"I had no intentions of racing this car" - When Jeff Gordon came out of retirement unexpectedly after a Porsche purchase

Jeff Gordon is arguably one of the greatest drivers to have raced in the NASCAR Cup series with four championships and 93 wins. The American debuted in the series in 1992 and after over three decades of racing, retired from the NASCAR Cup series in 2016. Gordon didn't plan on making a comeback to the racetrack after announcing his retirement but a Porsche purchase made him do the same.

Jeff Gordon once took Cusick Motorsports’ owner Don Cusick’s Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car out for a spin. The NASCAR legend loved the German sports car so much that he went ahead and bought one for himself. However, along with the purchase came the responsibility of driving the car at the Porsche Sports Car Together Fest at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Gordon, who was unaware about the same had to come out of retirement to participate in the race in 2022. Jeff Gordon said (via IndyStar):

“Little did I know at the time that you have to race this car if you purchase it. And so I really had no intentions of racing this car, but that’s the deal that you have to abide by with Porsche and I’m happy that I am here doing this because it’s fun to drive, but it’s even more fun to be competitive out there.”

Gordon, who is in a higher management position at Hendrick Motorsports, called upon his decade-old friend and HMS consultant Ray Evernham to join him for the race weekend in the Porsche at the IMS.

The car driven by Jeff Gordon was a Porsche 902 Cup car (also known as the Cup version of the road-going GT3 variant) which produces around 500 horsepower from the 4.0L naturally aspirated flat 6 engine. The GT3 Cup car was the first racing version of the 992 generation of the Porsche 911.

“Ended it on a positive note”: Jeff Gordon detailed his experience at the Porsche Sports Car Together Fest

Jeff Gordon didn't qualify particularly well and lined up as P15 in his class at the Fest. However, the NASCAR legend made up positions during the race and narrowly missed out on the Top 10 in his class. Gordon finished the race in P11 but was content with his performance.

Syndication: The Indianapolis Star - Source: Imagn

Reflecting on his first race in the Porsche, he said (via Indianapolis Motor Speedway):

“I wanted to do some fun things, make some passes. I made a pass on the white flag lap. That made my whole weekend. I think we ended it on a positive note.”

“All week I have been happy I am here, having a great time with Ray, Steve Barkdoll, my dad, Jon Edwards and the whole team. I must say that yesterday, I thought, ‘Man, I am getting beat out here,’ and I don’t like that. If I am going to be in an environment like this, I want to be competitive. But today turned the corner for me. So, I hope I get to do another one one day.”

Jeff Gordon won 5 editions of the Brickyard 400 around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the same track where he raced in the Porsche. The American raced for HMS during the entirety of his Cup Series career and is now the Vice Chairman for the racing team.