When Jimmie Johnson arrived at Hendrick Motorsports in 2002, Jeff Gordon was already one of NASCAR’s biggest stars. However, Gordon admitted Johnson’s dominance forced him to look back at his own approach and realize where he could have done more.
Speaking on the Bussin’ With The Boys podcast, Gordon noted Johnson’s commitment to the sport, and also said he regrets allowing himself to lose some of the drive that had made him so successful earlier in his career.
“What I would have done differently is just some of those things. I’ll be the first to say it, coming through the mid-90s… I think there was more effort that could have been made. I was living a very privileged lifestyle because of the success.
I moved to Florida, had my own plane, big PSA deals, getting invited to red carpets, and enjoying life and success. My focus on the track and with the team suffered a little bit. I don’t think I was as committed. I know I wasn’t as committed as Jimmie.”
Continuing in the same interaction, Gordon added that Johnson reminded him of the racer he used to be when he first entered NASCAR. At first, he welcomed his teammate’s success because it benefited Hendrick Motorsports, but the feeling changed once Johnson began dominating the sport.
Although Johnson’s rise made life tougher on the racetrack, Gordon pointed out that the success also benefited him financially. Thanks to the lifetime contract and equity deal he negotiated with Hendrick Motorsports, both the No. 24 and No. 48 teams operated under the same LLC.
Thanks to Jimmie Johnson’s relationship with Rick Hendrick, he will be allowed to use the No.48 car at his final race in the 2027 Daytona 500.
But losing his work ethic isn’t the only regret Jeff Gordon holds.
The one answer Jeff Gordon will never get from Dale Earnhardt
If you were a NASCAR fan in the 1990s, you will remember the intense rivalry between Dale Sr. and Jeff Gordon.
In the same episode of the Bussin’ with the Boys podcast, Gordon said his biggest regret is never being able to ask Earnhardt whether the mind games and public comments during their championship battles were genuine or part of a bigger strategy.
He added that Earnhardt was a master at using the press to get under his skin, which helped grow the sport and build fan interest.
Because they lost Earnhardt in 2001, Gordon regrets that he never got the chance to sit down and discuss the true nature of those mind games.
