For the first time in his 23-year NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career, Jeff Gordon drove a different number than his iconic No. 24 last Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Gordon came out of retirement and filled in for an ailing Dale Earnhardt Jr. and wheeled the No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet to a 13th-place finish in the 400-mile race. He hadn’t raced since last November and got the call from Rick Hendrick to sub for the second-generation driver who was dealing with concussion-like symptoms.
Does this change Jeff Gordon’s legendary presence in NASCAR’s top-series?
Future Stars Unveiled During NASCAR Next Announcement
Three Different Countries Represented in 2016-17 Class
Two are following in the footsteps of their former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driving fathers. One is a long-time racer who competed on the reality television show “Survivor,” and later added a degree from Stanford University. Another is one of the fastest rising stock car drivers in the Midwest. There is even a pair of international phenoms.
From Charlotte to New York City, and from Quebec to Israel, the 11 drivers who were announced as the 2016-17 NASCAR Next class today are primed for a successful and impactful future in NASCAR. This is the sixth edition of NASCAR Next, an industry-wide initiative designed to spotlight to best and brightest rising young stars in racing. Continue reading →
Former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series veteran driver Jeff Burton added another milestone to his list of accomplishments at Texas Motor Speedway.
Burton, the speedway’s inaugural Sprint Cup Series winner in 1997 and the first driver with multiple Cup victories at the 1.5-mile speedway with his second victory in 2007, became the 18th member of the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame during a special induction ceremony Thursday evening at The Speedway Club.
“It’s an honor to be part of this,” Burton said of his induction into the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame. “I will always appreciate it. For the 20 years I have given, it was a hell of a ride and I enjoyed it. It was a great honor to be able to do it. I wouldn’t change anything about my career. A few more wins we’d like to have but nonetheless, I loved my career. I did it the way I wanted to do it. But the fact I even had a chance to do it was incredible.”
Burton highlighted a star-studded list of individuals honored on the evening that included three-time Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart, legendary NASCAR owners Glen and Leonard Wood, 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship contender Martin Truex Jr. and 2015 Camping World Truck Series champion Erik Jones.
Stewart, a key contributor to Speedway Children’s Charities-Texas Chapter, was awarded the Major General Thomas Sadler Award. The award recognizes individuals who have helped carry out the mission of Speedway Children’s Charities.
Stewart’s role as host of “Smoke Show” Fantasy Driving School and his generosity of donating his parade lap for auctions has helped Speedway Children’s Charities-Texas Chapter raise more than $1.5 million. Stewart, still recovering from a severe back injury following an ATV accident in January, attended the event and humbly accepted the award.
“When I joined the Cup Series in 1999, it didn’t take long to realize that NASCAR is all about families and giving back,” Stewart said. “That’s something that I have really respected from day one with our sport; how active all the drivers are. That’s something with this being my last year that is probably one of the one things I have respected is how much they (drivers) give back to their communities.”
Truex Jr. received the Texas Motor Speedway Sportsmanship Award. His spectacular 2015 season came on the heels of having to help his longtime girlfriend Sherry Pollex battle Stage III ovarian cancer. Even in the face of hard times, Truex Jr. excelled as he posted a career season with new highs for top fives, top tens and a spot in the Championship Round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
Off the track Truex Jr. has continued to play a role in helping end cancer through his work with the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation. The foundation’s mission is to help support underfunded cancer initiatives and assists the individuals families affected by them.
“Perspective is a wonderful thing,” Truex Jr. said. “I learned a lot through Sherry, from her going through her battles on truly what is important in life. I’ve very, very proud to be driving racecars for a living, but I’m also very proud of what we’ve been able to give back to our community. And to people around us that we love, and most importantly to the causes that we believe that our near and dear to our hearts.”
Jones was recognized as Texas Motor Speedway’s Racer of the Year for his breakout performances at the speedway last year. He earned his first career NASCAR XFINITY Series victory during last April’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 300, defeating the likes of Dale Earnhardt Jr., Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin. He followed up his career milestone with a victory in the WinStar World Casino & Resort 350 Camping World Truck Series race that ultimately propelled him to his first truck series championship.
Brothers Glen and Leonard Wood were recognized for their contributions to motorsports with the Bruton Smith Legend Award. The brothers who formed the legendary Wood Brothers Racing have remained a staple in the sport, holding the distinction as the oldest, active team in NASCAR at 66 years and counting.
A close up of Dale Earnhardt Sr. as he looks on during the NAPA Auto Parts 500, in Fontana, CA Photo – Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images
Officially, it’s been 15 years since we unexpectedly lost ‘The Intimidator,’ Dale Earnhardt. A lot has happened during those 15 years to improve safety for race car drivers. Of course we all know that Earnhardt’s untimely death is the reason safety is at an all time high. Earnhardt definitely missed out on all the technology that has helped safety evolve. But safety isn’t the only innovation he has missed out on. Earnhardt has missed all the other changes happening on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit the last 15 years.
I’ve often wondered about how Earnhardt may have affected NASCAR over the last 15 years had he survived in 2001. So, looking back at Earnhardt’s career, I’ll explore some possibilities of his alternate reality.
After finishing second in points in 2000 behind Bobby Labonte, Earnhardt had a shot of challenging Jeff Gordon the following year, when Gordon won his last Sprint Cup Championship in 2001. The Earnhardt-Gordon rivalry is well documented and with Gordon retiring after the 2015 season, I would have loved seeing how the last 15 years would have played out for two of NASCAR’s legendary drivers.
Twice in 1995 and 2000 Earnhardt missed his chance of breaking Richard Petty’s record to win eight Sprint Cup titles. Had he won a title either year, Earnhardt would have nine championships to his credit. I wonder if Earnhardt would then be the next king along with Richard Petty? At the very least, it would have sparked a huge debate.
How would Earnhardt have fared against the next generation of drivers like Kyle Busch or Greg Biffle? The veterans left after his death were Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart. Even Jeff Burton was still racing with the next generation as those like Mark Martin and Terry Labonte began to settle down. Can you imagine witnessing the farewell tour of Dale Earnhardt?
Next generation drivers Brad Keselowski and Jimmie Johnson began taking over the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit winning championships. This is when Hendrick Motorsports became the strongest team in NASCAR for a decade.
Watching Earnhardt race against and challenge the next generation may have kept some fans engaged in the sport. Would Earnhardt have been a fan of the Chase? How would he have competed with the likes of Johnson and other upcoming drivers during the Chase era? Richard Childress Racing has not won a Sprint Cup title since 1994 – with Earnhardt.
In 2006, his teammates would have been Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer at RCR. Bowyer came close to beating Johnson in 2007 for the Sprint Cup title. By this time, Johnson had started his five-year reign as champion, who knows, perhaps Earnhardt and Burton may have continued to run strong at RCR.
Here’s another mind-boggling thought. Earnhardt at RCR may have prevented or delayed the arrival of Kevin Harvick. Harvick may have replaced Earnhardt eventually, and he may have been Harvick’s mentor. Would Harvick take heed on what Earnhardt had to teach him? Could he have become champion earlier and not later?
The No. 3 would have likely stayed on the car with Harvick, and no doubt he would have been proud to carry on the No. 3 tradition with his own style and personality. Of course others thought Harvick could become the next Intimidator. Harvick did go on to win his first title, but look at how long it took him to win that championship.
What’s the most important part of this alternate NASCAR reality? Earnhardt having more chances to race against his son, Dale Earnhardt Jr. I’m sure that all NASCAR fans would agree that competing with flesh and blood was more important than just winning races and championships for both Earnhardt drivers.
Junior had just started his rookie year at Daytona in 2000. It’s possible that racing against each other would fuel more competition between them and possibly helped both contend for championships for maybe five or six more years.
It’s no secret that NASCAR went through dramatic changes since Earnhardt’s death, and safety was just a small part of their evolution. NASCAR was on the verge of falling behind and had to make changes to survive competition from other sports in the 21st century. Let’s face it NASCAR and all sports are in competition for every fan’s attention. Earnhardt as a fan-favorite could have become an ambassador helping NASCAR grow their fan base. I’m sure he would have had a positive impact in making the Chase great.
As far as the new NASCAR and Team Owner charter system, we can only wonder.
On this 15th anniversary, I’m sure many Earnhardt fans are asking…What if?
