“We need him” - When Jeff Gordon addressed Tony Stewart’s NASCAR retirement

Former Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon had once expressed his wish to keep watching NASCAR legend Tony Stewart as a competitor in the NASCAR Cup Series. Gordon retired from racing full-time after the end of the 2015 Cup Series campaign, while Stewart followed him a year later.

NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon achieved 93 Cup Series wins during his 25-year career, all while driving the iconic #24 car for Hendrick Motorsports. Gordon claimed his first victory at the 1994 Coca-Cola 600, marking the start of a career filled with milestones. A four-time Cup Series champion, he set numerous records, including the most wins in a single season with 13 in 1998

Meanwhile, three-time Cup Series champion Tony Stewart announced he would retire from the Cup Series after the 2016 season. Before Stewart's victory in the 2016 Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway, Gordon opined that Stewart should not retire, but rather stay and compete in the sport. Gordon said (via Autoweek),

"Let's talk Tony into sticking around a little longer then because it obviously sounds like we need him."

The four-time champion added that Stewart was one of the few drivers with the ability to say things the way they need to be said, which is required in the sport. However, he added that age affects a driver's ability to perform in these races. He said,

"You know, I think all of us as we get older, our tempers and our... I guess our fuse...just gets a little bit shorter and you lose patience, and I don't know if that's just when you get into the later stages of your career or if it's just getting older and part of it."

Meanwhile, Jeff Gordon is still part of NASCAR as Vice President of Hendrick Motorsports, the same team he won four coveted titles with. Tony Stewart was also involved till this season with NASCAR as a team owner of Stewart Haas Racing. However, the team announced it would shut down its operations following the end of the 2024 NASCAR campaign.

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NASCAR track where Jeff Gordon never won during his illustrious career

NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon had an illustrious career in American stock car racing. The former champion secured multiple wins in several crown jewel events and achieved some still-unbeaten records in the sport.

In his celebrated career, Gordon only missed out on emerging victorious at just one venue from the NASCAR calendar, which was the Kentucky Speedway. In five race starts on the 1.500-mile tri-oval intermediate speedway in Sparta, Kentucky, Jeff Gordon secured P5 as his best finish in the 2012 Quaker State 400.

The Kentucky Speedway was added to the NASCAR calendar in 2011, while Jeff Gordon retired from full-time NASCAR racing in 2015.