Driver will compete in Coca-Cola 600 on same day
SPEEDWAY, Ind. – Jeff Gordon hasn’t attended the Indianapolis 500 since 1983, shortly before he began what has turned out to be an incredibly successful driving career in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series.
But the four-time Sprint Cup champion will be back at the legendary 2.5-mile track in May as he has been named to drive the pace car for the 99th running of the 500.
Gordon will lead the field to green, watch as many laps of the IndyCar event as time will allow, then fly back to Charlotte where he and his Hendrick Motorsports team will compete in that evening’s Coca-Cola 600.
The two events are scheduled for Sunday, May 24.
“This is my version of doing the double,” Gordon joked after shaking down the Chevrolet Z06 Corvette pace car with a couple of laps around the track. “I think I got the best of both worlds.”
Gordon, the winningest active driver in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series with 92 victories, is a five-time Brickyard 400 winner. The 43-year-old, who will retire from full-time competition at the conclusion of the 2015 season, won the inaugural Brickyard 400 in 1994 as well as the most recent (in ’14). Other victories here came in ’98, ’01 and ’04.
“This is an amazing opportunity; I’m so honored,” Gordon said. “When I heard about this, my stepfather called me and told me kind of what was in the works between Chevrolet and Indianapolis, I was blown away. ‘This can’t be real, they must be joking.’ To be standing here making that a reality is very, very exciting for me.”
Four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers have run the double, competing in both the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. John Andretti was the first, followed by Robby Gordon, Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch.
Of the four, Stewart came away with the best combined results, finishing sixth in the Indy 500 and third in the Coca-Cola 600 in 2001.
Busch’s effort last season was equally impressive as the 2004 Sprint Cup champion finished sixth at Indy in his first-ever attempt in an open-wheel entry. A blown engine sidelined his efforts later that evening at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Gordon said he had given no thought to trying a similar feat.
“I’m the type of person where if I’m going to do it, I want to do it in the way where I feel I can spend the proper amount of time behind the wheel and really get used to the car, appreciate and respect the competitors that race these cars … throughout the whole season,” Gordon said.
“To me, doing the double has never really been anything that I ever took serious. Do I wish that I had the opportunity to race in the Indy 500? Absolutely.
“I think it’s any race car driver’s dream to race in this race. But it just wasn’t meant to be for me, but the Brickyard 400 was.
“I’m just thrilled that I get the opportunity to be here; then to get to play an actual role in the event by driving the Z06 pace car is something I don’t think I can quite grasp at this moment. To have my kids here and my wife, that’s going to be a special day for sure.”
Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Doug Boles said the Indianapolis community has embraced Gordon like no other driver.
“He has roots in Indiana,” Boles said of Gordon, who lived in Pittsboro, Indiana, early in his racing career. “It’s a great way for us to celebrate the fans, what (he has) meant to this community.”
In a NASCAR statement issued Wednesday, NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France called Gordon “a NASCAR legend, an icon of global motorsports and has a special history of success racing at the Brickyard in Indianapolis and the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte.
“This is a unique honor for him to be recognized in this way by our partners at Chevrolet and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The day certainly will be another special one in the storied history that Jeff already has written at Indianapolis and Charlotte.”
Chevrolets have served as the official Indianapolis 500 pace car every year since 2002. This year’s duty will mark the 13th time a Corvette has been chosen to pace the field. Chevrolet — which was founded in 1911, the Speedway’s inaugural year — has been chosen a record 26 times as the official Indy 500 pace car.
“It’s great to have Jeff Gordon serve as this year’s pace car driver,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. vice president of performance vehicles and motorsports. “He is a true champion who has earned the respect and admiration of competitors and race fans alike. It will be very special to have Jeff lead the Indy 500 field to the green flag, behind the wheel of the most powerful and capable production car ever from Chevrolet — on a day he’ll also be competing in the Coca Cola 600 NASCAR race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.”
The 2015 Crown Royal Presents the ‘Your Hero’s Name Here’ 400 at the Brickyard is scheduled for Sunday, July 26 (NBCSN, 3:30 p.m. ET).