CONCORD, N.C. -- Jeff Gordon’s path to vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports has been a long time in the making, according to the four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion.
Hendrick Motorsports announced last week that Gordon will be taking on the specially made position, which will make him the second-ranking team official to chairman and majority owner Rick Hendrick. Gordon’s promotion comes after years of working with Hendrick on the business side of motor sports, even while Gordon was racing in Hendrick’s No. 24 Chevrolet.
“You have to understand that I’ve been a part of this since 1999,” Gordon said. “I’ve been behind the scenes, understanding and learning the business side of it. Gradually, overtime, obviously my focus was on driving throughout all those years. But as I started getting closer to stepping away in 2015 from the driving role, my interest level in the business side, the culture that Rick has created and how he’s done that and how it impacts things far beyond just what I was doing as a driver, was interesting to me.”
Gordon became a minority equity owner of Hendrick Motorsports 22 years ago but remained behind the wheel full time until 2015 and raced part time for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2016. He started working in the FOX broadcast booth that year but had the second part of the Cup Series year to focus on his relationship with Hendrick Motorsports.
“I had pretty much half the season to dedicate my time to it,” Gordon said. “The more I did that, whether it was coming to the track or being back at the shop on race day or just talking to the marketing department about sponsorship or talking to NASCAR about Next Gen or any business decisions that were going on there with other owners, I realized that this is where my true passion lies. I love the sport. I love racing. But the competition and being a partner with one of the best owners there will ever be in NASCAR, that’s really what I was getting excited about looking ahead.”
Gordon will now be leaving the booth behind, but he’s thrilled to cultivate deeper relationships with his Hendrick Motorsports teammates. He officially will begin his duties starting in Jan. 1, 2022, and will work alongside president Marshall Carlson and general manager Jeff Andrews.
“I think this is where the decision to step away from TV and be 100% committed and dedicated to Hendrick Motorsports, where I can spend all my time nurturing those relationships,” he explained. “And it goes even deeper than the drivers. I have a good relationship with the crew chiefs and drivers. A lot of these guys I’ve worked with and the people that I’ve worked with, that’s an easy thing to do. But some of the newer relationships, you want to build.”
Gordon said returning to Hendrick Motorsports full time made complete sense given the shared vision he and Hendrick have. Gordon expects there to be many challenges but said Hendrick’s mentorship and passion for racing made his decision easy.
“I’m really excited about this challenge and this role,” he said. “I feel like I’m at the place in my life where I’m really, ready for it. And most importantly, I’m just fortunate to work side by side with a guy that’s shown us all how to do it right for so many years and will continue to do that for a number of years to come. Yeah, it’s the same old basics. That’s the thing about Rick. It’s common sense. It’s hard work. And it’s people. And all I want to do is continue to compliment that moving forward.”