CONCORD, N.C. – This summer, Hendrick Motorsports has launched a brand-new Spotify account, and to mark the occasion, all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers and some special guests are sharing their very own playlists.
So far, Chase Elliott, William Byron, Alex Bowman and Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick have provided insight into what they’re listening to.
This week, NASCAR Hall of Fame class of 2019 inductee Jeff Gordon steps up to the plate.
“I like a lot of different types of music – from country and Brad Paisley to hip-hop to pop and DJs like The Chainsmokers,” Gordon said. “On Sirius, I’ll listen to stations like KIIS or Z100 when I’m not listening to the NASCAR channel.”
Gordon’s playlist features many current artists like Maroon 5, Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande and Zedd.
The four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion’s affinity for The Chainsmokers was bolstered by a pre-race concert during the 2017 Brickyard 400 weekend.
“We had the cool experience of meeting The Chainsmokers at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last year and watching their concert from the stage area,” Gordon shared. “They put on an awesome show.”
Attending concerts is one of the main ways Gordon likes to enjoy music. Recently, he took his wife Ingrid to a U2 show at the world-famous Apollo Theater in Harlem.
“I’ve been able to see a lot of different acts in concert,” he said.
One of his favorite memories involving music came back in the early 2000s – and, once again, a concert was involved.
Memorably, when rap artist Nelly released the second single off his debut “Country Grammar” album, Gordon was name-dropped.
“I think it was my dad who first told me that I was mentioned in Nelly’s song, ‘E.I.,’ and my crew guys at the time heard the song and told me about it,” Gordon recalled.
Midway through the second verse came the critical lyrics: “I drive fastly, call me Jeff Gordon in the black SS with the navigation.”
Gordon loved it.
“Nelly – he put me on the map in the rap world!” he laughed.
The song reached No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100. Shortly after it was released, Nelly held a concert in Charlotte, North Carolina, that coincided with a Charlotte Motor Speedway race weekend.
Gordon made arrangements to attend following the conclusion of track activity.
“We were able to get in touch with Nelly’s reps that day and planned to head to the show after qualifying was completed,” Gordon said. “Well, qualifying got rained out and we took off to the concert. Unfortunately, Nelly started the show with ‘E.I.’ and we pulled up just as he finished the song!”
But there was a happy ending.
“We did watch the show from the stage,” Gordon said, “and then got to hang with him afterward.”
Nowadays, Gordon’s music taste is varied, but for the most part the father of two said it can be summed up relatively easily.
“I listen to what’s currently popular,” he said.
Check out Gordon’s Spotify playlist here. Next week, seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson rounds out the Hendrick Motorsports summer music series by revealing his own playlist.