Jeff Gordon finds success on and off the track

The state dinner at the White House had ended, and NASCAR’s Jeff Gordon and his wife, Ingrid, were about to say their good-byes, only to be summoned by President Obama.

Gordon, invited to the White House dinner for African countries this summer because of his charitable work in Rwanda, wasn’t sure what the president and first lady had in mind. Then a disc jockey started playing music in the tent where the dinner was held.

“There they were, standing on the dance floor,” Gordon said of the Obamas, “and they said, ‘Everybody come dance with us.’ Ingrid and I were the first ones to go over there and dance a little bit. The president definitely has some good moves.”

Obama asked Gordon, 43, to break dance, but the four-time Sprint Cup champion declined, saying it wasn’t the appropriate music.

“He also suggested right after that,” Gordon said, “it probably wasn’t wise of me to do that getting toward the end of our season. I agreed with him.”

Indeed, seven weeks remain in the Sprint Cup season, and Gordon could be angling toward a return visit to the White House as a five-time series champion.

He advanced to the Contender Round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship by winning his fourth race of the season last week at Dover, and he will be one of the favorites in Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway, where he has won a track-record three times, including the race last May.

“It’s special to be recognized by the White House as a champion,” Gordon said. “I’ve never been there in that capacity before.”

In addition to the Obamas, Gordon shook hands with Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who expressed gratitude for Gordon’s humanitarian work in the African country.

Gordon has made two trips in the past year to Rwanda on behalf of Partners in Health, an organization that provides relief in third-world countries that have little to no health care.

Gordon, who funded the Jeff Gordon Children’s Hospital in Concord, N.C., was asked by Partners in Health if he could help children in Rwanda, especially those with cancer.

“One young boy had walked with his family 15, 20 miles to try to get care,” Gordon said, “and they gave him something equivalent to a Tylenol for someone dealing with cancer. While it was too late to save him, we were able to give him proper pain medication.”

The Jeff Gordon Children’s Foundation has donated $1.5 million toward treatment and research for pediatric cancer in Rwanda. Why so much attention to Africa?

“It’s about making an impact,” Gordon said. “Here in the U.S., $1.5 million still can make a difference but not near the impact you’re going to make over there. Whether it’s for medication, a staff member, it goes a long, long way, and you can count the number of children you’re actually saving.

“In the U.S., you’re trying to find a cure for a specific kind of cancerous tumor. You get involved in research … and treatment centers and quality of life, things like that, but over there, without you, they die. With you, you can save their life. There are success stories where they were diagnosed, did a biopsy, got with our experts, found out what kind of cancer they were dealing with, got the proper treatment and went in remission.”

Gordon’s humanitarian relationships extend to the sponsors of his car, the Drive to End Hunger and AARP, which renewed their support this year.

“It’s been so rewarding working with AARP and Drive to End Hunger battling senior hunger over the past several years,” said Gordon, the oldest driver in the Chase. “This really encouraged me to get out there and get with other volunteers … whether we are delivering meals or sorting through can goods or dry foods.

“It makes a difference in so many peoples’ lives. I look forward to doing more of that.”

Those sponsors get exposure when Gordon is leading races and taking the car into Victory Lane. He’s been searching for his elusive fifth championship for 12 years, and winning at Kansas would guarantee his advancing to the eight-car Eliminator Round in the Chase.

Those eight cars will be reduced to four, who will race in a winner-take-all final at Homestead.

“We feel like we’re in championship form,” Gordon said. “This team is strong, our cars are strong, and that race at Kansas earlier this year set the tone for us this year.”

Gordon’s win at Dover was the 92nd of his career, third all-time to Richard Petty’s 200 and David Pearson’s 105. Bothered by a bad back this season, Gordon has hinted a retirement if he were to win a fifth championship, but now that he’s drawn closer to 100, he may re-think the issue.

“I can’t even think about 100 until we get to 99,” Gordon said. “I never dreamed in a million years that I would be here talking to you after 92 wins, and especially at this point in my career, this many years in the sport, to be having the year that we’re having. It’s just something I never thought could happen.

“If I felt like we could stay this competitive for the next several years, I would say, yeah, we could get (to 100). But right now we’re just laser focused on this championship. I don’t think we’re going to get to 100 this year, but I hope we get past 93.

“That would be pretty awesome to get a couple more, and it almost takes another win to get to Homestead. That’s our goal … getting to Homestead.”

This story was originally published October 2, 2014 at 4:40 PM with the headline "Jeff Gordon finds success on and off the track."