Jeff Gordon is widely recognised as one of the most successful drivers in NASCAR history. Inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2019, Gordon is a four-time Cup Series champion, as well as winning the Daytona 500 on three separate occasions.
Jeff Gordon is widely recognised as one of the most successful drivers in NASCAR history.
Inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2019, Gordon is a four-time Cup Series champion, as well as winning the Daytona 500 on three separate occasions.
However, Gordon sits among a select group of the greatest American drivers never to turn his hand at Formula 1.
The likes of Mario Andretti and Jacques Villeneuve proved themselves in IndyCar and F1, while Nigel Mansell famously swapped winning the Formula 1 world championship in 1992 for IndyCar victory the following year.
Another driver who made the switch was Juan Pablo Montoya, winning the Indianapolis 500 as a rookie in 2000 before signing for Williams in 2001.
Montoya and Gordon did a car swap in 2003 that allowed Gordon to experience the true power of a Formula 1 car, and shaved a huge amount of time off his best lap in Indianapolis.
What happened when Jeff Gordon drove Juan Pablo Montoya’s F1 car at Indianapolis
A report from Hendrick Motorsports in 2003 shared more details about the swap Gordon and Montoya did.
Both drivers took to the road course on the inside of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which had a lap of 1:10.399 set by Rubens Barrichello in 2004 in a Ferrari F1 car.
Formula 1 used to race at Indianapolis until the disastrous 2005 Grand Prix, which saw only six cars take the start due to a Michelin tyre issue.
The report suggests that Gordon was turning in laps approximately 20 seconds quicker in the F1 car compared to his No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet.
He said about the experience: “I think that we should do that every year, but not right before we race at Sears Point.
“I probably won’t know what hit me when I get into the car on Friday.
“I’m thankful for the opportunity, and I learned a lot. One of the biggest differences was the braking. In an F1 car, you drive deeper into the corner, stand on the brake, downshift and turn all at the same time.
“In a stock car, it’s brake, wait a little bit, downshift, downshift, OK, now it’s time to turn.
“It’s an experience that I’ll take with me forever, but this DuPont team and I have already returned our focus to winning a fifth NASCAR Winston Cup championship.”
How Juan Pablo Montoya fared in NASCAR after quitting Formula 1
After starring in CART and winning seven Formula 1 races, Montoya quit the McLaren team halfway through the 2006 season to begin racing in NASCAR.
The Colombian replaced Casey Mears from the start of the 2007 season, although he took part in several races at the end of 2006.
Montoya won the 24 Hours of Daytona on his first attempt and retained his title in 2008, before completing his hat-trick in 2013.
Gordon finished as runner-up during Montoya’s first full NASCAR season, with the Colombian’s first win coming at the Toyota/Save Mart 350 on his way to 20th in the standings, where he finished as the highest-ranked rookie.
Although Montoya was a Daytona expert, he could never match the achievements of Gordon across a NASCAR season.
However, they both proved how quick they were during that F1 run in Indianapolis before Montoya’s dramatic career change.
Category: General Sports
