'I've got a real job': Jeff Gordon returns to Daytona 500 in a new role
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Jeff Gordon is no stranger to the press-conference stage at Daytona.
But this week was his first time answering questions here in the role of vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports.
“I’ve got a real job, that’s for sure. And I’m loving it,” Gordon said. “It took me 50 years before I had a real job.”
Gordon seemed to marvel at certain facets of his new role with the Hendrick team, which is based outside Charlotte in Concord, N.C.
“I have a desk and an office,” he said through a laugh.
And he has a chairman down the hall keeping track of things.
“He’s coming to work early. He’s showing up on time and with his game face on,” team owner Rick Hendrick said.
Hendrick suggested Gordon is at the office every morning by 8 a.m., but Gordon cleared that up a bit, saying he’s usually dropping the kids off at school around 8 and then heading to work. Well, most days.
“I try to be there every day. It depends on the needs,” he said.
During his 24-year Cup Series career, Gordon didn’t put Hendrick Motorsports on the map — it was already a winning team — but he solidified the organization as the gold standard within the NASCAR garage.
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How many Daytona 500 wins does Jeff Gordon have?
His 93 wins and four championships made him a no-doubt, first-ballot Hall of Famer. In a rarity for auto racing, all of it came under the Hendrick roof.
Three of those wins have come at the Daytona 500, where he took the checkered flag in 1997, 1998 and 2005.
“I feel like I’m one of the luckiest guys in the world,” he said. “I got to drive for an amazing owner, and now I get to pay him back for the opportunity he gave me and so many others.”
Gordon originally retired after the 2015 season, but returned for a handful of races in 2016, filling in for an injured Dale Earnhardt Jr. He spent the 2016-21 seasons in the Fox Sports broadcast booth for its NASCAR coverage.
During the second half of each season, when NBC replaced Fox for NASCAR coverage, Gordon spent a lot of time at the various tracks with the Hendrick team, gathering as much knowledge as he could about the entire operation.
“I have learned a lot,” he said. “I came in at a young age, was able to have success at a young age, made a lot of mistakes at a young age, too. No doubt, the last five, six years, since I’ve been out of the car, I’ve learned a tremendous amount. You have more time to focus on it.”
The biggest takeaway?
“The team aspect, learning how many people it takes to put together a quality race team.”