Five-time Brickyard 400 winner Jeff Gordon was truly back home again in Indiana on Thursday.
Gordon has been the state’s native son since the late 1980s when mother Carol and stepfather John Bickford moved their family from Vallejo, California to the small community situated northwest of Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Visitors here are welcome off the interstate first by a sign reading “home of Jeff Gordon,” leading to what becomes Jeff Gordon Blvd.
Welcome to Pittsboro, the town of 3,000 that proudly claims Gordon as their own.
Thursday they welcomed most successful NASCAR driver at Indianapolis back with open arms, to celebrate his career that now sees retirement on the horizon. Declared “Jeff Gordon Day” not only in Pittsboro but all 92 counties by Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, Gordon was showered in love along a parade route through Main Street.
Sitting in the back of a Chevrolet Camaro with “24” painted on the hood decorated in #ThanksJG tweets, Gordon basked in the glow of fans. Many of whom arrived hours in advance with their signs, memorabilia and much more brought along for the occasion and the slight chance Gordon would either see or sign it.
“The coolest thing is seeing all these people come out in Pittsboro driving down that main street. That blew my mind,” Gordon said. “And to be able to share that with some high school friends made my day, made their day, and I think this is just a great day all around for Pittsboro.”
Although the parade didn’t last long, there was more for Gordon.
Moving to a stage presentation in Scamahorn Park, dignitaries from the town bestowed Gordon with different gifts and proclamations. Among them the Wabash award, the highest honor bestowed on a citizen by the state. The Pittsboro police department made Gordon an honorary officer; complete with a badge and joke he had a shift to work on Monday.
That would be following the Sunday’s Crown Royal Presents the Jeff Kyle 400 at the Brickyard (3:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN), which town officials and fans repeatedly made known Gordon will win for a sixth and final time. As for the power of the badge, Gordon joked Pittsboro would regret that later.
When finally handed the microphone, Gordon shared stories from racing around Indiana, having been a teenager when the family arrived in the state and gave special mention to those who were there along the way. He joked next year it was time for him to get a real job as he goes into the broadcast booth as an analyst for FOX Sports.
As thanked the town for Thursday’s festivities, Gordon became emotional and sincerely called it one of the “greatest days of my life.”
“It does mean a lot to me when I’m surround by people that have supported me so much,” he said, “and I start thinking about what got me here and how it all happened, yeah, I get emotional with things like that. And to bring my mom and dad to something like this, that’s going to get me going for sure.”
After 23 years, Gordon’s career will come to an end with over 90 career Sprint Cup Series victories, championships, and multiple wins in the sport’s marquis events. But he’s also left a mark in Pittsboro.
What was once the Gordon family home, and still includes what had been their race shop, is still sought out by fans looking to see where it all began for the adopted Hoosier. In this place, Gordon became a racing sensation, and while they haven’t stopped loving him, Gordon hasn’t forgotten them.
But as he left the Pittsboro faithful cheering in the park, Gordon had other stops to make during his day. Doing so, however, not without reflecting on a career that not only brought him back home but the reaction fans felt was warranted when he arrived.
“I have always said that I hoped one day I can be in a position to walk away from this sport on my own terms. That at it all came down to how competitive I was, how much I was enjoying myself and how healthy I was but that I wanted to be able to do it on my own terms,” Gordon said. “I’m getting the chance to do that, and there’s nothing sweeter than that.
“We’ve still got a lot of racing to go though, it’s been a tough and hasn’t been the kind of year we wanted but I do feel like our team is really improving in recent races and this could be a perfect time for it to all start.”
Certainly Pittsboro wouldn’t mind seeing Sunday be another Jeff Gordon day.