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Jeff Gordon is leaving broadcasting for a full-time executive role at Hendrick Motorsports, the company announced Wednesday.
Gordon, who has been part of Fox Sports' NASCAR telecasts since his retirement as a driver after the 2015 season, will continue in the booth for the remainder of 2021. Afterward, he will serve as vice chairman and rank behind only owner Rick Hendrick in the Hendrick Motorsports hierarchy.
"Jeff and I have talked about this for many years, and I feel it's a natural evolution for him and our company," Hendrick said in a statement. "He understands our culture, our values and the importance we place on our people and our partnerships. I couldn't be more energized about working arm-in-arm with him and cementing the future of Hendrick Motorsports together."
Gordon spent his entire NASCAR Hall of Fame driving career with HMS from 1992 to 2015 and came out of retirement briefly in 2016 to drive in place of an injured Dale Earnhardt Jr. The 49-year-old won four Cup Series championships and 93 races overall, including three Daytona 500s.
His 93 Cup Series wins are the third-most in NASCAR history, behind only Richard Petty and David Pearson. Gordon has been a partner at Hendrick Motorsports since 1999 and has remained part of behind-the-scenes decisions even during his media career.
"I cannot put into words what Hendrick Motorsports means to me," the California native said. "It's my home, and the people here are my family. I've never lost my passion for the organization, for our sport and for the sheer challenge of racing and winning at the highest level."
Hendrick has brought home 13 Cup championships, including the 2020 title won by Chase Elliott. Last month it became the winningest NASCAR Cup Series team after Kyle Larson's victory at the Coca-Cola 600 was the North Carolina-based team's 269th all-time.
Alex Bowman secured a narrow victory in the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series event at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday.
Bowman held off Corey LaJoie and Ryan Preece in overtime. First and second were separated by 0.037 seconds, while 0.001 second was the difference between LaJoie and Preece.
In addition to needing a strong restart to retain his hold on first place, Bowman had to keep a keen eye on his fuel gauge:
Another overtime period very well could've spoiled his chances to win.
Fans have come to expect the "big one" at Talladega every year because of the track's tendency of grouping multiple cars into tight spaces. That wreck arrived on the 11th lap after Ty Dillon made contact with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to trigger a series of unfortunate events.
Nobody came out worse than Jeff Gordon:
The No. 24 car became well acquainted with the catchfence:
Clint Bowyer had a day to forget as well after he misjudged the temperature on his car. He was in first place when the engine overheated. Gordon could hardly hide his enjoyment:
Bowyer then found a way to crash into teammate Aric Almirola while the race was under caution:
Bowyer and Gordon will hope their luck turns around when the Pro Invitational Series heads to Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware, for the next race.
Denny Hamlin is a three-time Daytona 500 champion, successfully repeating at Daytona International Speedway on Monday.
However, the health of Ryan Newman overshadowed the result.
"The finish, the history, that's all great," Hamlin said in a postrace interview, per ESPN's Ryan McGee. "One day it will all sink in. But right now all I'm thinking about is Ryan Newman."
Hamlin held off Ryan Blaney on the final lap in what was the second-closest finish (0.014 seconds) in race history. Newman was briefly in the lead before contact from Blaney sent him into the wall and airborne. Hamlin surged ahead of Blaney as Newman's overturned No. 6 car skidded to a stop.
Fox's Jeff Gordon and Mike Joy provided an update on Newman's status after the race:
As track personnel tended to Newman, Hamlin enjoyed what was a subdued celebration given the circumstances:
Team owner Joe Gibbs addressed the crowd and said the Joe Gibbs Racing members were unaware of the severity of Newman's crash when Hamlin was celebrating:
Hamlin later took to social media to address the matter himself:
Hamlin is now tied with Bobby Allison, Dale Jarrett and Gordon for the third-most wins in Daytona 500. Richard Petty has the all-time record with seven.
The NASCAR Cup Series moves to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Pennzoil 400 on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET.
