Jeff Gordon has recently opened up about the intense emotions he experienced following a difficult period in his career back in 2004. As the vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports and a former driver of the No. 24 car, Gordon revisited the tragic events surrounding a catastrophic plane crash.
The crash took the lives of 10 people associated with Hendrick Motorsports, including family and close associates. In the aftermath, the team found strength and unity under the guidance of Rick and Linda Hendrick, leading to a memorable victory by Jimmie Johnson.
On October 24, 2004, a private plane belonging to Hendrick Motorsports crashed in Virginia, killing all 10 on board, including Ricky Hendrick, a former Busch Series driver and son of team owner Rick Hendrick. Others who lost their lives included John Hendrick, Kimberly Hendrick, Jennifer Hendrick, Jeff Turner, Randy Dorton, Richard Tracy, Elizabeth Morrison, Joe Jackson and Scott Lathram.
The loss was catastrophic for the Hendricks and everyone at the organization. Gordon voiced how visiting Rick and Linda Hendrick shortly after their loss was an emotional and unforgettable experience. He explained:
"I don't think you can fully put it in perspective or comprehend the weight of that race or the meaning of that victory without going back to the total devastation the week before and hearing that news and just being in shock.
"I can remember going to Mr. and Mrs. Hendrick's house and they'd just lost their son and family members ... from emotion of sadness to telling stories of great memories and to be there at that moment was hard but it something I'll never forget. Just how powerful that was."
Despite this profound loss, Rick and Linda Hendrick addressed the entire organization in a speech that left a lasting impact, reminding everyone of their importance to the Hendrick family. Gordon recalled the powerful speech, stating:
"And then to feel their loss at that time and then two or three days later, here they are at Hendrick Motorsports.
"To have them get our whole company together it was just mind blowing. It was like, 'You should be grieving. You take care of yourselves and your family. Don't worry about the race team, we'll get through it, but we care about you.'
"But their care for us and making everybody feel like, 'Listen, we just lost part of our family but you're part of our family too.' I think this company went to another level because of that support. Because of that family atmosphere."
A week after the tragedy, the Atlanta race became a moment of emotional triumph. Jimmie Johnson claimed victory for the team at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, winning his third consecutive race by leading only the final 17 laps. Gordon continued:
"I remember everybody leaving that room going, 'Oh, we're going to win at Atlanta.' As a group. It wasn't me against you, it was, 'We're all going to Atlanta and we're going to get this done one way or another for these two incredible people. They don't deserve this. How can we do something for them, for this company?'
"So, it was just highly motivating for the race teams, to go from the lowest of the lows and to take that and build strength on it was amazing. Of course, we wanted to be the ones to do it, but Jimmie was the one and Chad and that team and thank goodness for them.
"I've never been to a victory lane like that. Everybody was hugging, everybody was happy and sad and we're going to turn our hats backwards and honor Ricky.
"Just talk about a wild and crazy week that was unforgettable."
:quality(85):upscale()/2024/04/24/878/n/3019466/36c5693c662965c5d1ce91.72473705_.jpg)
English (US) ·