Jeff Gordon continues to be a pivotal part of Hendrick Motorsports as vice chairman. (Photo: Hayden Hutchison | The Podium Finish)
LEANDER, Texas — For Jeff Gordon, success in motorsports never came from standing still.
Nearly three decades after capturing his first NASCAR Cup Series championship, Gordon continues to drive Hendrick Motorsports forward — this time, as its vice chairman.
Since officially stepping into the executive role in 2022, Gordon has helped shape the organization’s long-term vision while staying engaged with its day-to-day operations. Though he no longer climbs behind the wheel every weekend, his fingerprints are all over Hendrick’s evolution, most recently in its ambitious Garage 56 program, which brought a NASCAR stock car to the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time in nearly 50 years.
Gordon served as an executive producer of American Thunder: NASCAR to Le Mans, a new Amazon Prime Video documentary chronicling the Garage 56 effort from concept to competition. The film debuts Thursday, June 12.
The project, Gordon said, began with a vision from Jim France, NASCAR chief executive officer, chairman and executive vice president.
“Rick said, ‘Hey, Jim France wants to meet. He’s got this project and he’s got a video he wants to show us,’” Gordon recalled. “And so the first time… meeting with Jim, you could just immediately hear his passion for this project.”
France’s goal: bring a modern stock car to Le Mans in a way that would honor NASCAR’s roots but also hold its own in one of the world’s toughest endurance events.
“Taking a stock car that is not meant for endurance racing or to compete with GT cars, you know, like Porsche and Ferrari, it just didn’t seem possible,” Gordon said. “But the reality of taking a car that didn’t embarrass us, but also then to have the longevity and reliability to go do an endurance race at one of the most grueling tracks… it started to come together.”
With Chevrolet, Goodyear, and Hendrick Motorsports signed on, Gordon helped oversee the massive operation that became Garage 56, a special entry with drivers Jimmie Johnson, Jenson Button and Mike Rockenfeller.
A two-car fleet was built — one for the race and one as a two-seater for demonstration runs. The latter, which Gordon has driven at the new Ten Tenths Motor Club facility near Charlotte Motor Speedway, still provides him with a unique thrill.
“I actually have plans to give a bunch of rides coming up at a very special event that we’re hosting,” Gordon said. “I’m looking forward to taking that car around the track again.”
Gordon praised the team effort behind the Garage 56 initiative, catalyzed by iconic crew chief Chad Knaus and supported by hundreds of people across multiple organizations.
American Thunder: NASCAR to Le Mans is an upcoming documentary executive produced by Jeff Gordon that will stream on Amazon Prime Video on June 12, 2025. (Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)
“It took so many people, so much effort, so much collaboration and took so many different elements to pull all this together to get the car right,” he said. “Simulation, tire development… the list just goes on and on. And then to finally end up being in Le Mans after 18 months of planning and see it all come together… the car was fast.”
The emotional weight of the effort, Gordon said, hit hard once the checkered flag flew.
“You’re not only making yourself proud… but you’re representing our country, representing Chevrolet, NASCAR, Goodyear… everything,” he said. “And I’m so thankful that we captured this.”
As proud as Gordon is of Garage 56, he remains deeply connected to his own legacy as a driver — especially the 1995 season, a milestone year that laid the foundation for Hendrick’s dominance in the modern era.
That year, Gordon captured his first Cup championship at age 24, just two years after his rookie season.
“In 1994, we won our first race with the 24 car on the Coca-Cola 600. Then we won the Brickyard 400 too,” Gordon said. “So now you realize as a team, ‘Hey, we’ve got what it takes to win on the biggest level and the biggest stages.’”
Gordon credited much of the 1995 breakthrough to crew chief Ray Evernham and the new Chevrolet Monte Carlo that debuted that season.
“We learned early on in the test sessions this was going to be the car,” Gordon said. “It definitely separated itself from the rest of the competition.”
What followed was a grueling but defining season, featuring early wins, midseason challenges and an intense rivalry with seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt Sr.
“I feel like we had the edge on them,” Gordon said. “We were consistently running up front and getting better finishes and keeping the pressure on them instead of the pressure being on us.”
The 1995 title marked the start of a dynasty. Gordon would go on to win three more championships and 93 career Cup races, solidifying his place as one of the sport’s all-time greats.
Now, as vice chairman, Gordon balances business with mentorship. He remains an accessible figure to Hendrick’s current roster of drivers and regularly interacts with partners, engineers and staff.
Jeff Gordon confers with crew chief Ray Evernham during the 1995 MBNA 500 race weekend at Dover Downs International Speedway. (Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)
“Ray Evernham gets a tremendous amount of credit because he was just building something very special,” Gordon said, reflecting on the early days of Hendrick’s rise. “The team was very strong. And with the cars that had the speed that they had in 1995, it became pretty evident that it was going to be between us and Gibbs and Childress.”
While Gordon acknowledged some “little bobbles” late in the year, the team rebounded to seal the title.
“We had to kind of do a reality check, get ourselves back on track,” he said. “And we did.”
Though Gordon stays mostly behind the scenes these days, he hasn’t lost his competitive spirit. Nor has he lost his love for classic rock, which keeps him grounded during the commute to Hendrick’s Concord campus.
“Right now, Creedence Clearwater [Revival] is my absolute go-to,” Gordon said. “Yeah, Rolling Stones… CCR, Eagles, Rolling Stones — if I were going to pick them.”
Gordon may never return full-time to a race car, but he has not ruled out getting back behind the wheel from time to time.
“It’s such a special car,” Gordon said of the Garage 56 two-seater. “It has things that no NASCAR car has — paddle shift, the aero kit that’s on it… the tires that Goodyear built for it. It just has some amazing features.”
As the American Thunder documentary prepares for its global release, Gordon hopes it will inspire new fans and honor the legacy of a project that pushed NASCAR’s boundaries.
“I think people are going to really enjoy it,” Gordon said. “So many great storylines along the way as well as kind of some sad moments at the end that it was over… because so many people contributed to it, made it happen.”
Editor’s Notes
Special thanks to Jeff Gordon for taking time on June 10 for this exclusive story, just ahead of the June 12 release of American Thunder: NASCAR to Le Mans on Amazon Prime Video. Also, sincere thanks to Hendrick Motorsports for their generous assistance.
Look for the extended version of this exclusive on TPF+ Wednesday night!
This story is dedicated to Jon Edwards, longtime public relations representative of Jeff Gordon and Hendrick Motorsports. We will always remember you.
