After last race, Jeff Gordon gives special invitation to dedicated longtime fan

By foxsports
Published

Despite falling short of a fifth championship in the final race of his legendary career, Jeff Gordon was in an extremely appreciative mood after Sunday's 2015 Sprint Cup finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

In addition to giving his final driving helmet to team owner Rick Hendrick moments after the race ended, Gordon invited a longtime fan — whom he just happened to run into — to join him in the infield media center for his final news  conference as a Sprint Cup driver.

How dedicated is this loyal supporter? He's been following Gordon for two decades and proudly carries a full back tattoo of the Hendrick Motorsports driver's iconic No. 24 car.

"There's a guy back here I brought with me," Gordon said, pointing in the fan's direction. "... I've got a lot of big fans, obviously, and this weekend, I mean, I've seen so much incredible support, but this guy, I've seen this guy for years. This guy has been following me since 1995."

"Take that backpack off there real quick," Gordon said. "You want to talk about commitment and a loyal fan and a nice guy, this guy is awesome. Show it to us. Come on. Give us some love. Now that right there, folks, that's commitment. That is commitment. ... I just wanted him to be here and be a part of it."