When Jeff Gordon Drove For Ford
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- Опубликовано: 31 июл 2024
- Jeff Gordon will forever be linked to the rainbow 24 and Hendrick Motorsports. But let's not forget how his NASCAR career came to be when he was a development driver for Ford and Bill Davis Racing.
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that moment you realize Jeff Gordon is also in the race with the most cautions in NASCAR history…
*…he also got damage in that race* lol
I'm 100% positive that while Darian was researching for that race, he saw Gordon in it and then thought "hey, I could get another video from this" 😅
That 98 car is going to haunt Darian like a specter.
A lot of people might not know this, but Jeff Gordon's original dream was to become a World Of Outlaws driver. But he actually got fired by his owner for doing so poorly.
Is being a World of Outlaws driver better than being a NASCAR driver? Actually it was pretty cool when he wanted to be a WoW driver.
Wow, I guess it just wasn't his calling. I can't imagine Jeff Gordon doing poor in any form of racing!
In his biography "Jeff Gordon: His Dream, Drive, Destiny" which was published soon after he retired that I read, it said they tried to get into IndyCar and people told him and his step dad that it was really hard to be an IndyCar driver with the car handling and everything and people in the IndyCar community redirected them to NASCAR since they were easier to drive and he went to the Buck Baker school and that's where he fell in love with stock car racing
I think money is one of the reasons why he didn’t do IndyCar. It was too pricy
@@IanTheMotorsportsMan_YT Yea true
I saw another thing also where he said you also need a lot of money to get into Indy car
@@KosSports That is also true
Unless your name is Andretti or Unser.
Somewhere in Multiverse Gordon stayed with Ford.
Bill Davis didn’t have a backup plan in case Gordon didn’t want to move on to Cup them.
One of the great what ifs, on more than one count. What would have happened if Jeff Gordon entered the Cup Series in 1991 with Cale Yarborough's team, what would have happened if he stayed with Ford and with Bill Davis Racing?
Probably the only driver on the 2015 grid to have raced against Richard Petty in a Cup Series race, 1992 Hooters 500, his first race and Petty's last
Don't forget the what if Roush would have took Everham with Jeff
If Gordon would have broke into racing with Cale or Bill Davis, he wouldn't have stayed long with them. His talent would have been obvious and one of the big teams would have grabbed him. Wouldn't have taken more than a year or two. Happened with Bobby Labonte, who drove for Davis, and Jeremy Mayfield, who drove for Cale. I remember the maneuvering when Yates wanted to bring in Dale Jarrett to replace the injured Ernie Irvan. Jarrett wanted to drive for Ford, but was under contract to Joe Gibbs, who was running Chevys at the time. Gibbs would only let Jarrett go if he could get Labonte as his replacement, so Bill Davis was paid off to let Labonte out of his deal, Labonte signed with Gibbs and Jarrett was released to drive for Yates. Worked out for everyone but Bill Davis. There are some guys who always have to be the patsies.
@@needsmetal that too, given that only Mark Martin and his various Crew Chiefs at Roush had come up short (in 1990 for this context) and having such a potent combination of driver and Crew Chief in Roush would have been (in retrospect) a huge boost
@@RRaquello Mayfield wasn't snatched by a big team. He was swapped for Andretti with the Kranefuss Haas team before it was part of Penske.
And if you think for one minute Ford would have kept him for the first couple years but then let him go, no, that wouldn't have happened. Ford would have kept him if they were willing to fight to keep him in the first place.
@@scjacket611 Yeah, Gordon would have ended up with Yates or Roush, but he never would have stayed with Bill Davis. Mayfield may not have exactly been "snatched", but he was moved to a stronger team, probably through the influence of Ford. The thing with Ford is they generally had one "big" team at a time, and the other Ford teams would be short changed. It would be Elliott in the 80's, later on Yates, when Davey Allison was Ford's "face of the franchise", then Roush. I think Gordon, or his advisors, knew this, which is one reason they steered him to Chevy. Later the same thing happened with Kasey Kahne. I remember first time I ever heard of Kahne, Ford was making a big deal that he was going to be their "Driver of the Future", but he also ended up with Hendrick, because he didn't want to end up on the bottom of Ford's deck.
As a small footnote, Jeff Gordon also drove a Williams BMW F1 car in a ride swap with Juan Pablo Montoya at Indy in 2004
9:20: Got to love that classic ESPN Update chime.
I remember watching that #1 car when I was 4 years old. My late mother would turn on racing and it caught my interest and it has been that way ever since when Jeff moved up to the Cup Series it started me watching Cup races. It was cars going around the track to keep me busy, some kids like dinosaurs, some kids like digging in the dirt, some kids like puzzles, I was a kid that liked NASCAR and Jeff started a new younger generation of fans and brought them to a sport that was full of grown men.
Bill Davis was a good guy because he gave drivers a chance, but terrible businessman looking at how he ran his team.
That one time while having Dodge Factory backing.
He had Toyota Trucks that pretty much ended his Cup team.
Conflict of interest.
He seemingly set the example teams like Germain followed. Well funded with a not terrible driver but never being able to actually increase performance on track.
@@danielmoorefield4891 personally I think he chose to go more the truck series route because of all the success they were having over there
It’s simple. I see Jeff Gordon, I click
Proof that reasonably fast drivers who crash a lot in their first season shouldn't be judged by their repair bill. Sometimes, they turn into megastars that torment your childhood with how good they end up becoming.
I'm not a bitter Rusty Wallace fan, nope! Nothing bitter at all-... okay maybe a little bitter.
Haha great comment!
And other times, they turn into Paul Tracy, or Ricky Stenhouse...
@@jacekatalakis8316 Paul Tracy is actually good though
@@Painful3rection92 Couldn’t stay out of his own way though. He has the dubious honor of being one of the only drivers Roger Penske fired twice. So talented he had to bring him back, but was such a stubborn hothead that he got the boot again.
@@Painful3rection92 He wrecked a lot and got fired from Penske, tough and carried that over to Newman/Haas and took that back to Penske. He was either win, or do nothing in that 92-93 Penske, 94 he was in the superteam and got the boot, 95 at NHR, he did alright, and found his footing from 95 onwards, his 97 nosedive notwithstanding
EDIT: Okay as pointed out above. Fired /twice/ from Penske, too. Also he's one of the few to try aerobatics in a Penske chassis, circa 92 or 93 at Road America and his monster crash at Canada Corner
You left out his Stepfather. He had a lot of input when Gordon was younger. He played a role in Gordon going to Hendricks.
I have a diecast of not only his Baby Ruth Ford, But Also his Carolina Ford Dealers Ford, And I Also Have The 67 Car
Same!
I have a diecast of his Baby Ruth car as well.
Hopefully you’ll do When Dale Jr drove for Ford or when Matt Kenseth drove for Chevy
I saw Kenseth drive a Chevy in BGN. It was Team owned by his old Crew Chief Robbie Reiser. Jr. In a Ford ? Wait what ?
@@aldouscoroza It was one race deal, cause Jr crushed his car during practice.
Jr didn’t drive for ford, he did drive a ford in a one off race. There is a difference.
You mean Dale Sr., right? He ran two seasons ('82 and '83) with Bud Moore driving a Thunderbird, and scored three wins during that time.
Also, Davis was notorious for being awful with manufacturers. That was basically what killed Wimmers career. Pretty much the entire time they ran Dodge they had no factory support. BDR had flashes of brilliance, but the business side being run like circus really held them back
He ran Toyota trucks in those years Wimmer was in 22.
That’s what ended it when Dodge pulled their factory support.
Why Ward Burton is a better driver than you may remember
Jeff Gordon is probably my favorite driver of all time
Hms is still winning titles. Bill davis had to shut his team down in 2009. History couldve been very different had some decisions been different
This is a fantastic video from Black Flags Matter
Great video. That nascar rumble music in the background was a great pick 👌
Just so you know, Jason Jacoby has now also accused you of killing Betty White. Can't wait till he goes back to jail. Anyway, another great video Darian!😃😃
Hey, maybe if he keeps at it, Jason Jack-me will blame him for the Kennedy assassination or for starting WW1.
Shoot, I remember that car, I was there - Baby Ruth - ditching the field at Charlotte for his 2nd win? He was much younger then (so was I), but also young to be in the Busch Series at the time. It seems like 2/3 of the field are this age now.
A couple months ago I got a 1:64 diecast NASCAR of his #1 Baby Ruth car. I got it at a diecast store near where I live and me being a big Jeff Gordon fan naturally snatched it🤣
Loving the nascar rumble music in the background lol, very nostalgic for my childhood.
6:14 - Wait a Damn Minute !!! Allen Bestwick calling a NASCAR race in 1991 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Oh My God !!
He did call races for MRN in the 90s. You can also hear him in the background on many TV broadcasts if you listen hard enough or go through MRN's classic race vault as well
Out of the 35 cup wins brad keselowski got, he won 1 race in a Chevy. Talladega 2009 aarons 499
Mark Martin wanted another year sent Brad to Penske
@@timj3590 I remember hearing that…my first thought was why? He didn’t seem Penske Perfect. Sure, he’s more perfect than Busch, then he delivered the Cup to the Captain. And that SportsCenter interview..lol
I'd think we probably more associate with him driving a Pontiac and Dodge rather than both Ford or Chevy had hey stayed with Bill Davis giving he did switch from Ford to Pontiac after all prior to the 1994 season, I bet it still happens in this timeline with Gordon at the wheel
No it doesn't. Ford would have had the investment in him
And to think Jeff was one of, if not the last driver to race with Richard Petty. Correct me if I'm wrong.
I heard J.gordons first race was the same one as R.pettys last race. Wacky timing if you ask me, especially with how popular he became.
@BigWheel you definitely have heard right
It’s the race NASCAR has been trying to artificially reproduce for 30 years: The 1992 Hooters 500 in Atlanta. Gordon’s first race, Petty’s last race and the closest TRUE championship finish in history. Keep in mind, this was before the days of the Chase/Playoffs and all the rest of the falderal that NASCAR has introduced. 6 drivers went into the race with a chance at the title, and it was ultimately decided by Alan Kulwicki leading 1 more lap than Bill Elliott, securing the 5 point bonus and winning the Cup by 10 points.
Cope had a few appearances after Gordon retired, but yeah, Jeff was the last full timer.
@@zlinedavid Absolutely correct! Going into that race 6 drivers all had a chance to win the championship. Elliott in #11 won the race, but Kulwicki in #7 finished 2nd and won the championship by 10 points over Elliott because he led one more lap than Elliott.
Great work!!!
Great 👍video brotha
Side note you using Nascar Rumble music in your videos is awesome.
My all time favorite race car driver I need to watch this
I remember those days, great vid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's forgotten how loaded Ford was at this time. Junior Johnson, Robert Yates, Bud Moore, Jack Roush, Wood Brothers and AK Racing all were putting winning cars on the track and the Kenny Bernstein outfit was often really fast. Bobby Allison Motorsports and the Stavola Brothers also were able to contend for a couple wins here and there.
By 1996 it was just Penske, Roush and Yates that were worth anything.
Now it's just penkse and sometimes haas
It's too bad Alan and Davey left us to soon in 1993. There was easily another championship for the blue oval gang after Alan's in 1992 between those 2 drivers.
@@kirkkrieger9360 Kulwicki was likely never winning another one. People act like he was some kind of young up and comer.
And his owner driver approach was about to become outdated. After 1994, there was very, very little success. Kulwicki and his team would not have kept up
Oh thats surprises me
I remember when Dale Sr drove for Ford or when Rowdy drove for the same manufacture... But Gordon drive for them I never did know
I have the Carolina Ford Dealers and Baby Ruth diecasts. I bought them about a month ago for $5 each at a resale shop along with a few other cars
FYI Jason Jacoby was on siriusXM with Dave Moody last night
That Nascar Rumble backing song 👌
This is just more proof of how determination and some luck gets you where you want to be. Jeff Gordon faced every direction but forward half his rookie year in Busch, now he's a 4-time Cup champion and a top 5 winnningest driver in Cup. The only more successful driver for Rick Hendrick is the guy Jeff Gordon essentially hired and car-owned. Some dude who went on to get 7 championships, I can't remember his name...
Me either. Johnson only won like 3 or 4 at most. But, all of his came under the B's points formats so
@@randomepic6204 I'll be honest... at least 3 of his championships, he could have walked away with using the old points. I mean, convincingly.
We gotta remember, Jimmie was just stupid fast for a few years. I mean, like, "how are they not cheating" fast.
And it's racing, so they probably were, but... the dude is mega talented, I think the points format actually made it harder for him to get his cups, especially the last one in the playoff format.
@@JReaLBiz86 Oh no doubt. I definitely don't deny he is one of the greats, I just find it harder to believe his championships when compared to others before him who didn't have the chase formats
I was shocked when he announced he was leaving for Hendrick, Hendrick wasn't the powerhouse it is now.
Happy new year
A start on what would be an amazing career
Nascar busts Kevin Lepage (Cup)
I'm not doing it for memes, he actually drove for Roush Racing in the late 90s to 2000, and his results were pretty underwhelming
In Xfinity he was actually pretty solid until he LePaged the field.
Oh....the tv guide/family click era. Rousch had a plethora of teams in those years that never panned out.
Johnny Benson in the #26, Chad little in #97 and lepage in #16. Honestly it was why nascar implemented the team size restrictions we have now.
like that NASCAR Rumble music in the background
Anyone else just coming from icebergs video?
Bob Jenkins on Thursday night thunder calling USAC races Gordon was running.
👍🇺🇸👍🏁
Man listen to those 6 cylinder engines. Good times
In twenty years were going to be talking about the time when Jimmie Johnson ran a Toyota
i have his carolina ford 1/24 diecast love it
8:50 that owner Rick Henry has an eye for talent 😂
Please do a vid on Jeff Gordon substituting for Dale Jr in 2016
Honestly he was like a kyle busch who did 2 years of Busch racing. Both youngsters with lots of hype and talent
Nah Kyle Busch is like him haha
Still have the die-cast #1 Babe Ruth, 2022
I still have an old 1:64 scale die cast of this old #1 Baby Ruth car. Got it back before he got popular.
1991 Richmond was that one race he ran the 4 car instead of the 1.
Jeff wasn’t the first HMS driver but it’s definitely the powerhouse it is because of him. The house that Jeff built.
And jimmie finished
Cool. Imma make that paint in forza tonight.
Anyone will always have a dark past XD
American Racing:
1990: Jeff Gordon looks for a ride in CART. CART says, "Get lost, kid. We don't need you. We're gonna build our series on drivers like Raul Boesel."
2007: Gordon, 3 time Winston Cup champion is asked, "Would you still like to race in CART?" Gordon says, "What's CART?"
NASCAR was built to its highest level of strength and profitability on the back of Jeff Gordon, while IndyCar racing, with their Boesels and Zampedris and Gugelmins and Zanardis faded into oblivion and just about died. CART itself did die.
I remember when Gordon first switched from Ford to Chevy. This is almost forgotten now, but there was a lot of outrage over Jeff's perfidy, from Ford fans. How could he turn his back on Ford, who financed his early career. And how could he run out on nice guy Bill Davis? One of my early online race fan buddies (in the days of Compuserve racing forum) was actually a Ford Dealer, and while he was generally a very reasonable guy when it came to following the races, able to appreciate and like drivers no matter which car they drove, he had a special hate for Jeff Gordon. "That back stabbing sunuvabitch"! I used to say, "Ahhh, relax. He's just a kid. And you can't argue with the results." And Earnhardt fans used to say Gordon was a phony Chevy driver, that he belonged in a Ford. I had to remind them, if they even knew it, that Earnhardt once drove a Ford for Bud Moore, and not only ran out on all-time American Hero Bud Moore but stole his sponsor (Wrangler). Hey, racing is a business.
I never knew he did.
Got to see him at “the rock” Rockingham speedway back in the baby Ruth car. In my opinion I’ve always liked cars with the white decals or vinyl wrap and always loved the chrome looking wheels not saying he had them but the car’s that did run them looked so good and hardly ever won especially with the Michael Waltrip racing team but still looked good nonetheless in my opinion again. But yeah ford should have really tried to keep Gordon with ford. But woulda shoulda coulda ya know. ✌️👍👌
I got a 1/64th scale car of Jeff Gordon's Ford Thunderbird.
Same. I found a 1:64 diecast of his Baby Ruth car at a diecast store near where I live a couple months ago and naturally me being a big Jeff Gordon fan I snatched it🤣
I remember Jeff Gordon & Rich Vogler going toe to toe on Thursday Night Thunder on ESPN at IRP.
Yep, his decision to go to HMS really changed the course of NASCAR history. Maybe HMS is not the power house that we all know them to be, maybe Dale Earnhardt gets more than 8 championships, Jimmie Johnson might have not been in Cup because Jeff took a chance on him. A lot of what ifs and I am pretty sure that Ford and Bill Davis had to feel sour seeing Jeff and HMS win all those championships and races knowing that they had him first.
This is a certified BFM Moment.
I still have my 1:64 diecast of that Baby Ruth car.
Will never forget that baby ruth car.
Man Jeff Gordon in a Ford just doesn’t look right or sound right And it’s almost like my eyes don’t even want to believe what I’m seeing …and as far as moves go I’d say Lewis Hamilton to Mercedes was the greatest move in Motorsports history…
You got this man .... I mean the driver .... Fix Or Repaired Dodge
Which is more awkward: seeing Gordon in a Ford or that mustache he had at the time?
I have that die cast car. He was the man of all time.
For those who don't know, Jeff Gordon also once drove for Coca-Cola
Have an autographed 1992 Racing Champions Jeff Gordon #1 BabyRuth Ford.
I have a die-cast of the 67 Outback car
Rick Hendrick said just like Don Corleone "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse" a Chevy dealership and the future President of Rick Hendrick racing.
Got a 1:18 scale die cast fro. ERTL of the Baby Ruth car
It's a good thing Hendrick Motorsports found Gordon.
Not everyone who crashed in their first season is destined to be a bust
Didn't Bill Davis hire Bobby Labonte to serve as Gordon's replacement in Cup too?
I'm crying seeing the grey hairs on Jeff
It’s good to be an old man in a sport where many have died far too young.
@@zlinedavid facts
Imagine if they flaked out on support for Jeff Gordon as easy as they do so many other up and coming drivers.
Make a video about Jason jacoby declined racing for Hendrick
I love how hendrick found jeff. He said he say this kid being side ways at a track for multiple laps rick said "I need to see when this kid (jeff) crash the car" then he saw jeff drive. He told on of his guys "it to bad he has a deal with ford" the guy said "he does not have a contract" rick said he had one the next day. The rest is history one of fords biggest mistakes is not signing jeff sooner
Looks like Ford never learned from that mistake...
Bill Davis be a consistent manu challenge (impossible)
Championship Seasons: Jimmie Johnson 2007
Gone Too Soon: John Nemechek
Championship Hangovers: Jeff Gordon 2002
I thought Michael Kranefuss was high on JG as wel, or am I getting him and Robby mixed up?
I feel like if Ford Motorsports was really serious about keeping Jeff in their equipment, then Davis was not the Ford team he needed to go to. Instead, after Jeff won those first few poles and then that 1st win of 92 in the Busch Series, Kranefuss should have had a sitdown with Robert Yates and been like your starting a second team for this guy. #29 Texaco Havoline Ford Thunderbird and then had them debut the team at the 92 Diehard 500 at Talladega. RYR was an established Ford Winston Cup raceteam by this time whose driver Davey Allison had just won the Daytona 500 and followed that with another plate win at Talladega a few months later. Yates in my opinion anyway was the best Ford team at the time. Instead though, they dropped the ball and let Rick Hendrick step in before they could get their shit together. It was a missed opportunity that resulted in Chevrolet's continued dominance of 90's Winston Cup Racing cause after Dale Earnhardt won his 7th, who picked up where he left off & then THAT guy brought in the next 7 Time Champ in Jimmie Johnson... Thank You Rick Hendrick....
Fun fact; Every current Hendrick driver has driven something other than a Chevrolet. Bowman drove a Toyota for BK Racing, Byron drove a Toyota for KBM, Larson drove a Toyota in K&N East when he won the Championship, and at some point Elliott drove a Red Bull Ford.
Every driver for every single team has at some point driven a different manufacturer in some series 🤦♂️
@@scjacket611 I know, but I just pointed them out because they’re Hendrick drivers like Jeff was
@@HendrickNation9 Or, simply they're Cup drivers, like Gordon was
So weird seeing him in that car.
My favorite NASCAR of all time next to Kyle Larson. Thanks for the upload!
I really can't buy into the Idea the Jeff Gordon and Bill Davis were a Part of Ford back in the early 90s and in the Busch/Nationwide/Xfinity Series
I have a baby Ruth #1 firebird that’s autographed
Rumor has it that Roush made an offer to start up a new team for Gordon too. Roush was too much of a control freak though and wouldn't let Gordon bring Evernham along, so Gordon turned it down. The biggest what if of all for me is if Jack would've just tamed his ego a bit and let Jeff bring Ray along.
That is also what landed Gordon at Hendrick specifically...the entire #1 Baby Ruth team, including the crew chief Ray Evernham, moved with Gordon to Hendrick Motorsports.
Darian did you see penguinz0 reacted to your video?
Link…proceeds to get Rick Rolled
Hey man I think it's time for another bad seasons on Alexander rossi in 2021
I've got that car in a hot wheels!!! 2022
Jeff Gordon in a Ford? My life was a lie lol
I remember a time when the prospect of Joey Logano driving a Ford seemed weird to me.
" No big deal....its just a Baby Ruth"
I don't see Jeff Gordon doing better in any other possible path that he could've taken besides the one that he did take. Jeff Gordon was Hendrick and Hendrick was Jeff Gordon.
Imagine if he didn't switch...