Jeff Gordon’s Retirement Marks End Of An Era

Jeff Gordon Will Make his 797th start on Sunday

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When Jeff Gordon straps himself into his famous no. 24 Chevrolet for Sunday's Sprint Cup Series season-finale, he'll do so for the last time.

Gordon's imminent retirement at the end of the season doesn't just bring an end to his illustrious career, it also brings an end to era that some call one of the defining era's in NASCAR's history.

Gordon's rise through the ranks in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series mirrored the rise in popularity of the sport and ushered in a period of some of the most prosperous time in the sport's history. And Gordon himself was one of the catalysts that propelled it.

[adinserter name="GOOGLE AD"]Gordon came into the sport when some of NASCAR's biggest names were starting to enter the late stages of their careers. Gordon's first Sprint Cup start in the 1992 season finale was also the final NASCAR start for seven-time champion Richard Petty.

The torch was being passed.

Gordon made his first Daytona 500 start in 1993

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"I will certainly never forget that first race," said Gordon. "I know I have told this story many times; I still have that money clip that Richard handed out that day with my starting position. I wasn't that proud at the moment because we started 21^st, but I will remember that forever."

As Gordon's star steadily rose, an entire new generation of fans came along for the ride. One of the sorts most marketed drivers, Gordon appealed to a younger generation of fans – kids who went with their dad's to the race and wanted their own driver to root for. While the dads rooted for Dale Earnhardt and Rusty Wallace, their sons rooted for Gordon.

Gordon's numbers speak for themselves. His 93 wins and 81 poles ranks him second all-time behind Hall of Fame members Petty and David Pearson. Four series titles, ranking him fourth behind Petty, Pearson and Jimmie Johnson. A three-time Daytona 500 winner, and the last driver to win the Winston Million.

Gordon won his first of four Winston Cup titles in 1995, beating out Dale Earnhardt. Sr.

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In 1995, Gordon beat out Earnhardt for his first Sprint Cup title, marking the beginning of an intense but friendly rivalry with Earnhardt, who dubbed Gordon "Wonder Boy"

From 1995 when he won his first title until 2000, Gordon averaged about 10 wins a season, earning hi the scorn of fans old and new alike who grew tired of seeing "Boy Wonder" win every week. Before long, the slogan "Anybody But Gordon" became a rallying cry for grassroots fans.

But while Gordon was winning races and championships, he was also helped to bring the sport out of the dust of its bootlegger past and into the mainstream of America.

"I think that the greatest thing I saw was in those mid to late 90's, the growth of the sport, and how going to Indianapolis, and going to Texas, and moving all over the country and then packaging the TV broadcasting partners along with that, and during that same time the fans and their avidness for the sport was growing further and further," said Gordon. "The core was still the southeast, but you started seeing it be so recognizable beyond that and throughout the U.S.

"I know it seemed like just a lot of things were coming together at one time through those mid to late 90's. So it was fun to be a part of that and an incredible growth. Just going to the racetrack and every weekend the grandstands were filled. They were putting new grandstands in, and they'd fill those. They'd put more grandstands in and they'd fill those. So it was very, very cool."

And Gordon also had a role in opening the doors for some of the sport’s biggest superstars. After the death of Dale Earnhardt in 2001, Gordon became the standard bearer for the sport and helped usher in the next generation of drivers

It was Gordon who brought Jimmie Johnson into the fold at Hendrick Motorsports, much in the same way team owner Rick Hendrick brought in a 21-year-old rookie to join his team back in 1992.

Rick Hendrick signed Gordon to drive for him in 1992, despite not have a sponsor lined up

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"I think the fans will remember Jeff as that young guy that came into a sport that changed the sport," said Hendrick. "I mean, until he showed up and got in a Cup car at a young age, no one had ever done that. Then to go out and win the championship in his third year was amazing.

"I think more than anything, he opened the door for young drivers that weren't from the Southeast, they were open-wheel guys from California that wanted to get into our sport, because once he started having success, everybody was looking for the next Jeff Gordon, if you remember all the folks that came in behind him.

"So a lot of these drivers owe him a lot, the fact that he was the young guy that we took a shot at and took a chance on and what he did for the sport.

"He's done so much on so many levels," said Johnson. "He opened the door for Stewart, and Stewart opened the door further for myself and Kasey Kahne, Ricky Stenhouse. You look at when Jeff and Earnhardt and their competitive nature in our sport, kind of falling into mainstream media at that point, we needed a cleanâ€'cut, wellâ€'spoken person to kind of carry the sport. Jeff was that guy. His dominance helped our sport.

[adinserter name="GOOGLE AD"]"I look at my own arc in life and in motorsports, and the fact that he gave me my chance, created a team for me to go racing, and then what has happened from there."

Gordon himself is proud of the role he's played, but admits it's all because he had had his own idols growing up that help inspire him.

"I was influenced by other big names and competitive drivers, and that goes all the way back to early days of racing, not just in NASCAR," said Gordon. "I think it's sort of a pay-it-forward type of mentality that you have as a race car driver.

Jeff Gordon with wife Ingrid, son Leo and daughter Ella

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"As you get later into your years as a person, as a race car driver, you realize, and I think a lot of athletes probably feel this way, that you realize the opportunity that you were given and that you know others helped you get there, and when you see a talent that you know has the ability to go a long way, you want to help them maybe cut out a few steps or make it big because when you're a part of the sport you're just passionate about seeing the sport drive, and it takes young, aggressive, talented drivers to take the sport to the next level, and I love being an influence on them in any way that I can."

When Gordon takes the green flag on Sunday, he'll be hitting the track on his final Sprint Cup race exactly the way he wanted to – competitive, on top of his game. Whether or not he wins the title when the checkered flag falls on his extraordinary career, Gordon will always remember as a driver who did more than just win races and win championships.

He helped shape NASCAR into what it is today.

"I'm just very proud of what I've done and what I've accomplished and what goals were set early in my career or as a young kid and how I've been able to get this far," said Gordon. "Yeah, I'm a little sad that there is going to be a day when I step out of the car and it will be the last time. But I knew that that day was going to come at some time, and I think this is the right time. I'm more proud and excited of what I've done as well as what the future holds.

"Quite simply, I'll be happy if people recognize me as a great race car driver because that's all I ever wanted to be."

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