Did Jeff Gordon ever drive IndyCar? All you need to know

Jeff Gordon is among the greatest NASCAR Cup Series drivers with four championships and 93 wins to his name. The 53-year-old drove for Hendrick Motorsports for all of his Cup Series career. However, Gordon grew up watching IndyCar and the open-wheel racing drivers were his heroes.

Gordon drove the stock cars all his racing career. He raced in the NASCAR Busch series for the first three years of his professional racing career and then the Winston Cup Series (now known as the Cup Series). So the answer to whether Gordon ever drove an IndyCar is no, he didn't.

NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race - Source: Getty

Towards the end of Gordon's racing career, in 2016 the former NASCAR champion was asked about his dream to race in the IndyCar series and the Indy 500.

“It certainly was at one time. You know I love that race. My heroes growing up were Indy 500 champions like AJ Foyt, Rick Mears, and Johnny Rutherford. So I thought maybe, you know, that was on the rise for me, but no, it's not now. They got fulfilled... so many of my goals through NASCAR racing in Indianapolis and winning the Brickyard 400. But I would like to drive some other types of race cars,” Jeff Gordon said (via Sports Illustrated).

“So, I'm not retired completely, but it's just going to be something that makes sense and is interesting to me. IndyCars, I just don't... you know, I have too much respect for those cars and what they are capable of doing and how difficult (it) would be without having the proper amount of time in the car.”

In the 1990s Jeff Gordon wanted to make a move to the IndyCar series but the lack of funds and sponsorship prevented him from joining the open wheel racing series. He then joined HMS in 1993 and never looked back.

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“What made me want to be a racecar driver”: Jeff Gordon on how IndyCar inspired him

Jeff Gordon moved near Indianapolis in his teenage years to accelerate his dream of becoming a racing driver. Since he lived near the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the American was inspired by the Indy 500 and wanted to race in the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing”.

Coca-Cola 600 - Practice - Source: Getty

Gordon said (via IndyStar) in May 2024:

“I grew up as a kid idolizing the drivers here. To me, sprint car racing and the Indianapolis 500 is what made me want to be a racecar driver.”

The 53-year-old is currently the Vice Chairman of the Hendrick Motorsports group. Kyle Larson, who drives for HMS in NASCAR attempted the double this year, i.e. the Coca-Cola 600 and the Indy 500. Gordon's stepfather John Bickford said (via IndyStar):

“He is living his dream through Kyle Larson.”

Larson qualified in the top six for the 2025 Indy 500 and led four laps in the race. However, a penalty for speeding into the pit lane ended any chances of finishing in the top five, and he finished P18.