NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon is glad he's retired from Cup Series racing

NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon is glad he's retired, and there's one key reason why

NASCAR Legends News Tuesday, February 17, 2026 at 10:10 AM ET •By Simmey Hannifin Donaldson

NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon was a force to be reckoned with during his career, but says he's glad he isn't racing today.

Gordon has one of the most impressive CVs in the history of the sport, winning four Cup Series championships (1995, 1997, 1998, 2001) and 93 races in NASCAR's top division during his career.

The now 54-year-old called time on his NASCAR racing at the end of the 2016 season, but these days, he very much remains involved in the sport in his role as Vice Chairman of Hendrick Motorsports.

That puts him in a unique position to comment on current affairs within the sport, and he made a fascinating observation ahead of Sunday's Daytona 500.

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Jeff Gordon glad he's not racing in NASCAR today

Speaking on First Things First at Daytona International Speedway, Gordon revealed that he’s glad he hung up his racing boots a long time ago, and there's one key reason why - driver overload.

“I'm glad I'm not racing today, and I’ll tell you why,” the NASCAR legend explained. “Because the driver has so many things happening.

“They're saving fuel. Don't give up this track position. There's a line coming on the outside. There's a line coming on the inside.

“There's just so much information that they're being fed that I think it would be overload.”

Gordon continued, comparing all of the above to how things were when he was racing in the Cup Series.

Racing in Gordon's era

“I think you could separate yourself from the field most of the seasons that I was competitive down here to win the 500,” he added.

“You really worked on your car in practice, got handling really good, tried to make it go as fast too.

"That was what the team was doing all winter long, but as a driver, if we could get the car handling a little bit better than somebody else's, then I just needed to not make mistakes, and that was the separator.

“These guys don't have that luxury anymore, so so much is riding on them and every decision that they make.”