As part
of the revamped Glory Road set to debut Saturday, Jan. 11, the NASCAR Hall of
Fame announced the second of nine exclusive sneak peeks included in the
exhibit. The 1994 No. 24 Chevrolet Lumina with which Jeff Gordon captured his
first career premier series victory will join the 18 historic cars that will
comprise the exhibit. The reveal took place during the final Chase driver
appearance of the season, which featured Gordon and Jimmie Johnson at the
NASCAR Hall of Fame today.
At age 22, Gordon was on track to become a NASCAR superstar.
His first win was the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the longest
event on the NASCAR schedule. Gordon started the race from the pole position
and led the first lap, but then sat back like a veteran. He bided his time and
kept the leaders in sight realizing the length of the race would take a toll on
his equipment. With the help of a two-tire pit stop call by crew chief Ray
Evernham, Gordon was able to capture his first of 88 career premier series
wins, beating Rusty Wallace to the finish line by four seconds. In Victory
Lane, Gordon celebrated with his team owner Rick Hendrick, Evernham and his
crew.
Glory Road, which features 18 historic stock cars encircling
the Great Hall, has served as one of the Hall’s most prominent focal points
since opening. Speedways from across the country are illustrated here as well,
where guests can touch the texture of various tracks and feel the intense
banking that drivers face week-to-week. Glory Road 2.0 will see 18 new cars
that reflect the six generations of premier series race cars that have been
driven and built by some of the sport’s most celebrated drivers, owners and
mechanics.
To mark this major exhibit revamp, the Hall will provide an
exclusive sneak peek of artifacts in the coming weeks via in-person and social
media unveils. The nine debuts will culminate with a behind-the-scenes media
preview of all 18 cars in January.
It is hard to believe the car is old enough to vote or that it is 19 years old. In those 19 years in some of the most competitive fields the sport has seen he won 87 more races.
ReplyDeleteAnother NASCAR All Time Great that I will forever call The Champ (The Late Dale Earnhardt Sr.) recognized Gordon to be 1 of the greatest drivers of the sport to his son Jr. Dale new then what we have witnessed through the years. I am sure in the future there will be more Hall exhibits that include both Gordon and Dale. There are a few others driving now we will see in the hall in years to come, love them or hate them you can not deny their greatness when it comes to Stock Car Racing at the highest level.