Jeff Gordon has always been level-headed. Rarely did he lose his temper during his NASCAR career. Okay, maybe a few times, but for the most part, the Pittsboro, Indiana native\u2019s personality was much like his driving on the racetrack \u2014 steady and even.<\/p>\n
The four-time NASCAR Cup champion, who is the third-winningest driver in Cup history with 93 victories (behind Richard Petty\u2019s 200 and David Pearson\u2019s 106), recently sat for an extensive interview with RACER magazine, essentially covering much of his racing career, from his early days on the West Coast to moving to the Midwest, plus wanting to (but never getting the chance to) race in the Indianapolis 500 and more, Gordon talked about both high points and regrets.<\/p>\n
Among the questions posed to the 54-year-old married father of two were the best and worst decisions of his career. Ironically, his answers were very similar.<\/p>\n
The Best Decision of Gordon\u2019s Career<\/p>\n
First, here\u2019s Gordon\u2019s take on the best decision he ever made, and it\u2019s not really a surprise.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe game-changer for me was the opportunity that came along thanks to Rick Hendrick and Hendrick Motorsports,\u201d Gordon told<\/a> RACER. \u201cAt that time, I was driving for a good team in what was then called the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series, Bill Davis Racing, and we were racing Fords.<\/p>\n \u201cI had built a good relationship with both the brand and the team, and it looked like I was going to move up to the top, NASCAR Cup, it was going to be with them. And then Rick came along.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a tough decision because I knew there were going to be hurt feelings, and there were still going to be challenges. But I also knew already that it couldn\u2019t be a bad decision because the resources that Hendrick Motorsports had, the type of person Rick is, the commitment I saw there, all made me confident. And it worked out.\u201d<\/p>\n The Worst Decision of Gordon\u2019s Career \u2014 With A Recent Twist<\/p>\n When asked about his worst career decision, Gordon had already hinted at it when he mentioned that there would be hurt feelings after he announced he had signed with Hendrick Motorsports<\/a> and Chevrolet.<\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately, it goes hand-in-hand with the best decision: it was how I told Bill Davis that I was joining Hendrick,\u201d Gordon continued. \u201cBill was getting ready to move up to Cup, and we were having a good season in the Busch Series, and yet I knew I\u2019d made this decision to change teams.<\/p>\n \u201cBut we flew up to Chicago together to meet with Target, and I was thinking that this is the right way to do it \u2013 help Bill land the big sponsor, and then on I go to Hendrick. The meeting went really well, and as Bill and I came down on the elevator, he was really excited: he said, \u2018Hey, this is it, we\u2019re rolling!\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I said, \u2018Er, Bill, I gotta tell you something.\u2019 Well, there was never going to be a good time to tell him this, but that was a really bad time. So yeah, I think that\u2019s my worst decision. I should have told him long before then.\u201d<\/p>\n Sadly, Davis, who gave Gordon his first start in NASCAR<\/a>, passed away last month at the age of 74.<\/p>\n