When Jeff Gordon claimed his first top series NASCAR win in the 1994 Coca-Cola 600, the then 22-year-old driver cried tears of joy in Victory Lane at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Ninety-two additional victories, four championships and more than 21 years later, Gordon nearly cried again — this time while delivering what amounted to a farewell address at Friday night’s season-ending awards ceremony in Las Vegas.
After receiving a standing ovation from the assembled crowd of fellow competitors, friends, NASCAR officials, celebrities and fans, Gordon was the talk of the NASCAR Twitterverse.
Here’s a sampling of what his listeners had to say.
Gordon later had this to say about his emotional speech.
You can watch Gordon’s full speech below.
