Jeff Gordon exhibit opens at IMS Museum, a first for a NASCAR driver
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INDIANAPOLIS — Five-time Brickyard 400 winner Jeff Gordon has returned to one of the most important places in his racing life — this time as the centerpiece of history.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum has opened "Jeff Gordon," its newest rotating exhibition, marking the first time the museum has dedicated an entire exhibit to a single NASCAR driver. The exhibit traces Gordon's journey from quarter midgets and sprint cars to becoming a four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and the winningest driver in Brickyard 400 history.
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"It's more than a dream come true," Gordon said. "You just hope as a young kid who becomes a race car driver that you get to do it professionally, that you can have success doing it professionally, and do it as long as possible and stay healthy doing it. I got to do that and a whole lot more."
Open through February, the exhibit features 13 race cars spanning every stage of Gordon's career, more than 70 helmets and never-before-displayed artifacts, including his first bicycle racing trophy, the first Jeff Gordon T-shirt, the firesuit from his first sprint car victory and the Williams Formula One steering wheel he used during his 2003 seat swap with Juan Pablo Montoya at IMS.
"I look at this room and walk through the timeline, and that's what comes back is just all the dreams and the hard work and everything paying off," Gordon said.
Long before his own career filled an exhibit, Gordon was a young fan wandering the museum's galleries.
"I came in here and saw this list of names and helmets and gloves and cars from the Indy 500 history," Gordon said. "I became a fan of Rick Mears because I saw his name on that list.
"I thought this place was just magical. So yeah, it makes it not only very special but very surreal to me to be standing here with an exhibition of my own career here."
Behind the scenes, creating the exhibit was a months-long process.
"It's a multi-month process to make any sort of exhibit, from the mezzanine all the way down to larger ones like this," said Jason Vansickle, the museum's vice president of curation and education.
Vansickle, who began his career at the museum as a tour guide, said curators often plan exhibits around anniversaries, milestones and significant stories in motorsports history.
"This one was a pretty great partnership because we worked with Hendrick Motorsports and Jeff and Jeff's parents for the artifacts, the vehicles, all the items you see here," Vansickle said.
The exhibit replaces the museum's "Now Stay Tuned" and "Setting the Pace" galleries.
"We're constantly rotating here at the museum to give guests more stories at the end of the day," Vansickle said. "It is a big job to do that, but at the end of the day, to have guests come and experience the artifacts is really the main goal."
While Gordon's accomplishments are well documented — four Cup Series championships, 93 career victories and a record five Brickyard 400 wins — he believes longtime fans will still discover something new.
"I'm blown away," Gordon said. "All these helmets have been sitting in cabinets and warehouses for years. So to see them out on display where I get to see them and then to get to experience this with my son, my parents ... this is a really special day for me."
Jessica Garcete is an IndyStar sports reporter. Get IndyStar's motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter. Subscribe to theYouTube channel IndyStar TV: IndyCar for a behind-the-scenes look at IndyCar and expert analysis.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Jeff Gordon exhibit opens at IMS Museum, a first for a NASCAR driver