"I've known Jeff Gordon since he was a young kid": When NHRA's John Force honored the NASCAR legend with a tribute Funny Car

16-time National Hot Rod Association champion John Force once paid tribute to Jeff Gordon during the 2015 NHRA Carolina Nationals race in Concord. To show his admiration, Force came up with a special red-and-blue paint scheme on his Peak-sponsored Chevrolet Funny Car, featuring the words “Thank You Jeff Gordon.”

Force later explained why he came up with that special tribute, pointing to his long-standing appreciation for Gordon, despite not being close friends.

Force said:

"Well, I've known Jeff (Gordon) since he was a young kid. I met him when he was 16, 17 years old and he still looks 16 or 17. ... I was actually out at a race. I'm not trying to say we are not close buddies, we don't hang out..." Force was quoted as saying by Fox Sports in a September 20, 2015 report.

Force stated that one doesn't need to be close friends with somebody to show them respect. He added that it was his way of thanking Gordon for whatever he had done for the NHRA.

"This was, to me, more of one legend to another to say, 'Man, thank you. Thank you for what you've done to our sport.' If you haven't seen him he has been coming (to zMax) the last two or three years, maybe longer. He always shows up here on Sunday, dressed in a little hat and a shirt, you wouldn't know it was Jeff Gordon," Force added.

Jeff Gordon had no idea that John Force had done this or was about to do this as he was preparing for his race weekend at the Chicagoland Speedway.

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Jeff Gordon was blown away by Force's tribute

While John Force’s gesture touched many fans, no one was more surprised than Jeff Gordon. Preparing for the start of the 10-round Chase at Chicagoland Speedway in the MyAFibRisk.com 400, Gordon learned about the special Funny Car tribute on Friday.

"It blew me away. I have always been a huge fan of John Force... It was kept a secret from me. My office, my stepdad (John Bickford), Jon Edwards (PR person), and a few others knew about it," Gordon told NBC Sports.

"It is one thing to see a track or a fan or somebody here within this garage area do something to pay tribute. But when it starts going outside of NASCAR and our sport, that certainly humbles you and makes you extremely appreciative." he added.

Jeff Gordon was asked if he would want to keep Force's tribute car body for himself and, if so, where he would keep it. The California-born driver joked about Force having to keep the car in one piece for that to happen, as he had seen the Funny Car champion 'go up in big ball of flames’ a few times before.