To say Jeff Gordon‘s contribution to the growth of NASCAR is immense would be an understatement. Having played a major role in making NASCAR a household name through his rivalry with the legendary Dale Earnhardt in the 1990s, Gordon has rightfully sealed his place in the NASCAR Hall of Fame. When he appeared on the FOX Sports race day show before NASCAR announced the Daytona 500 postponement, another NASCAR legend, Kevin Harvick commended the 4-time champion for steadying Rick Hendrick‘s juggernaut.

Kevin Harvick has always been known to be a vocal figure in the NASCAR garage. Having acted as a bridge of communication between drivers and the sanctioning body, he understands that a presence like Jeff Gordon can solve umpteen problems. As Harvick continued his conversation with Gordon, he further also opined that one of the reasons for 7-time champion Jimmie Johnson‘s struggles in his last years at HMS was down to the lack of a Jeff Gordon in the team.

Kevin Harvick believes Jeff Gordon would have handled Jimmie Johnson’s final year at HMS well

Phasing a seven-time champion from the winningest team in NASCAR was no doubt a daunting task. With Jimmie Johnson retiring in 2020, the team’s management was concerned about how it’d affect the team and what would his twilight years imply for the team. While the shift of power to its next set of drivers has been pretty seamless, the chinks in the armor were visible in the middle of 2020.

Recollecting his memories of Jeff Gordon leading the charge of HMS, Kevin Harvick said, “So what are the things that I thought were interesting when I drove with SHR and we had the alliance with you guys; it always felt to me like you were the leader of Hendrick Motorsports.”

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“When there was a problem, you were in there and I would tell people all the time, look at Jimmie Johnson when he had trouble in those last few years at Hendrick, I was told it was because Jeff Gordon wasn’t there. I felt you were the leader when something was wrong. You had the right way to do it. Is that what you think has helped Hendrick Motorsports once you went back over there full-time to really help lead it?”

Jeff Gordon has shown his worth as a vice-chairman and handled the slumps of Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott in 2023 expertly. Despite the team missing two of its strongest drivers, it dominated the playoffs with three wins. Entering 2024, Hendrick Motorsports continues to boast some of the best drivers on the grid with three championship contenders on the roster.

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Gordon responded to Kevin Harvick with humility. While he appreciated the praise showered on him, he also emphasized Rick Hendrick’s role in the setup, which has created a winning atmosphere.

Jeff Gordon tips his hat for Rick Hendrick

It is safe to say that Hendrick Motorsports’ inception sparked a change in the sport. In the modern era of NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports has dominated like no other team and has shifted the power from former powerhouses like Richard Childress Racing. As per Jeff Gordon, Rick Hendrick is the mastermind behind it. He also claimed that Mr Hendrick has utilized his talents to bridge communication gaps perfectly.

Responding to Kevin Harvick’s praise, Gordon said, “I appreciate that. I was I could take that credit. It takes a team of people to pull it off. I would say that what I was good at as a driver was getting the communication going, getting people talking, getting in the room and just gathering more information, opening up the dialogue. I still feel like that’s an important role to the organization and a part of my role.”

Apart from being an anchor for the team, Gordon has also suggested ideas to improve the sport’s landscape and divert from the usual sponsor-centric aspect of NASCAR. “I’ll be honest, I’m more involved on the business side of things than the competition side,” claimed Gordon.

Informing Kevin Harvick about his role in the team, he added, “I feel like Rick [Hendrick] has provided resources for those people that he put in place to go do their job and do it well. That’s where I want to try to continue on.”

The incredible balance between the different cogs in the well-oiled machine called Hendrick Motorsports has allowed them to reign supreme over the sport. Should Gordon’s invaluable input continue to be recognized, the juggernaut doesn’t seem to stop anytime soon.

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