“That Was Really, Really Wet” – Jeff Gordon Claims Chicago Opened the Floodgates for NASCAR as the Possibilities Are Now Endless

William Byron’s wild night in Georgia concluded at Victory Lane. Byron won the rain-shortened Quaker State 400 on Sunday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, giving him his fourth victory of the season in the NASCAR Cup Series. Despite the challenging circumstances that NASCAR drivers faced in Chicago and Atlanta, vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, Jeff Gordon, looked optimistic about the future of NASCAR after his driver made it to victory lane.

William Byron‘s obvious fondness for Jeff Gordon was evident by his decision to run a unique livery commemorating the NASCAR veteran during the throwback weekend at Darlington Raceway. And the same goes for Jeff Gordon. He has always given credit where credit is due. Following Byron’s victory, Gordon appeared genuinely pumped about the next NASCAR races.

Apart from this, he responded enthusiastically to a question about the potential impact of last week’s Chicago race on future NASCAR schedules and venues by saying that there are a number of exciting options.

Jeff Gordon Thinks All the Drivers’ Performances Were Remarkable

The Hendrick Motorsports legend went on to state that the NASCAR drivers and crew had done an outstanding job despite the challenges posed by the weather. This boost in popularity coincides with NASCAR’s efforts to expand the sport. He was particularly effusive in his admiration of the drivers, noting that it was no small achievement for them to race in the midst of a downpour on a city street. And now that people have witnessed that cars can complete the race despite the storms striking downtown Chicago, he says the possibilities are limitless.

In a post-race press conference at Atlanta, he was asked, “A week after Chicago, what kind of impact do you think last week will have on future schedules and where NASCAR will race in the future?” To this, Jeff Gordon answered, “Yeah, I mean, that was the biggest thing for me was you’re just praising NASCAR and Ben Kennedy and all the folks, the decision makers, Julie Giese, all the people that made that happen, especially after dealing with the challenging circumstances with the weather. But I think just now the opportunities are sort of endless. If we could put on a street course race in downtown Chicago, then where can we go next? What can we do next?”

“I think certainly comes at a good time as you look at TV negotiations and trying to build the sport and what the future looks like. I think all of us in the sport were very excited. Not to mention being able to race in those kinds of conditions. That was really, really wet. To be able to do it on a street course was pretty impressive,” he added.

At the press conference, Jeff also commented on William Byron’s calm demeanor after the crash with LaJoie.

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Gordon Is All Praise for William Byron’s Composure

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Gordon’s support for Byron as a racer has always been open. When asked what he felt was different in William’s demeanor after the wreck with Corey LaJoie during the race, Gordon attributed it to his experience and the inevitable setbacks in sports. He said that when tensions within the team are low, and communication is open, individuals are better able to focus on the task at hand and come out on top when faced with adversity on the track.

He stated, “Yeah, I think it’s a combination of experience, going through the ups and downs of the sport. But I think more importantly, it’s when you and your team are clicking and things are going well, you don’t get so caught up in when things are — something bad happens in a race. You go, Okay, no problem; we’ve been through this before; we can fight our way back. Or let’s just make the most of the day.”

Jeff Gordon also added that this is only the sort of behavior expected from a team and an experienced driver. People cannot get issues resolved through aggravation.

In Jeff Gordon’s words, “That’s what good, high-quality teams do, especially ones that have confidence in what they’re doing, and they just — you just don’t panic. You stay calm. I think even by winning this race, that’s only going to help them for the next time that they’re in a situation like this even more.”

Well! It’s a real feather in the cap for the Hendrick Motorsports crew as well as William Byron. However, fans now eagerly anticipate the next NASCAR series to witness what magic Byron has up his sleeve at New Hampshire.

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