“Wonder Boy” Jeff Gordon Admits He “Took Offense” to Dale Earnhardt’s Nickname

In 1994, NASCAR witnessed the first victory of the sport’s one of the most influential drivers of all time. Often applauded for bringing NASCAR to the mainstream, Jeff Gordon is a four-time Cup Series champion who is often referred to as the “Wonder Boy” of NASCAR.

But why ‘Wonder Boy?’ Well, because the Intimidator Dale Earnhardt said so! As reported by the Hawaii Tribune-Herald, In a recent interview, Gordon opened up on why he took offense at his nickname.

Jeff Gordon reveals he didn’t like nicknames

During the interview, Scott Fowler asked Jeff Gordon if he liked the nickname “Wonder Boy” bestowed on him by Dale Sr. To this, the Hendrick Motorsports Vice Chairman replied, “I didn’t like any nicknames. I’ll be honest. I was just wanting to be Jeff Gordon.”

However, now, it seems that Gordon understood how that helped him and the sport in general. It’s clear that the Wonder Boy was not a fan of the nickname, however, this was an integral part of the complicated relationship he and the late Dale Earnhardt shared. He continued,

“And I think early on, I wasn’t mature enough or able to really fully understand what Dale was doing. He was not only trying to get under my skin a little bit to get a competitive advantage, but he also was recognizing what attracts people to the sport, right? A rivalry. A controversy. Personalities.”

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But that didn’t mean Jeff Gordon made peace with the nickname easily.

Gordon on how he started to appreciate the nickname after being offended by it

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Young, handsome, and a teen idol, it is clear why Earnhardt thought that Gordon was capable of achieving wonders. Owing to his strong rivalry with the Intimidator, he was often booed and insulted by Earmhardt’s fan base. While talking about the power of the seven-time Cup series champion’s fan base, he said,

“And he was so confident and comfortable with who he was. He had all the years of experience, but also he had a huge fan base. So he could almost get away with anything.”

Moreover, he explained how he started to appreciate his nickname after initially being offended by it. He continued,

“At first, I didn’t understand it and maybe took offense to it. Over time, I started to appreciate it a lot more to where I’m glad he did some of those things. It not only helped the sport grow, it helped my fan base grow.”

Regretting how he did not get a chance to spend more time with Earnhardt, Gordon added that he had a lot of questions for the Intimidator

READ MORE: “The Thing He Kept Close to His Chest & Didn’t Share With You” – Jeff Gordon Reveals How Dale Earnhardt Kept Him in the Dark