NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon is stepping away from his Fox Sports broadcasting duties and joint Hendrick Motorsports full-time in 2022.
Jeff Gordon is stepping away from his Fox Sports broadcasting duties and returning home to Hendrick Motorsports as their vice chairman effective Jan. 1, 2022.
The four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and Hall of Famer recorded 93 victories for the organization during his 25-year racing career at NASCAR’s highest level. Gordon became a part-time owner in 1999 while still competing for Hendrick, and his involvement continued to grow following his retirement after the 2015 season and throughout his six-year broadcasting career.
“I cannot put into words what Hendrick Motorsports means to me,” Gordon said in a team statement. “In many ways, it’s my home and the people here are my family. I’ve never lost my passion for the organization, for our sport, and for the sheer challenge of racing and winning at the highest level.
"Being part of the competition is where I’m happiest and feel I can make the biggest contribution to the continued, long-term success of the team. Rick and I have a shared vision, which is based on the values he’s instilled, the culture he’s built and our desire to be the very best in all categories, on and off the track.”
Gordon will remain with Fox Sports through the end of the 2021 calendar year.
This news was not entirely unexpected. In 2019, Gordon made it known that he wanted to take on a larger role at Hendrick Motorsports when the time was right.
Rick Hendrick said in the team release that while this has been a long time in the making, he has no intentions of stepping away from his majority role.
“I’ve always been impressed with his business instincts,” the 71-year-old said. “On some level, he’s been involved in every major decision we’ve made over the last two decades, and his influence has continued to grow since he stopped driving. He understands our culture, our values, and the importance we place on our people and our partnerships.
“I love racing and competing, and Jeff is the only person I know who hates to lose as much as I do. I feel great physically and have no plans to go anywhere anytime soon, which is exactly why it’s the right time. In the years to come, I couldn’t be more energized about working arm-in-arm with him and cementing the future of Hendrick Motorsports together.”
Hendrick Motorsports, a 13-time Cup Series championship winner, holds the record for the most Cup Series wins in history with 271 victories, the latest being Kyle Larson's win at Nashville Speedway last Sunday. Including the All-Star race, Larson has won four consecutive events, with organization winning nine total events this season. A Hendrick driver has won the last six races, excluding the All-Star Open Race at Texas Motor Speedway.
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