NASCAR
Jeff Gordon Doesn’t Think He Could’ve Handled Being a Peyton Manning or John Elway
Mike Thomas spent 23 years on staff and 16 years as the sports editor at The Herald News in Fall River, Mass., before joining Sportscasting in 2020. Mike has a deep knowledge of and passion for the NFL and NBA, and he excels at interviewing sports celebrities to find out their Super Bowl picks. A New England Newspaper and Press Association award-winning columnist and an avid sports memorabilia collector, Mike enjoys keeping up with all the sports news and the works of former Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly. You can find more of Mike's work on Muck Rack.
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He is one of the biggest winners in motorsports history. Jeff Gordon racked up 93 wins during his NASCAR stretch from 1993 to 2015. That total puts Gordon third on the all-time list. Although he’s accustomed to winning, Gordon wouldn’t have been able to handle being a Peyton Manning or a John Elway.
Jeff Gordon is a winner
Jeff Gordon started racing early, and it paid off. Gordon pioneered the sport of NASCAR, beginning a trend of young racers that helped gain the sport’s popularity. Gordon was the youngest racer ever to win a NASCAR title at 24. He accomplished the feat in 1995 when he won the first of his four Cup Series championships.
Gordon added three more titles to his resume, winning in 1997, 1998, and 2001. He also completed a record three career Grand Slams. While his 93 career wins are third on the all-time list, nobody has won more races in the modern era (1972-present) than Gordon.
When Gordon wasn’t winning, he was darn close. In the 805 career races Gordon has competed in, he recorded top-10 finishes more than half the time. He finished in the top 10 477 times. He won the pole 81 times in his career.
Gordon has all the accolades
Jeff Gordon has all the hardware to prove he was one of NASCAR’s best. He’s also considered one of the best in all of sports. His four Cup Series championships rank second of all-time behind Jimmie Johnson, Richard Petty, and Dale Earnhardt with seven each. He’s not quite the Tom Brady of NASCAR, but he’s close.
Gordon is a three-time Daytona 500 winner. He’s captured the Brickyard 400 on five different occasions. He was named the Winston Cup Series Rookie of the Year in 1993 and the Busch Series Rookie of the Year in 1991.
The list of awards and achievements for Gordon is endless. Through the 2015 season, Gordon showed his durability as well by taking part in 797 consecutive races. Gordon is also a member of the Motorsports Hall of Fame (2018) and the NASCAR Hall of Fame (2019).
Gordon doesn’t think he could’ve been a Peyton Manning or John Elway
While Jeff Gordon may not be the Tom Brady of NASCAR with the most Cup championships, he still is considered one of the best of all time. He could be the Peyton Manning or John Elway of NASCAR. Manning and Elway, however, went out winners, claiming their titles right before retirement. Gordon wasn’t able to do that and once said he doesn’t think he would’ve been able to handle it.
“We all know nothing would have been quite better than (the championship) and the win,” Gordon said after coming up just short for a Cup championship in his final year, according to The Sporting News. “But I’ve learned a lot in life, and there’s no such thing as a perfect day and a perfect life. Just like there’s no such thing as a perfect racecar.”
Gordon went on to say he wouldn’t have known how to deal with winning the title in his final year. “I think had I won this race and this championship, it would have been perfect, and I don’t think I could have accepted that,” Gordon said back then. “I wouldn’t have known how to.”
