The Four-Time Cup Series Champion Will Be Reunited with Former Crew Chief Ray Evernham
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon will briefly step out of retirement to race in the IMSA-sanctioned Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS), Sept. 2-4.
Highlighting the weekend for the three-time Daytona 500 winner will be a reunion with longtime and storied crew chief Ray Evernham. It marks the first time the championship-winning combination has teamed together since 1999. Gordon joins an entry list of more than 30 Porsche specialists all piloting Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race cars competing on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course at the world-famous race course.
“I’m looking forward to getting back in a race car and competing against a talented field of teams and drivers,” said Gordon, the NASCAR Hall of Famer. “It’s always special when I get a chance to compete at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Ray and I have always talked about running another race together, and we felt like Indy was the perfect place. It’ll be a fun way to spend the holiday weekend and make some new memories.”
Gordon will drive the No. 24 entry in the Invitational class of the Porsche one-make series as part of the second annual Porsche Sports Car Together Fest. The 93-time NASCAR Cup race winner is no stranger to either road courses or Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The hometown hero of nearby Pittsboro, Indiana, is a record five-time Brickyard 400 winner on the IMS oval and holds the NASCAR Cup Series record for most road course victories (nine). In 2017, Gordon won the Rolex 24 At Daytona overall in his second attempt in the iconic IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race. In doing so, he became one of only four drivers to win both the Daytona 500 and the Daytona 24-hour race. In 2003, he had his first taste of the Indy road course in a famous “car exchange” with Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya.
Opening practice for the two 40-minute Carrera Cup races will come on Friday, Sept. 2, followed by qualifying and Race 1 on Saturday, Sept. 3 and Race 2 scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 4.
Live timing and scoring of each session can be found at www.PorscheCarreraCup.us. The races will be broadcast live on the official series website – www.porschecarreracup.us – as well as on IMSA.com/TVLive. IMSA Radio will provide play-by-play commentary.