"My heroes growing up were Indy 500 champions": When Jeff Gordon opened up on his ambitions to run the 'Greatest Spectacle in Racing'

NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon left very little to racing fans' imagination about what success looked like on the biggest stage. However, there was one dream that the 4x Cup Series champ could never fulfill - racing in the Indy 500.

Gordon is considered one of NASCAR's greatest drivers and was included in NASCAR's 1998 50 Greatest Drivers list. Knowing his prowess in stock car racing, it might come as a surprise that the 53-year-old dreamt of racing in IndyCar before taking multiple rejections from teams and eventually grabbing a prized opportunity in the NASCAR Busch Series.

In November 2016, his first year after retirement, Gordon sat down for an interview with Sports Illustrated, where he spoke about his Indy 500 dream. When asked if competing in the "Greatest Spectacle of Racing" was still on his bucket list, he replied:

"It certainly was at one time. You know I love that race. I wanted to be... 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. 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."

Gordon raced his entire Cup Series career with Hendrick Motorsports, winning four championships in 1995, 1997, 1998, and 2001. He is also the third-winningest Cup Series driver with 93 wins. Though he couldn't race in the Indy 500, NASCAR's Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which he won a record five times, indirectly fulfilled his dream.

"I'm in a lot of pain": When Jeff Gordon finally opened up to Rick Hendricks about his imminent retirement

Jeff Gordon and Rick Hendricks at the Combat Wounded Coalition 400 at the Brickyard - Source: Getty

Jeff Gordon debuted in the NASCAR Cup Series in 1992 and won Rookie of the Year. Though his inexperience raised doubts over his ability, he rose to the challenge in a couple of years to silence the critics.

In his 25-year driving career, Gordon won 16 Crown Jewel races, including three Daytona 500s, three Coca-Cola 600s, four Talladega 500s, and six Southern 500s. However, in the latter half of his career, racing at the highest level took a toll on his body.

In an interview with American Sportscaster Joe Buck in 2023, Gordon revealed how the physical problems began a decade before he retired and only escalated till he had the retirement conversation with Hendricks Motorsports owner, Rick Hendricks. He said:

"I started having some back issues, some lower back pain and spasms and pain in the car... probably even goes back to around 2005 or 2006. But it really started getting bad around 2010 and I started working on it, doing physical therapy and different things.

"I went to Rick Hendrick and I said, 'Rick, I don’t know how much longer I'm going to be able to do this. My body is just not doing well. I'm in a lot of pain throughout the race, and every time I get out of the car," he added.

Jeff Gordon currently serves as a Vice Chairman for Hendrick Motorsports, a team in which he holds a part-ownership stake.