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Hendrick Motorsports Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon Earns Big Praise From Top NASCAR Official
That Jeff Gordon is one of the very best drivers in the history of NASCAR is a pretty well-known fact. But at the same time, the four-time Cup Series champion is also one of the best representatives of the sport to the outside world.
It’s pretty well documented how, as a driver, Gordon opened up NASCAR to an entirely new generation of fans and avenues.
But if you think in his retirement, he has stopped being a representative of the sport, you’d be wrong. Because he still is, in a different way, catering to a different group of people now.
Gordon, the current Vice Chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, is the perfect fit for being a representative for the current drivers. After all, he’s lived through almost everything a driver can live and go through.
This was something that NASCAR’s Chief Operating Officer, Steve O’Donnell, also opened up on in relation to his contributions to the driver’s council.
“Jeff’s been terrific,” O’Donnell said. “Jeff is such a well-respected guy, and it’s very tough for anyone outside of NASCAR to look at the sports as a whole. A driver, their goal is to win races. And how to go faster and how to please my sponsor.”
“And if NASCAR wants to grow the sport in five years, then it’s great, but it’s on you guys, my priority is to go fast. Same with the owner.”
He continued, “Jeff has always been someone who’s been able to think broadly about the sport and involve many people. And he brings that to the driver’s group to talk about what can we do as a group? How can we sit down and really collaborate, not only on just today, but where we want the sport to go in ’23 and ’24?”
Podcast interview: NASCAR’s Steve O’Donnell https://t.co/x7YIILrfWs via @racermag
— Kelly Crandall (@KellyCrandall) May 5, 2022
O’Donnell highlights the key contribution by Jeff Gordon to the driver’s council
NASCAR COO opened up on the difference Jeff Gordon has brought to the table in his new role.
“I think the biggest thing when we did this in the past, we would talk to a group of drivers, but it didn’t really get spread out throughout the driver’s core,” Steve O’Donnell said.
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“And I think Jeff’s done a really good job of making sure the conversations we’re having are going throughout the entire driver group.”
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – FEBRUARY 01: Jeff Gordon speaks on stage as he is inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame during the 2019 NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the Charlotte Convention Center on February 01, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)
With all of that said, consider this, a funny situation: when Jeff Gordon began his career, he was considered the future of NASCAR. And now that he’s retired, somehow, he’s still the future of NASCAR.
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