“It just shows how important this event is”: $200M NASCAR royalty Jeff Gordon shares unambiguous feelings of attending the Chili Bowl as GM

Jeff Gordon has shared his feelings about being the Grand Marshal for the 2025 Chili Bowl Nationals in an interview with FloRacing.

The $200 million-worth Gordon (as per Celebrity Net Worth), born in Vallejo, California is one of the most celebrated names in NASCAR. Over his career, the 53-year-old won four NASCAR Cup Series championships (then known as NASCAR Winston Cup Series) in 1995, 1997, 1998 and 2001. He also holds the record for 93 race victories placing him third on the all-time wins list.

After retiring from full-time racing, he transitioned to a successful stint as a race analyst for Fox Sports and now serves as the vice chairman for Hendrick Motorsports. In the 2025 edition of the Chili Bowl, the California native is serving as the Grand Marshal.

In a recent interview to FloRacing, Jeff Gordon placed utmost importance on the Chili Bowl Nationals because of the big-name drivers that are competing in the race.

"Anything that brings me here to see some of the best racing on dirt that exists in the world and see it, feel the energy of this crowd is amazing. But yeah, you know, with Kyle Larson and Corey Day and Alex Bowman, you know, with his team here as well as some of the other NASCAR guys that are here, it just shows you how important this event is, how big it is, how much it's growing. And I couldn't be more proud to be Grand Marshal for it," he said (0:22 onwards).

He also mentioned that this race is the breeding ground for the next big names in motorsports.

"I don't think that I'm just here as a fan watching some dirt racing. You know, we're going to keep our eyes open at all times for the next, you know, young talent to come up, the next Kyle Larson, you know, the next Tony Stewart, whatever it may be," he continued.

The California native's impact extends beyond racing, he is known to be a cultural icon. He is known for his appearances on television comedy shows like "Saturday Night Live" and for his philanthropy efforts where his Jeff Gordon Children's Foundation works towards the treatment of cancer-affected children.

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When Jeff Gordon reflected on the priceless moments of NASCAR success with his kids

Jeff Gordon reflected on the profound joy of winning races while sharing those moments with his children. In a 2014 interview, he expressed that experiencing victories with his kids, Ella Sofia and Leo Benjamin, was far more rewarding than winning without them. Gordon emphasized that seeing life through their eyes and sharing these milestones with his wife, Ingrid Vandebosch, added immense value to his achievements. 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.”

In the 2014 season, he secured four wins, two of which were celebrated in front of his children, highlighting the emotional significance of their presence at the races.