CONCORD, N.C. – Friday night at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick stepped on stage along with Jeff Gordon’s children, Ella and Leo, to present him with his Hall of Fame ring.
“When you’re growing up, you have a dream, and my dream was all about racing,” Hendrick told the crowd. “For that to happen, it takes a lot of help from a lot of people. But nobody – nobody – has made that dream come true more than Jeff Gordon. He’s like a son, like a little brother, and, most of all, a great friend.”
Just two years earlier, it was Gordon who had taken the stage alongside Jimmie Johnson to help introduce Hendrick as a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame class of 2017.
In between, Gordon’s former crew chief Ray Evernham entered the Hall of Fame in the class of 2018.
“Two years ago, Rick going into the Hall of Fame, then last year Ray and then myself,” Gordon said, “I think it just tells you that era when we were together and what we did as a group, as a team, you don’t know whether that’s going to be worthy of Hall of Fame or not, but those are some pretty darn good years, I must say. It’s a real honor to follow these two into the Hall.”
In his speech, Gordon thanked the multitude of people who helped him reach the pinnacle of the sport, and he made a point to single out both Hendrick and Evernham.
Gordon relayed that he and Evernham have known each other for nearly 30 years. And the newest Hall of Famer shared a story that helps explain their relationship almost three decades later.
“Ray did something for me that he knows is a big deal but he probably might not fully put it in perspective,” Gordon recalled. “He saved every checkered flag that we won together, and he put them in a chest and held onto it and gave it to me. That’s more than just a crew chief-driver relationship. That’s a bond and friendship you have for life.”
"I thank God every day what a blessing just to meet these guys and be a part of that."
Ray Evernham
It’s no surprise, then, that Gordon invited his former crew chief to join him on stage as well after the ceremony to speak with the media about their time together.
“On such a special night, making Mr. Hendrick, myself and the team feel such a special part of it,” Evernham said, “to be so humble to be able to share with all of us like he did when he’s got me sitting up here with his children, to make me feel so connected and be part of his great night, as a friend, family member, it’s a feeling I can tell you that I have not felt with anyone in my life. It just makes everything that we did that much more special and that much more real because our relationship has, I think, always been the biggest part of our magic and the biggest part of our success.”
Together, Hendrick, Gordon and Evernham earned three NASCAR Cup Series championship, including the first-ever for Hendrick Motorsports – an achievement Gordon said stands out for him above all the others in a storied career.
“I thank God every day what a blessing just to meet these guys and be a part of that,” Evernham said.
The trio is now immortalized together in the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Hendrick and Gordon’s markers are even side-by-side in the ceremonial garden outside the building.
“It’s really special to be able to celebrate with them and to be in the Hall of Fame with them,” Hendrick said. “I just thank them for getting me in. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be in the Hall of Fame.”
With such a deep connection, the owner and the crew chief were simply happy to have been there Friday night to honor their friend.
“This was kind of a way to say, ‘OK, champ. Now, you’re acknowledged among the greatest of all time,’” Hendrick said. “Everybody knew that, knows that, but to kind of put that stamp on it was great.”