HOMESTEAD, Fla. – From the moment he woke up Sunday morning – a little earlier than expected – Jeff Gordon knew the day would be special.
“Nothing could have topped the way my day started,” he smiled. “I was planning on sleeping in, and I was too excited, so I woke up a little earlier. Pulled up the shades on my bus, and my mom just happened to be walking by, and so that just made my day start so amazing, to be able to sit down with her on that day, first thing in the morning, and all the emotions and everything were just able to come out, and then we just had a great conversation. And then my stepdad came in and then a little bit later Ingrid and the kids showed up. It was just perfect.”
Gordon said that as soon as his mother stepped onto his bus, he proceeded to thank her “over and over and over again” for all that she did for him growing up.
He hadn’t expected to see her that early in the morning, and hadn’t expected so much emotion to well up to the surface.
"There were tears pouring down my face,” Gordon said. “I was like, 'Yes! Perfect, with my mom, before the race day started, I can recover from this. I think I can get through the day now.'"
And that’s exactly what he did. Step-by-step, let’s take a look at how the rest of the Sunday of Gordon’s final race unfolded.
11:30 a.m.: Gordon steps outside of his hauler, greeting the gathered fans to raucous applause. An NBC camera is there to execute a quick interview between the driver and reporter Marty Snider.
11:45 a.m.: Gordon arrives on pit road to join FOX Sports’ “NASCAR RaceDay” crew on set. An adoring crowd of fans cheers, chants and holds up signs as the driver goes through the interview with Jamie Little and Larry McReynolds.
“I wish everybody could experience what it’s like to be inside my body right now,” Gordon says. “It’s been absolutely overwhelming, the support.”
12 p.m.: He hops back in his ride to head to a suite to visit with his teammates at Axalta.
12:20 p.m.: The driver holds a meet-and-greet session back at his bus with his teammates at Pepsi.
1 p.m.: Gordon joins the rest of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers and crew chiefs – along with guests such as country singer Tim McGraw and NBC personality Hoda Kotb – for his drivers’ meeting. There, he received a standing ovation from the entire room, celebrating his iconic career.
“That sendoff at the drivers' meeting, you know, drivers are so competitive, and they don't show -- they might have it inside them, but to show it publicly, their appreciation for other competitors, just doesn't happen like that very often, and I really, really appreciate it very, very much,” Gordon said.
3:30 p.m.: After a rain delay that set back driver introductions approximately one hour, Gordon heads backstage for his introduction. One-by-one, his competitors and teammates are introduced. His teammates are wearing No. 24 hats in his honor.
Finally, Gordon is the final driver to be introduced to the crowd. He holds daughter Ella’s hand and heads onto the stage, waving to the crowd before joining his fellow Championship 4 drivers for a photo.
Ella, meanwhile, ducks behind the trophy to avoid photo-bombing the moment.
4 p.m.: Gordon walks with Ella from the stage all the way to his car, positioned at the back of the grid to accommodate the enormous crowd of friends, family, teammates past and present, guests and fans surrounding the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet SS.
Among the gathered crowd are fellow racing icons Mario Andretti and Lewis Hamilton.
4:35 p.m.: “Drivers, start your engines!” Gordon rolls off the grid as the No. 24 crew gives him a show of support.
4:41 p.m.: The crowd at Homestead-Miami Speedway executes a card stunt, displaying the large message “24Ever.”
4:51 p.m.: Green flag. Gordon’s final race is underway.
5:19 p.m.: The No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet SS takes the lead, drawing some of the loudest cheers of the night.
“I'll be honest, you know, the competitor in me got a little bit -- just so caught up in the moment of the race where we took the lead and I got really excited, and I thought, ‘OK, we've got clean air, let's see what we have,’” Gordon said afterward.
7:54 p.m.: The checkered flag waves, and Gordon crosses the finish line sixth. One final top-10 finish to cap off a Hall-of-Fame career. As soon as Gordon climbs out of his car, he is immediately greeted by Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick, followed quickly thereafter by his family, there to support him before he begins his pit-road interviews.
“It felt so good to see Rick Hendrick,” Gordon said. “He's so special to me, more than just a car owner-driver relationship, and I was so happy to have that moment getting out of the car with him.”
He presents Hendrick with his specially designed race helmet.
8:10 p.m.: Gordon jumps over the wall in order to make his way on stage to celebrate the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion – and former Hendrick Motorsports teammate – Kyle Busch.
8:34 p.m.: Gordon steps into the media center for one final round of interviews.
“There's no doubt that just being here a part of this day, wrapping up this amazing career, there's no doubt in my mind that it didn't take the championship for me to come out of here feeling like I'm on top of the world, and I am,” he tells the reporters.
With that, his responsibilities come to an end, and he heads off to celebrate with friends and family.
“Thank you all,” he says to close the media availability. “I appreciate it very much. I'll be coming in here as a member of the media in the future, so you'll be seeing more of me. But this is the last time you'll see me in a driving suit, and it's been a pleasure.”