“Chase was doing a good job”: Jeff Gordon makes his feelings known on NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver’s Bowman Gray win

Hendrick Motorsports vice-chairman Jeff Gordon applauded Chase Elliott for winning the Cook Out Clash at the Bowman Gray Stadium. He pointed out that Elliott's tire management strategy led to a strong outing in 2025's first NASCAR event.

Gordon is a 53-year-old former NASCAR driver who solely drove for Hendrick Motorsports in the premier series. As a team vice-chairman, the Californian oversees the team's operations, including the No. 9 camp of the league's most popular driver, Chase Elliott.

In a press release, the former HMS driver said Elliott did a "great job" managing the tires around the quarter-mile track in North Carolina.

"Grip is grip," Gordon said. "Those guys really had something special and you could see the car was working well."

The four-time Cup Series champion continued:

"Chase I thought was doing a great job managing the tires and the balance and I just thought all the way around it was a good weekend for the No. 9 team in a big way. I don’t know how much of that transfers over to anything else but if they can find one, tiny ounce, they’ll take it."

Chase Elliott celebrating his Bowman Gray victory - Source: Imagn

During the Cook Out Clash race weekend, Chase Elliott topped the timing sheets in practice. He also won the Heat Race 1, which gave him the pole position for the main event on Sunday.

Elliott was in control for most of the race, with Denny Hamlin putting on a fight in the front. Ryan Blaney also pushed the HMS star in the closing laps after starting from the very back in P23.

The Chevrolet racer led the field for 171 or 200 laps to win in NASCAR's return to Bowman Gray Stadium, a.k.a. the Madhouse. He was followed by Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin, respectively.

Jeff Gordon (left) with Chase Elliott (right) during the 2023 during Daytona 500 - Source: Imagn

Jeff Gordon will continue to look over the rest of the Hendrick Motorsports crew this year, including William Byron, Kyle Larson, and Alex Bowman. They will officially begin their 2025 campaign in the Daytona 500 on February 16.

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Jeff Gordon shares moments from HMS' annual kickoff lunch for the 2025 season

Jeff Gordon shared an update on Hendrick Motorsports' annual kickoff lunch ahead of the 2025 season. In a joint post with HMS on Instagram, the Chevrolet-affiliated team looked forward to "thriving" this year.

The event was graced by the 2025 Cup Series driver lineup comprising William Byron, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, and Alex Bowman. Jeff Gordon was also in attendance and shared the stage with team owner Rick Hendrick.

Team Hendrick wrote:

"The annual kickoff lunch was a success! Time to thrive in ‘25."

Hendrick Motorsports enters the 2025 season following a strong performance last year. William Byron advanced to the final four after beating his closest rival, Christopher Bell, in the Round of 8 finale at Martinsville on points.

Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott also made the Round of 8, with the former concluding the year with the most laps led at 1,700 laps and most race wins at six victories. Alex Bowman, meanwhile, initially advanced to the Round of 8 but was disqualified in the Round of 12 finale at Charlotte after failing to meet the post-race inspection requirements.

With Chase Elliott dominating the field at Bowman Gray Stadium, Hendrick Motorsports should be off to a good start.