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JOLIET, Ill. — Jeff Gordon made his 788th consecutive start in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series on Sunday, equaling the series record established by former driver Ricky Rudd.
Barring some catastrophic occurrence, a week from now at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the 44-year-old will break Rudd’s longstanding mark.
From his first start on Nov. 20, 1992 through this weekend’s myAFibRisk.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway, Gordon has been one of the few constants in the series.
Primary sponsorship of the series has changed — what was Winston Cup is now Sprint Cup; tracks have been added and subtracted; cars have evolved, rules have been re-written. Champions have come and champions have gone.
Gordon, however, has persevered.
Since his first start in Sprint Cup, he has always driven the No. 24 Chevrolet and he has always driven for owner Rick Hendrick.
“That’s one of those things I feel strange talking about because I do appreciate and respect the safety of this sport and the side that it can be taken away from you at any time,” Gordon said of the milestone. “I want to break that record. I think it’s a huge accomplishment because it’s not that easy to do. It’s easier today I think because the sport is safer.
“I look at Ricky Rudd; what he went through to make it is pretty extraordinary so I can’t quite compare to that, but I’ve been in this sport a long time, I’ve been in every single race and that is definitely a stat that I will look back on and be very proud of when we accomplish that at New Hampshire.”
NASCAR Hall of Fame member and 1988 series champion Bill Elliott won the race at Atlanta in which Gordon made his first Sprint Cup start. In an unusual twist, Chase Elliott, Bill’s son, will take over the driving duties of the No. 24 entry beginning next season as Gordon steps aside to begin a career outside the car that will include a stint in the broadcast booth with FOX Sports.
“How old is Jeff, 50?” fellow driver Clint Bowyer quipped earlier this week during a break in testing at Kansas Speedway. “It seems like he ought to be 60 as long as he’s been in this sport.
“When you think about the bruisers, the tough guys of this sport, Ricky Rudd was always that guy, you know? For Jeff to be in it as long as he has, and to stay safe as long as he has, it says a lot about the cars he is driving, the people that are working on those cars, the safety innovations in this sport; that’s the reason that you can do those things and he can continue to do it at the age he’s doing it. Stay sharp and on top of his game like he has.”
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Six-time series champion Jimmie Johnson, Gordon’s teammate at Hendrick Motorsports, couldn’t resist a playful dig when asked about Gordon’s record-equaling accomplishment.
“He’s old,” Johnson said with a laugh.
“I can’t believe it. It’s amazing how fast the time goes. I’m sure Jeff would say the same.”
When Johnson moved into Cup fulltime in ’02, Gordon was coming off his fourth championship and was already a winner of 58 races.
“It’s crazy to think that in 270-some races (before ’02) … I can’t believe what he had accomplished in that window of time,” Johnson said.
“He’s had an amazing career and I hate to see him go. I wish he was still going to be around but I know he’s fired up about for what’s next in life. He’s been doing it a long time.
“The success he’s had, and especially right off the bat, is really impressive.”
Rudd’s streak began Jan. 1, 1981 at Riverside (Calif.) Raceway with a DiGard team owned by Bill Gardner. It didn’t end until Sept. 20, 2005 at Homestead-Miami Speedway while paired with Wood Brothers Racing.
Rudd, Gordon and Bobby Labonte (704) are the only drivers with more than 700 consecutive starts.
Matt Kenseth, with 538 consecutive starts, is next in line among those drivers still competing fulltime in the series.
“I look at Ricky Rudd, what he went through to make it is pretty extraordinary so I can’t quite compare to that, but I’ve been in this sport a long time,” Gordon said. “I’ve been in every single race and that is definitely a stat that I will look back on and be very proud of when we accomplish that at New Hampshire.”
There were times, he said, when the possibility of missing a race existed, but they were few and far between, due to health concerns rather than performance-based issues.
One that quickly comes to mind, he said, was a blown right-front tire at Texas Motor Speedway in 1999 that sent Gordon’s Chevrolet hard into the outside wall and left the driver with a rib injury.
“No SAFER barrier, no HANS device, seats were not what they are today, seat belts were not what they are today,” Gordon said. “That could have been a very serious injury. It ended up being bruised ribs and I was hurting but we had a weekend off so I was able to recover enough to go to Bristol the next race.”
“Of course the back issue that I had last year at Charlotte — I wasn’t prepared for that. When I got back in the car on Saturday and it hurt as bad as it did, I was scared that I might not make it into that race … the next day.
“Luckily I had some great doctors that got me through it, we did the injections and I was able to make it through that race.”
Week after week, year after year, Gordon has continued to show up, suit up and race as hard as he did that first Sunday at Atlanta more than two decades ago.
“What are mine?” Bowyer asked of his own number of consecutive starts.
Told 351, Bowyer seemed stunned.
“Three fifty one to 787? Whoa! I’ll be 60 (by then),” he said.
“No, it really is a hell of an accomplishment; what a career and he’s done a lot for our sport and everybody involved in it. It really is crazy to think next year there will not be a Jeff Gordon (on the track).”
No other full-time driver competing today was also in the field that day in Atlanta. So Bowyer not only spoke for himself but for the other 41 drivers in today’s race. “He’s been in every single (Sprint Cup) race that I’ve ever been a part of.”
