“Miss being in the car?”: Fans react as Jeff Gordon cheers on Kyle Larson at Chili Bowl

Four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon recently attended the most prestigious midget dirt racing event, the Chili Bowl Nationals, as a grand marshal. The 53-year-old shared a clip of him cheering for his former team driver Kyle Larson, and fans expressed their excitement in the comments.

Gordon has achieved unparalleled success in the Cup Series while racing for Hendrick Motorsports. He secured 93 wins, 477 top-ten finishes, and 81 pole positions in 805 starts in his 25-year stint in the series. Apart from the Cup Series, the former HMS driver competed in the Chili Bowl Nationals before venturing into stock car racing.

Jeff Gordon participated in the 1990 Chili Bowl Nationals and finished 16th in the A-Main race. Now years later, the NASCAR champion is back on the dirt track to cheer for Kyle Larson in the same race where Larson secured the pole position. In the video, Gordon showcased his excitement on the #5 Chevy Camaro ZL1 driver's run and captioned it:

"The many emotions of watching @KyleLarsonRacin at the Chili Bowl."

Fans appreciated the four-time Cup Series champion's enthusiasm in the comment section. A fan recalled Gordon's run in the Chili Bowl Nationals and wrote:

"Miss being in the car?"

Another supported the comment and said:

"Cmon Jeff. Just ONE MORE time behind the wheel of a midget…"

Here are some other comments by fans:

"Dude is fun to watch!" stated an X user.

"You're having as much fun as Kyle!!!" wrote a Gordon fan.

"its a dirt lovers track for legends and young rising racers," said a motorsports enthusiast.

"Perfect… Thanks for coming. It’s been an honor watching you grow as a racer, husband, father, businessman and the man you are today. The sad thing is that just means we have grown older together. Thank you for sharing your life with the fans. 🏆🏁🏁🏁," a fan showcased his gratitude to Jeff Gordon.

The Chili Bowl Nationals is an indoor midget car racing event held annually in Tulsa, Oklahoma, since 1987. The event has attracted drivers from various series, including NASCAR, IndyCar, and ARCA.

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“It just shows how important this event is”: Jeff Gordon expressed his feelings about attending the 2025 Chili Bowl Nationals

Former Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon attended the 39th annual Chili Bowl Nationals as the Grand Marshal. However, this was not the first time Gordon waved the starting flag at the event. Earlier, he was named Grand Marshal in the 2022 season.

Gordon was featured in an interview with FloRacing before performing his duties as a Grand Marshal and stated:

"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 continued (0:22 onwards).

Gordon also claimed that he was not at the event as a regular fan but to find potential new young drivers for stock car racing. He supported his statement by giving examples of Kyle Larson and three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart.

Jeff Gordon's career is not only limited to racetracks. He is also known for his appearances on television comedy shows like "Saturday Night Live" and his philanthropic efforts for treating cancer-affected children.