"He means that much to me": When Rick Hendrick got candid on his relationship with 'family member' Jeff Gordon

At the start of the 2015 season, Jeff Gordon announced that it would be his last season as a full-timer. After making his debut as a rookie for Hendrick Motorsports, the team he drove for throughout his career under Rick Hendrick, Gordon called time on his career at the end of the season.

This was something that filled his boss and business partner Rick Hendrick with mixed emotions at that time. Speaking to azcentral sports ahead of the Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 in November of that year, Hendrick claimed Gordon's retirement was joy and sadness 'all rolled into one.'

"I know it's going to be emotional. I think it's human and it's neat that the fans care enough about a guy that they can get emotional and I sure don't mind getting emotional. He means that much to me," Hendrick said of Jeff Gordon.

The HMS owner revealed that his driver didn't just 'ride around', and even when he approached the 4x champion to renew for another year, he declined.

Further sharing how Jeff Gordon had been by his side through thick and thin, Hendrick said:

"He's been there for me at some of my darkest hours and we've been there for each other. He's more than a driver to me, he's a family member."

Jeff Gordon famously won at Martinsville and booked a spot in the championship contending round of the season in his final year. This, for Rick Hendrick, was a clear sign that Gordon was going out on top.

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Rick Hendrick always had belief in the business acumen of Jeff Gordon

Following his retirement as a driver, Jeff Gordon continued to be involved in NASCAR. At first, he was an analyst for FOX Sports while also juggling a role in the office at HMS. After a few years, Gordon decided to pursue his role in Rick Hendrick's team, where he is currently the Vice Chairman, a role he was promoted to in 2021.

Speaking about Gordon's transition from being a driver to now a successful executive, Rick Hendrick remarked that his driver has always had 'a great business head on his shoulder' (via Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Dirty Mo Media on YouTube):

"He knew the organization so well and I go back to that chemistry and that being able to grow people from the inside and character is huge and when people come visit that place, they talk about the professionalism and the character of the company. And Jeff Gordon is a big part of that," Hendrick said.

Gordon's current role in HMS only puts him second to the majority owner and founder of the team, Rick Hendrick. And whether he'll succeed the latter as the boss of HMS is something only time will tell.