"I don’t ever want it to stop": When Jeff Gordon reflected on the priceless moments of NASCAR success with his kids

Former NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon, during his bid for a fifth Cup Series championship title, spoke about how much better it feels to win races with his children in the audience. In an interview in 2014, the four-time title winner reflected on winning races after having a family, which includes his wife, Ingrid Vandebosch, and his two kids, Ella Sofia and Leo Benjamin.

Gordon, in conversation with the New York Times during the playoffs of the 66th NASCAR season, discussed the feeling of being a father and experiencing winning races through the eyes of his children, who were 7 and 3 at the time. He said (via NYT):

“Being a dad and seeing life through your kids’ eyes, experiencing things for the first time with Ingrid, it’s so much more rewarding. I’ve won four races this year, two of them with the kids being there, two of them without them being there, and there’s no comparison. When they’re there, it’s amazing. I don’t ever want it to stop.”

Ray Evernham, Gordon's 1995, 1997, and 1998 championship-winning seasons' crew chief, also talked about the Hendrick Motorsports driver's desire to have his kids witness his NASCAR success:

"He told me two years ago it was very, very important for him to do well because he wanted his children to see him be Jeff Gordon. So it’s pretty neat to see that this year."

During the 2014 Sprint Cup Series season, Jeff Gordon, driving the #24 for Rick Hendrick's team scored four wins, including a fifth-time career win in the Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He finished the season in 6th place in the standings, his second-to-last finish in the standings before he retired from the sport.

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Jeff Gordon gave his take on age being 'beneficial' in NASCAR

Jeff Gordon (24) during practice for the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, November 2014 - Source: Imagn

Jeff Gordon, who was 43 years old during the 2014 season, had spent thirteen years after his fourth Cup Series title win finishing in the standings usually in the Top 10, with two third-place finishes in 2004 and 2009, along with a single second-place finish in 2007. However, from 2009 to 2014, the Hendrick Motorsports driver finished lower than 5th in the standings, which was not as high as during his championship-winning years.

Speaking about whether his age has been a factor in his comparatively lower finishes, Gordon said (as quoted by the aforementioned source):

“I’ve never felt like age had anything to do with it,” he said. “It’s your body and your mind and your race team and your racecar. That is what it has always come down to.To me, when you have all the right ingredients, I think that as long as you still have that aggressiveness in you, as long as the car is performing and the team is there, I think experience can actually be beneficial.”

The following 2015 season would see Jeff Gordon finish third place in the standings, his final finish in the Cup Series after his retirement the same year from full-time racing.