“I Was at an Advantage” – Jeff Gordon Outs Billionaire Rick Hendrick’s Secret Moments After Vanquishing Joe Gibbs and Tony Stewart

Back when drivers settled things like men – face to face on the track, NASCAR had its epic rivalry between 2 legendary drivers – Tony “Smoke” Stewart and Jeff Gordon. While Stewart was young and upcoming in those days carrying the young lion’s determination, “Wonderboy” was an established figure with the whole of the NASCAR garage looking up to the 4-time Cup Series champion.

And both were racing for 2 of the most successful teams in the sport’s history – Gordon for Hendrick Motorsports and “Smoke” for Joe Gibbs’ Joe Gibbs Racing. Not only did Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart come from open-wheel backgrounds but the drivers’ tenacity and their ability to win at any given track also gave NASCAR nation an epic tale of rivalry built on respect and not hatred.

Though both racers have retired with Gordon being HMS’ Vice Chairman and Stewart going on to have his own NASCAR team, Gordon recently revealed a fascinating backstory. One that got the 4-time champion one up in the game over his fierce JGR rival -Stewart.

Jeff Gordon spills the beans about his boss’ lesser-known detail, revealing how he bested Tony Stewart

Now for the young fans out there, just to summarize both drivers’ legendary status – both had 7 titles and 142 wins in the Series to their names. And to top it off both every extremely capable drivers and fierce rivals on the track. While the numbers may give the former HMS driver an edge with 93 wins in the Cup Series compared to Stewart’s 49, both have had their own moments, besting the other on several occasions.

And there’s a valid reason for that, while both were in the promotion’s top teams. Gordon clearly had an advantage over Stewart and in fact most of his competitors. According to Hendrick Motorsports.com, Gordon admitted how he had an edge over the rest, saying, “I got to be the beneficiary of it and the one thing I never had to worry about was horsepower.”

The veteran then went on to uncover Rick Hendrick‘s top secret, revealing why the team was and is the best in the business. He said, “It’s really special because when I came to Hendrick Motorsports, the thing that was evident to me right away, especially after I drove my first Hendrick Motorsports car, was the engine shop.” 

With the engine shop being the team’s centerpiece and everything revolving around it, the team had a solid foundation, one that Gordon is still proud of. “A lot of things in this company centered around the engine shop. The horsepower, the reliability and the pride that goes into that area of Hendrick Motorsports. Right away, I was at an advantage against my competitors when I was able to step on the throttle pedal and feel that kind of power,” said the veteran with pride. 

READ MORE: Outspoken Tony Stewart Reveals How He Convinced Jeff Gordon & Dale Earnhardt to Accept Him Into Their World

Gordon reveals the basic “combination” that got the camp their 500th win at Darlington

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Certainly having a potent and hard-working team beside you is a must to become one of the greatest in the sport. But Gordon also revealed the cornerstone that gets you going when horsepower and torque don’t – the basic building block that drives any organization.

Raw speed may get you across the line a day but to keep that going for an entire season is something the executives at HMS have always put the emphasis on. “On the other side of that is how do you make good power and have reliability? The only way you win championships is by having reliability,” said the HMS VC.

He further said, “To mix those two together, the power and the reliability is a tremendous combination. Now as an executive, I go over there and I see every day the way people handle themselves and the pride that they take in doing that job and supplying great horsepower to our teams and drivers.”

WATCH THIS STORY: NASCAR veteran reveals Ford’s “dead ringer” status at Tony Stewart’s expense