When Dale Sr. and Jeff Gordon finished behind Rusty Wallace in rare NASCAR event

NASCAR Cup Series champion drivers Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt once visited Japan along with several other NASCAR drivers for a non-points exhibition race in 1996. Among those who traveled was former Cup Series champion driver Rusty Wallace, who emerged victorious in the 1996 edition of the exhibition race.

Gordon and Dale Earnhardt are both owners of multiple Cup Series championship titles. Earnhardt had already been crowned as a seven-time champion before the race in Suzuka while Jeff Gordon was the reigning champion in the 1996 season. Here's a post on X where Ken Squire of TBS Sports announces the notable participants of the race. (via @nascarman_rr)

"Welcome on a good day from this beautiful road course, where NASCAR has brought some of the finest racers from America. 11 Winston Cup champions are here, 3 Winston West champions, 2 Grand National Champions, 2 Truck Champions, a couple of great road racers are here, Wally Dallenbach, a former Trans Am champion, and the great Robby Gordon who won a couple of IndyCar races, and there are two National Japanese champions as well."

1989 Cup Series champion Rusty Wallace secured the win in the first edition of the National Suzuka Thunder special in 1996, beating the likes of Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon, who managed podium finishes.

Dale Earnhardt tragically lost his life during the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 in a crash that profoundly impacted the NASCAR community. In contrast, Jeff Gordon has remained active in the sport despite his retirement from full-time racing in 2015.

Gordon currently serves as the Vice Chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, the team where he won all his championships and achieved 93 career Cup Series wins. In this executive role, he currently focuses on team operations and long-term strategy, helping Hendrick Motorsports maintain its status as one of NASCAR's premier teams.

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"A gamechanger for my career" - Jeff Gordon reflects on fifth Brickyard 400 win for Hendrick Motorsports

Five-time Brickyard 400 winner Jeff Gordon at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. - Source: Imagn

NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon enjoyed a storied 25-year career driving the iconic #24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. He amassed 93 Cup Series victories, including his first triumph at the 1994 Coca-Cola 600, a prestigious Crown Jewel event. Gordon's success on Crown Jewel tracks is well-known in the NASCAR community.

Recently, HMS shared a post where they relived Jeff Gordon's fifth victory in the Brickyard 400 at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Reflecting on his fifth victory at the historical oval at IMS, Gordon said:

“Obviously, to do anything 20 years later is significant and a big deal in any form of sports and certainly motorsports. That first (Brickyard 400) win in ’94 was just a gamechanger for my career and sent us on the trajectory at Hendrick Motorsports and the 24 car took things to the next level from that point forward." (via hendrickmotorsports.com)

Cup Series driver William Byron, who was in the 2024 Championship 4 now pilots the iconic #24 Chevrolet, which Gordon drove through the victory lane nearly 100 times in his career.