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Jeff Gordon Announces Return to Racing for April Event

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jonathan Howard | Last updated Apr 2, 2026 11:39 AM ET

At the age of 54, and almost ten years since his last major start in racing, Jeff Gordon is back behind the wheel. It even has a tie in with Ray Evernham, imagine that. The NASCAR legend is ready to go fast again.

April 9th through the 11th, Jeff Gordon and others will be competing at the Heritage Invitational at The Ten Tenths Motor Club. The motorsports club was founded by Marcus Smith and Rick Hendrick in recent years, and is situated adjacent to Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Gordon and others are racing in the IROC event that Ten Tenths and the Heritage Invitational are hosting. The Rainbow Warrior back in an IROC car? Come on now.

Jeff Gordon watches as cars qualify for the Daytona 500. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Excited to join the IROC field at the Heritage Invitational. pic.twitter.com/uWJtUltMZG
— Jeff Gordon (@JeffGordonWeb) April 2, 2026

Jeff Gordon is one of the biggest names in racing, regardless of what he drives. While many fans would have loved to have seen him take on IndyCar, or even F1, things didn't work out that way. However, his career is one of the greatest in all of racing, and his record backs that up time and time again.

Now, for those who know their history, Gordon wasn't always the best in IROC. While drivers like Dale Earnhardt and Mark Martin were able to step up their game in those cars, which were made to be equal across the board and demonstrate driver talent over car superiority, Gordon never really did.

Despite competing from 1995 to 2000 in the series, Gordon only managed a single race win. That came at Daytona in 1998. He finished 3rd in the standings that season after the four race schedule, but was lackluster otherwise.

So, getting back in these cars 26 years later, can we expect Jeff Gordon to step up his game? This is going to be a more or less friendly event at The Ten Tenths Club, but once the green flag drops, I'm sure these racers aren't going to be so friendly.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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