"My stepdad had a machine shop": Jeff Gordon traces his path from first racing steps to meeting Rick Hendrick

Jeff Gordon is regarded as one of the most influential figures in the NASCAR realm owing to the vast success he amassed in the Cup Series within a small time frame, a legacy that he has built upon in various other roles on the field. Moreover, his first exposure to racing was brought by his stepdad, a trail which led him to join Rick Hendrick's team in the top league a few years later.

The 54-year-old is a four-time Cup Series champion and remained in the premier class of stock car racing for over two decades. However, stock cars were never his primary destination, as Gordon was enticed by the open-wheel racing sphere and wanted to venture into IndyCar.

But, before all this, his initial interest in racing was actually sparked by his stepdad, John Bickford. He had a machine shop when the future racer was young, and he was the one who got him into the field of racing, as he told Kyle Petty (via Circle Country):

"Early on, I got introduced to cars and racing really, really young. My stepdad, he, had a machine shop and built things for people with race cars and cars."

Subsequently, Jeff Gordon got into racing sprint cars and won titles in the USAC scene. But his interest was soon turned towards the stock car racing sphere, and he started racing in the Busch Series (now Xfinity Series).

In his second full season in the championship (1992), his win at Atlanta was noted by Rick Hendrick, who got him on board the Hendrick Motorsports stable, as he further added:

"So, we go the second year, go to Atlanta early in the season, and we win that race... On Monday or Tuesday of the next week, Rick [Hendrick] asked me to come down to his office. And I went... And I was like, "Holy crap, I'm sitting in front of Rick Hendrick. Like, is this really, true? Is this really possible? Is this gonna happen?""

On the other hand, Rick Hendrick's decision to hire Jeff Gordon proved to be successful as the team earned its first drivers' championship at the hands of the Vallejo-born driver.

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Jeff Gordon revealed how Rick Hendrick viewed his request to venture into TV

Hendrick Motorsports owner (L) Rick Hendrick and Jeff Gordon (R) - Source: Imagn

While Rick Hendrick and Jeff Gordon had been in a partnership for multiple decades, this boss-driver relationship couldn't continue for long as the latter was nearing his retirement in the series. With the two having a close bond, Gordon had actually voiced his concern about moving away from racing to Hendrick in his final years in the sport.

However, his love for racing was still there, but he wanted to enjoy the sport differently, as an analyst, a proposition that Gordon gave to Hendrick, who reacted in the following way, as the four-time champion revealed to Kyle Petty:

"Rick Hendrick and I have an incredible relationship. So, I came to him and I said, "Hey, my back's hurting. I really need to start thinking about when I'm going to start transitioning out of driving." So, I ran it [the idea of commentating] by him and he's like, "You know, I think it's a great idea, go do that for a couple of years and then I want you over here," and I said, "Okay, good deal.""

Jeff Gordon's ties with Hendrick Motorsports strengthened over the years, as the co-owner became the vice-chairman of the squad in 2022.