"I can't believe you want more with Rick Hendrick": When Jeff Gordon shared Mark Martin's take on his post-retirement NASCAR role

Three years ago, Jeff Gordon shared fellow former NASCAR driver Mark Martin's thoughts about his new role at Hendrick Motorsports.

Gordon was named the vice chairman of HMS in 2021. In a 2022 interview with The Athletic's Jeff Gluck, Gordon who now works on the competition side of NASCAR was asked about his role at the team. The four-time NASCAR champion and HMS co-owner talked about his visit to Martin in California and stated his love for the job.

"I went and visited with Mark Martin out in California a couple years ago. I knew he was out there in Indio with his bus and everything, so I reached out to him and we had lunch — me, him and Arlene (Martin’s wife)," Jeff Gordon said (NY Times).

Gordon, who is the second-ranking official at HMS to majority owner Rick Hendrick, mentioned that Martin was shocked by his new career choices.

"He’s like, 'I can’t believe you’re doing TV and you want to do more with Hendrick. I can’t believe you want to do that. That’s crazy!' (laughs) You know, I didn’t necessarily see myself in this position, either. But I’ve gotta admit: I love it. I really, I really do," he added.

Martin retired from NASCAR in 2013 with 40 Cup Series and 49 Xfinity Series wins. He now runs multiple automobile dealerships and stores.

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"I’m all over the place" - Jeff Gordon on daily duties as Hendrick Motorsports' vice chairman

Jeff Gordon won four championships and 93 races with HMS between 1992 and 2015. He became a partner in the team in 1999 and retired from full-time racing in NASCAR after the 2015 season.

During the same interview with Jeff Gluck, Gordon shared the responsibilities of his role as the team's vice chairman.

"There’s a tremendous amount of meetings on the calendar. I’m invited to pretty much all of them, and then I look at the ones where I feel like I can make the biggest impact...But most of my day and time is spent on business development or sponsor development and just how we can bring more value to them," Jeff Gordon said (NY Times).

He mentioned that his work also entails talks with sponsors and work on team projects.

"All my experiences as a driver working with sponsors, as a broadcaster working with them and now understanding the numbers and the data and the people who are pulling it all together, that’s probably where I spend most of my time. But I’ll be honest, I’m all over the place," he added.

Before joining HMS as majority owner and vice chairman, Gordon worked as an analyst for the NASCAR Cup Series for about five years.