"I’m very proud of that": When Jeff Gordon surpassed Ricky Rudd to become NASCAR's new ironman

In 2015, Jeff Gordon became the Ironman of the NASCAR Cup Series after the former driver surpassed Ricky Rudd, another former driver of the premier form of stock car racing. As he achieved the incredible feat of starting 789 straight races from November 1992, Gordon shared his thoughts and termed it "incredible."

Rudd, one of NASCAR's most recognized drivers, raced 788 times straight during his racing career. This was a record until Gordon, who was driving for Hendrick Motorsports at the time, broke it in 2015.

Gordon, the driver of the #24 Chevrolet SS, raced in every single outing from November 12, 1995, to September 27, 2015 (Sylvania 300 at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon).

“It’s incredible,” Gordon said as per Hendrickmotorsports.com. “I remember when Ricky (Rudd) set that record. I was in amazement, like, ‘Wow, how does a guy run that many straight races?’ Certainly the way Ricky did it, he had to overcome a lot of things – the eyelids taped open and everything else."

"For me, I’ve been fortunate to come along at a time when the sport’s safer and I’ve stayed healthy and I’ve been in amazing race cars to go out there and never miss a race. I’m very proud of that," he further added.

Jeff Gordon made his Cup Series debut with the 1992 Hooters 500 at Atlanta on November 15, 1992, the 29th and the final race of that season. He went on to take part in 804 more races in his career before parting ways with the sport at the end of 2015.

Gordon, who is the current vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, has four championship titles, 93 race wins, 81 pole positions, and 477 Top 10s in over 25 years. His last race in the Cup Series was the 2015 Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500 at Martinsville.

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When Jeff Gordon shared the secret behind his mammoth consistency

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jeff Gordon waits to be interviewed on pit road outside of his car following the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway - Source: Imagn

In his interview with Hendrick Motorsports.com, Jeff Gordon revealed the secret behind his enormous consistency throughout 23 years. Here's what he had to say about how he was able to break Ricky Rudd's record:

“It’s not something that I was really focused on. It’s just when I see a group of people that are committed like what we have with the 24 team and how hard they work, it inspires me to give everything that I’ve got back to them."

Ricky Rudd is a former NASCAR Cup Series driver with 906 races to his name in over 32 years. In a career that spanned over three decades, Rudd claimed 23 wins, 29 pole positions, and 374 Top 10s. He retired at the end of the 2007 Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.