“It was a heck of a party”: $200M worth Jeff Gordon confirms skipping school to attend Indy 500 practice

Jeff Gordon shared the insights to his high school days when he skipped school to attend the Indianapolis 500 practice. Gordon went down the memory lane to reveal how he enjoyed the build-up to the IndyCar race that weekend with his classmates.

The races in Indianapolis are regarded as one of the most high-profile racing events in a calendar year. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the largest motorsport facility in the world, and no wonder why it is called the racing capital of the world.

Naturally, a race here means monumental for Indianapolis natives and motorsport fans, and Jeff Gordon was no different. Revisiting those good old days, Gordon, who is worth $200 million (as per Forbes), said to Bob Pockrass of Fox NASCAR,

"I think in my senior year in high school there was a group of us that definitely took off that day, called in sick of whatever it was. We went over the Speedway, I don't know what day of the week or what was going on that day, but I remember it was a heck of a party and a lot of fun going on and we had a great time." 00:00-00:50.

After an eventful race at Pocono, NASCAR moves to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Brickyard 400 this week. This is the 30th anniversary of NASCAR around this track after they debuted here back in 1994.

Interestingly, Jeff Gordon won the debut race ahead of Brett Bodine and Bill Elliott. He started from third position, behind Dale Earnhardt and ahead of Geoff Bodine. Gordon drove the #24 Chevrolet of the Hendrick Motorsports.

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Winning the Brickyard 400 set the momentum for Jeff Gordon

Sprint Cup Series driver Jeff Gordon (24) celebrates winning the Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

Jeff Gordon might be a former driver with 93 Cup Series wins to his name, but the victory at Brickyard 400 three decades ago will always be special for him. To some extent, it changed his life, revealed the 52-year-old.

"This win was the launching pad for myself, my team, and the whole sport, and I definitely felt that," Gordon said. "I’ve said for many, many years that that day changed my life. I went from a kid trying to make it at the highest level of North American stock car racing, to not just making it, but ‘I’ve arrived.’"

The Brickyard 400 win was Gordon's second Cup Series win of his career after he won the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte in 1994. However, the seven-time NASCAR champion also won the Brickyard 400 on three more occasions- in 1998, 2001, and 2004. Gordon won his last race, the Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500 at Martinsville Speedway in November 2015.