One of the top NASCAR drivers in history is getting back behind the wheel but he won’t be doing it in a stock car. Instead, Jeff Gordon will be piloting a Porsche at Indianapolis in a one-off on Labor Day Weekend.
Gordon will race in the Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands IMSA series at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. The single-class invitational series will feature 30 drivers in Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race cars from September 2-4 with a 40-minute race happening that Saturday and Sunday.
Not only will Gordon be racing, he’ll be reuniting with his longtime “Rainbow Warriors” crew chief Ray Evernham for the first time since 1999. Under the Gordon/Evernham partnership, they won 47 NASCAR Cup Series races, including three championships, and every crown jewel race, along with winning the Winston Million in 1997.
Gordon’s return is going to spark speculation that he might race in next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. Now an executive at Hendrick Motorsports, Gordon is spearheading the Garage 56 entry that will have a Next Gen Cup car with a hybrid powertrain unofficially race at Circuit de la Sarthe. The driver lineup hasn’t been revealed but Gordon would have to be in consideration to participate in the race. Not just to compete, but also increase NASCAR fan interest in sports car racing and maybe sports car racing fan interest in NASCAR.
[IMSA]
