Emotional Jeff Gordon says goodbye to NASCAR

In a poignant sendoff into retirement that included a special appearance by Tom Cruise, Jeff Gordon became quite emotional during the Sprint Cup awards ceremony Friday night in Las Vegas.

Throughout his final season as a full-time driver, which featured a retirement tour with numerous gifts, honors and accolades, an appreciative Gordon, 44, continually downplayed his significance to a sport he helped launched to astronomical heights.

“He brought joy to millions, used his immense and deserved popularity for the betterment of the world both at home and abroad, transcendence,” Cruise said. “Few reach it, he did. And although many of us want to say we’ll miss you, what we really mean is we thank you.”

Gordon, however, could not mask his feelings Friday, repeatedly trying to avoid breaking down during a speech that followed Cruise’s touching tribute, an unannounced attendee and longtime friend of Gordon’s car owner Rick Hendrick.

“It seems like it was not that long ago that I was traveling from Indiana to North Carolina to see what NASCAR was even all about,” Gordon said. “And now, here I am 25 years later stepping away from one of the most prestigious series in all of motorsports and a fulfilling career that can truly only be described as remarkable. For that I am forever, forever thankful.”

The annual awards banquet was supposed to honor newly crowned Sprint Cup champion Kyle Busch, but the unquestioned star of the night was Gordon, whose 93 career victories is ranked third behind only Richard Petty (200) and David Pearson (105). During his speech, Busch recalled how as a 12-year-old growing up in Las Vegas he once got Gordon’s autograph during an off-season test at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

“To race against you in your final season for my championship, that’s just truly remarkable,” Busch said. “I couldn’t have dreamed it any better, even as that 12-year-old child. I just hope to be able to represent the sport even half as well as you have throughout your entire career.”

In the city he was born and raised, Busch formally accepted the Sprint Cup trophy in a season where he staged a remarkable comeback from serious injuries sustained the day prior to the season-opening Daytona 500.

Busch broke his right leg and left foot when he crashed in the Feb. 21 Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway. Although he missed 11 races rehabilitating, the 30-year-old returned in mid-May -- far sooner than expected -- and would win four races over a five-week summer stretch to earn a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Once NASCAR’s 10-race multi-round playoffs began, Busch used steady consistency to advance to the decisive winner-take-all finale where he defeated Gordon, defending series titlist Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. to claim his first championship.

“We’ve all heard the old saying, ‘Break a leg,’ which means, you’re wishing someone good luck in show biz,” Busch said. “Well, as I stand here today and think about how lucky I am, I can say without a doubt, that breaking a leg and a foot works just as good in racing.”

But while driver-after-driver lauded Busch for his perseverance and acumen behind the wheel, Gordon was the real center of attention.

Before he or Cruise took the stage to give their speeches, a Gordon video tribute with remarks from Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson and others aired. Then NASCAR CEO and chairman Brian France presented Gordon with the Bill France Award of Excellence.

Several times Gordon could be seen wiping his eyes as Cruise, France and others spoke. But Gordon became especially emotional during his remarks when he thanked Hendrick for providing the opportunity to compete in the sport’s top division beginning full-time in 1993.

“Rick and Linda Hendrick, thank you so much, thank you so much, for choosing me as your driver,” Gordon said. “I’m so proud to say I drove for one car owner -- the best car owner -- my entire Sprint Cup career.”

Before advancing to the Cup Series, Gordon was largely unknown whose extensive background in sprint car racing made him the antithesis of what NASCAR team owner’s typically sought. But he would emerge as one of the best drivers across all motor sport disciplines, winning four championships over a 23-year career and became the face of NASCAR as it blossomed from a regional sport into the national spectacle with races across the country.

“From the very beginning you’ve represented this sport with dignity and class,” France said. “You’re the very definition of a champion and quite simply you changed the sport for the better. Ushering in a new era of excellence on and off the track.”