Jeff Gordon reveals why he could not pursue his Indy 500 ambition
Following Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson's attempt at the 'double', former NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon shared his take on not attempting the most prestigious race of the IndyCar Series. During the media day availability at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Gordon revealed how he always wanted to compete in the series but never got the "chance" to do so.
The former HMS ace mentioned that he was introduced to racing through quarter midget racing, dirt track racing, and the Indy 500 during his childhood. Since then, he has dreamed about competing in the Indy 500. Gordon also visited the track as a kid in the 1980s, which left a huge impression on him.
Later, in the mid-1980s, Jeff Gordon moved to Indiana, and his goal to compete in the race became even stronger. However, he never got the opportunity to compete in the IndyCar Series and pursued a career in stock car racing. He explained:
"I wanted to race there in the Indy 500. I really did. But, you know, the opportunity wasn't there. And I go south, and to me, it was all about NASCAR at that point. Not anything about IndyCar. No knock on IndyCar. It's just, you know, here's the opportunity, and NASCAR's growing and just expanding and popular." [00:45 onwards]
The former four-time Cup Series champion further revealed that NASCAR announced the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and he finally lived his dream.
"And next thing I know, they're announcing the Brickyard, and that, to me, is when all the stars aligned. For me, it was to get to race for Rick Hendrick Ray Everton, a very competitive race car, and at the track, that meant the most to me. And then to win, it was just like mind-blowing. On top of that. So yeah, you know, to me, once I won in a Brickyard 400, kind of an Indy 500, it didn't seem to be as important to me because I didn't realistically think I could win the Indy 500, but I could win more Brickyards," the former HMS driver stated.
Jeff Gordon won his first Brickyard 400 in 1994, followed by four more wins in 1998, 2001, 2004, and 2014. He holds the record for most number of wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon got candid on his approach that kept him from any outside ventures other than NASCAR
During the same interview, former Hendrick Motorsports ace Jeff Gordon revealed why he never attempted the double like Kyle Larson. He claimed that drivers can't just change their cars and be good at it.
"For me it like took time for me to learn the car, learn the team, communicate with them and that took time," he said. [11:40]
Gordon attempted his first Rolex 24 in 2007 and realized he couldn't fully commit to the series alongside his career in stock car racing. His second attempt came after he retired from NASCAR as a full-time driver in 2017.
Jeff Gordon has secured 93 wins, 325 top-five, and 477 top-ten finishes in 805 starts. Also, he has 81 pole positions to his name with an average finish of 12.51.