“This car’s on the edge,” Jeff Gordon said about the Next-Gen car back in 2023. Two years have passed by, and NASCAR’s 2022 innovation is still catching fire. In Darlington, William Byron led the first 243 of 293 laps. But as soon as he caught lap traffic, he lost his lead, never to regain it. Similarly, Kyle Larson could never make the passing moves required to topple Austin Cindric in Talladega. Despite his own drivers suffering, Gordon applauded the racing product by celebrating a sponsor’s continued presence.
Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, will turn heads this weekend. He will commemorate two special occasions. Firstly, remembering how he snapped a 42-race winless streak last year in Texas. Secondly, acknowledging a special anniversary of his longtime sponsor, NAPA Auto Parts. And Jeff Gordon, the HMS vice chairman, chipped in with enthusiasm.
Jeff Gordon hypes up sponsors
Well, NASCAR tried to fix the Next-Gen car in other ways. Goodyear spent 2024 working on its high-wear tires that seemed like the solution to the car’s passing problems. Although it worked somewhat on some short tracks, Bristol still yielded glaring faults. Kyle Larson dominated both the 2024 Fall race and this year’s spring race. Add Darlington and Talladega’s mishaps to them, and you can see that NASCAR is not really making progress. Backlash continued from both fans and veteran drivers like Denny Hamlin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Despite this rickety situation, Jeff Gordon hailed the presence of sponsors who are living off of this faulty racing product.
NAPA Auto Parts is celebrating its 100th anniversary as a company at Texas Motor Speedway. For this occasion, Chase Elliott’s No. 9 Chevrolet will sport an eye-catching champagne gold paint scheme. Jeff Gordon shared how Hendrick Motorsports and NAPA have been planning this scheme for some time. “It’s probably been for us about a year planning for this event this weekend, and every time we’d get on the phone with them, you could just sense their excitement for the way this weekend was shaping up.” They will run the same paint scheme in a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race and a High Limit sprint car race at the same complex. About 10-20 company execs and guests will be on site at Texas and are planning a company dinner the night before the race. Gordon added that he and the team “look at it as a partnership, not just a sponsorship.”
.@JeffGordonWeb says that Hendrick Motorsports is seeing some positive signs with landing new sponsorship deals: “There’s still a little bit of a battle as far as pricing, but we are definitely seeing more interest than we’ve seen in a long time.” https://t.co/virM08yCU0
— Adam Stern (@A_S12) April 30, 2025
HMS is one of NASCAR’s only two four-car teams. At the beginning of 2025, Chase Elliott added Amazon Prime along with NAPA, Llumar, and Unifirst as confirmed sponsors. Harboring these big names in sponsorship, Jeff Gordon spoke highly of the sport’s progress. That is despite the fact that the Next-Gen car has performed poorly in recent races. He said, “Things are going well. I measure it more on activity, interest, and RFPs going around, and people coming to visit our campus that are interested. It’s hard to close deals, but at the same time, when you feel like there’s more activity or interest, the deals you’re going to close are also going to increase. I think there’s still a little bit of a battle as far as pricing, but we are definitely seeing more interest than we’ve seen in a long time.”
Clearly, Jeff Gordon is deviating from the dissent due to sponsorship interests. The HMS executive may have a biased opinion on the Next-Gen topic. But Gordon paid a heartfelt tribute to a NASCAR veteran.
Hailing a bygone hero
A poor racing product is only one issue that NASCAR needs to consider. But the overarching concern is safety. It is a highly intense sport where drivers risk severe injury while racing at close quarters, close to 170-180 MPH. So, the roles of medical personnel are paramount in such a fickle arena. One of them found a special place in drivers’ hearts. Neurosurgeon Dr. Jerry Petty was a constant presence in NASCAR over the course of five decades. He helped drivers navigate difficult injuries throughout their careers. Sadly, he passed away last week at the age of 90. Many prominent NASCAR veterans like Dale Earnhardt Jr, Mike Joy, Jeff Burton, and Kyle Petty left heartfelt condolences for the individual.
Jeff Gordon joined this group, leaving a personal touch in his tribute to the late Dr. Jerry Petty. Gordon’s post on X read: “I’m deeply saddened by the loss of Dr. Jerry Petty. He was the person I trusted most for anything related to the head, neck or spine. He helped me through some of the toughest moments, including times when I was dealing with severe back pain. But what stood out even more than his medical expertise was his kindness. After every hard crash, he would check in — not just as a doctor, but as someone who truly cared. Through his compassion and support, he became a dear friend. I’ll always be grateful for his guidance, and I’ll never forget the impact he had on me and so many others in our sport.”
While mourning the loss of this jewel of NASCAR, Jeff Gordon looks ahead to better times. Those times are being facilitated by sponsors like NAPA Auto Parts despite the disheartening Next-Gen scenario.
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