The NASCAR Hall of Fame driver has long held an equity stake in Hendrick Motorsports and, when free of broadcasting duties with Fox Sports after the first half of each NASCAR season since retiring, Gordon would turn his attention to working with HMS.
Gordon will formalise his role at Hendrick on 1 January, becoming its vice chairman, making him the second-ranking team official to chairman and majority owner Rick Hendrick.
This also means that Gordon will end his broadcasting role with Fox at the end of the season.
“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 explained.
“So, each year, that ramped up more and more as I had pretty much half the season to dedicate my time to it.
“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 realised 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 won four Cup Series championships and 93 races in his impressive career, all with Hendrick Motorsports.
Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet Camaro LLumar, Jeff Gordon
Photo by: Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Images
He became an equity owner in HMS in the late 1990s and has played a role in much of the organisation’s success, including the hiring of seven-time series champion Jimmie Johnson.
“From the very beginning (Fox) knew that I had an equity position at Hendrick and that one day this could be home. So, this is more about coming home for me,” Gordon added.
The team has been in dominant form in this year’s Cup series, having won nine of the season’s first 19 races, and won last year’s title with Chase Elliott.
Kyle Larson, who has won four races this season, secured Hendrick’s 269th Cup Series win at the Charlotte Motor Speedway on 30 May – breaking the record long held by Petty Enterprises.
Gordon says that continuing the work at Hendrick and ensuring the business remains sustainable is his main priority.
“As we move forward, it’s about just continuing to look at the business model and try to understand how we take care of our current partners and nurture those relationships and make sure that they’re excited about NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports,” he said.
“They certainly are right now, and we want to continue to see that grow, but also what new partners can we potentially look at and bring in.
“There’s a lot of excitement in our organisation right now. So, it makes a great time for me to get into this role.”
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