NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon partners with Aston Martin F1 reserve driver as she drives HMS car at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Former NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon and Aston Martin F1 reserve driver Jessica Hawkins teamed up at Charlotte Motor Speedway for a special event.

Hawkins got the chance to drive a Valvoline two-seater NASCAR Gen 6 car at the track. Charlotte is also where Janet Guthrie, the first woman to race at a NASCAR superspeedway, competed in a premier series in 1976.

Jeff Gordon, who is a four-time NASCAR champion, is currently the vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, the winningest team in NASCAR Cup Series history. He shared that it would be a big change for Hawkins to drive a stock car, coming from open-wheel racing.

"It's going to be a steep learning curve but she's going to have a lot of fun. Just take everything that she knows about a Formula 1 car and get rid of it, empty your brain of that," Gordan said.

Valvoline Global Operations, a major player in motorsports, organized this event and brought together the Aston Martin F1 Team and Hendrick Motorsports.

Jessica Hawkins is a racing driver who currently competes in the British GT Championship driving. She also tested the 2021 Aston Martin AMR21 last year and became the first female driver to test a modern Formula 1 car.

"I can't believe I'm going to get to drive one, especially with Jeff Gordon—obviously a complete legend. Formula 1's a little bit more intricate and fine-tuned I guess. This is raw—this is almost old school," Hawkins said.

Hawkins is also the team's head of racing for F1 Academy, a female-only racing championship by Formula One.

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"Growing up and seeing Valvoline on my heroes" - Jeff Gordon reflects on Valvoline partnership

Jeff Gordon said that such collaborations are important for improving the sport both on and off the track.

"Teaming up with Valvoline today and collaborating with talented drivers like Jessica Hawkins shows how partnerships like this pave the way forward, on and off the track," Jeff Gordan said.

He further praised the retail automotive company’s technology for making cars perform better and win races, and shared his childhood experience with Valvoline.

"There is no question that Valvoline's fluid technology and expertise is helping our cars perform better, run faster, and win more races. But for me, it goes beyond that. Growing up and seeing Valvoline on my heroes' cars, then having a chance to race with Valvoline as a NASCAR driver was a dream come true," he added.

Hendrick Motorsports announced earlier this year that its partnership with Valvoline will last until 2029. Valvoline also increased its primary sponsorships from two to eight.