Cain: Gordon comes full circle at Atlanta

This year’s schedule takes the series from Daytona to Atlanta, but the reverse chronology two decades ago ultimately shaped Gordon’s and NASCAR’s future. His journey from the 1992 season finale at Atlanta to the 1993 season-opener at Daytona was the send-off into a Hall of Fame career and ultimately launched him into the most transformative driver in the sport’s history.

While Gordon’s debut at Atlanta may not have been headline-worthy, his follow-up at Daytona International Speedway three months later certainly caught people’s attention. And he’s been spotlight-worthy ever since.

Gordon’s first Cup trophy hoist came in NASCAR’s most iconic Victory Lane — a win in today’s version of the Budweiser Duel Daytona 500 qualifying race over Bill Elliott, Kyle Petty and Ken Schrader. Three days later Gordon finished fifth in his first Daytona 500.

By the time he won his first Daytona 500 in 1997, Gordon was a bona fide superstar — as talented behind the wheel as Petty and the other great seven-time Cup champion Dale Earnhardt, but able to attract a new fanbase as well — an important element for a growing sport.

Gordon’s ascension paralleled NASCAR’s move into the mainstream and its rise from being shrugged off as a “Southern” sport or hobby. And Gordon’s rivalry with Earnhardt — “Wonder Boy” versus “The Intimidator” — was racing at its best.

The down-home, hard-knocks North Carolina native Earnhardt was everything diehard NASCAR fans prided themselves on, while the new-generation Californian Gordon was everything attractive to a new generation of fans.

Gordon raced as hard and as gritty as the sport’s traditional heroes — something Earnhardt appreciated — but he was also TV-ready, fresh-faced and a sponsor’s dream. And his rise through the ranks came as NASCAR was expanding in all directions from the Mason-Dixon Line.

At the time Gordon made his first start in Atlanta, few people would have guessed a NASCAR champion would one day host “Saturday Night Live” or attend New York Fashion Week.

And the best thing about Gordon is that all his off-track accomplishments — including millions of dollars in charitable work — have always been matched by his effort on track. That may sound counterintuitive, but in this sport proving yourself behind the wheel matters much to the longtime, devoted fans, who begrudge those with celebrity, but without trophies.

Gordon has plenty of both — his 92 wins is third all-time behind Petty’s 200 and David Pearson’s 105. If not for a bad back, at only 43 years old, Gordon stood as the last real chance to surpass Pearson’s mark.

He moved into third place on the historical record after winning his 85th race at … Atlanta in 2011.

Gordon has shown he is appropriately sentimental about such things and perhaps as the season wears on, his memories will become more vivid, his recollections at each venue more cherished.

He was surprisingly philosophic last weekend after unfortunately getting caught up in a last-lap crash in his final Daytona 500 after starting the race from the pole and leading a race-best 87 laps.

Obviously disappointed with his 500 farewell, Gordon’s first words out of the car showed perspective.

“For some reason I’m still smiling and enjoyed every moment of it,” he said.

A record five NASCAR Cup wins at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, three Daytona 500 trophies, four hard-earned Cup championships and — I believe — a never-to-be-equaled again 92 Cup wins will define Gordon’s career and give him the FastPass into NASCAR’s Hall of Fame.

And ever since that chilly November Sunday 23 years ago in Atlanta, so many others are smiling, having enjoyed — or at least respected — what Gordon has brought to this sport.

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