It’s been three decades since the groundbreaking – and some might still say controversial – move to run NASCAR’s premier series on the open-wheel hallowed ground of Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
When NASCAR first ran at the 2.5-mile IMS oval in 1994 it was the first race held at the speedway other than the Indianapolis 500 since 1916.
Many different motorsport series have called IMS home since and NASCAR itself moved to the oval course for three years beginning in 2021 when attendance waned at the 400.
That first race, however, was certainly well-received by fans with a capacity crowd but the stock car invasion likely went over a little easier by having a hometown winner in Gordon, who would go on to claim five Brickyard 500 trophies.
“I just remember first growing up in Indiana wishing that I got the opportunity to race at Indianapolis. At that time, you hope that it happens in an IndyCar because I was racing in the Midwest and Sprint cars,” Gordon said this week in an interview with several reporters.
“When I moved to North Carolina, I just kind of thought, ‘Well, I’ve got to put that behind me and just focus on stock cars’ and I was loving everything about that. Then, they announced that in a couple years (NASCAR) was going to Indianapolis.
“I’m pretty sure it was right around the time that I had signed on with Hendrick (Motorsports), so I was very excited. You know, that dream was finally going to come true.”
Not only did Gordon get to race at IMS, but he also won – and both the sport and Gordon’s career changed forever.
“As for the race, it was just kind of bigger than life and it was just awesome to be a part of it and I had no had no idea that we were actually going to go there and be that competitive and then win the race,” he said.
“So, it certainly changed my life forever and set the whole No. 24 Hendrick team on this kind of amazing journey. The rest is history as far as. my career. I felt like that year, 1994, catapulted it and it was great too for the sport just to see.
“You know the media coverage, the fan attendance and just what that did for the sport. It’s hard to put it into words. It was amazing event and day.”
Returning to the Brickyard in a different role
Thirty years later, Gordon is retired as a full-time competitor but still at Hendrick Motorsports as the organization’s vice chairman.
He welcomes NASCAR’s decision to return to the oval track on the event’s 30th anniversary, which will also include his boss, Rick Hendrick as the Brickyard 400’s honorary pace car driver.
“I’m excited to see the crowd there and the energy that they have for being back on the oval and I can’t wait to talk to the competitors to see how much fun they’re having with the challenges of this car and a big heavy stock car on such a unique, challenging race track,” Gordon said.
“The event might have lost a little bit of its luster and its uniqueness because we went there every year. Now that we haven’t been back (on the oval) for a while, I think the excitement is back.
“That’s good. I think it should be like that.”
