"Like it was nothing": When Jeff Gordon shared his view on Dale Earnhardt's Daytona tragedy

During a 2014 interview, Jeff Gordon opened up on the 2001 Daytona 500 where NASCAR lost Dale Earnhardt Sr. In the final lap of the season-opening race, Earnhardt had a last lap collission, where his racecar hit the wall, and the injuries sustained from that crash led to his tragic death.

Speaking about that race, Gordon said that he wasn't racing at the time when that crash happened. That's because Gordon's #24 was already out of the race due to issues suffered earlier.

When Earnhardt hit the wall on the last lap, Jeff Gordon said that he was watching the race on the TV and was about to leave the track. As for whether he thought the wreck was as serious as it turned out to be, Gordon said

"I'd seen Dale have some tremendous crashes over the years and walk away unscathed like it was nothing. Looking at it, I didn't think it was an impact that would've taken his life."

About the popularity of Dale Earnhardt Jr., the former HMS driver said:

"Because he is Dale Earnhardt Sr.'s son, because his name is Dale Earnhardt Jr., beause he is a great guy. He's a great racecar driver, and he's proven it this year."

It's worth mentioning that while Earnhardt Sr. won NASCAR's most popular driver award posthumously, Gordon never won it. Meanwhile, Earnhardt Jr. won the award from 2003 until his retirement in 2017.

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Jeff Gordon looks back on his the early stages of his rivalry with Dale Earnhardt Sr.

In an interview in early 2024, Jeff Gordon touched on his rivalry with Dale Earnhardt Sr. and the Intimidator's personality and his persona. Gordon said that on the racetrack, Earnahrdt was 'the guy', because of which he admired him and looked upto him.

Gordon, a four-time Cup champion, said that he always wanted to learn from the seven-time champion both on and off the track. Gordon talked about his popularity coninciding with his rivalry with Earnhard:

"My popularity started growing and I think what really happened is in 1995, we battled together for the championship. And so we’re doing more media together. We’re racing together more. It just helped me get closer, or at least to understand him, a lot more that year."

The former #24 driver added that all he wanted to be was Jeff Gordon, and early on in his career, he wasn't 'mature enough' to see through Earnhardt's tactics nad mindgames.

Gordon said that his rival was trying to get under his skin to gain a 'competitive advantage' while also being mindful of their rivalry attracting more fans to the sport.