream, Drive & Destiny, “He had these purple sunglasses on, two glasses of champagne. I said, ‘Leonardo, I know you’re probably not a NASCAR fan, but I’m a NASCAR driver and I love your work, and congrats on everything. I’ll never forget, he looks at me and goes, ‘Ah, man, I don’t follow NASCAR, but if you’re in here, you must be somebody.”
Former racer Kenny Wallace narrated his version of the incident during last year’s Missouri Sports Hall of Fame speech.
Since then, Gordon went on to win more championships, making his name inevitable across America. 26 years later, in all probability, DiCaprio doesn’t need an introduction to the champion anymore.
