Jeff Gordon’s sweet tribute to Tony Stewart before his final appearance at Indianapolis Motor Speedway July 24, completely stole the show. Reflecting on their friendship, Jeff managed to crack a few jokes too!
Jeff Gordon, 44, all-time winner at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, had nothing but amazing words for Tony Stewart, 45, before his final Brickyard 400 race. Jeff who was substituting for Dale Earnhardt Jr., 41, led a thoughtful speech at the drivers meeting after NASCAR executive vice president Steve O’Donnell called upon him speak.
“Tony, I know you don’t want to recognized and I know you’d rather keep it on the lowdown — but sorry, buddy, we’re in your home state; born and raised in Indiana,” Jeff started off.
“I know as we got to know one another as friends and competitors over the years what this place means to you. This is not a year about saying goodbye, it’s a year about celebrating what you’ve done — on the track, off the track,” he continued. “And I think it’s only fitting that all of us in this room, along with the millions of fans around the world, recognize what you’ve brought to this sport and congratulate you on all you’ve done…and say, ‘Thank you.'”
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After Jeff ended his heartfelt speech, drivers and crew chiefs joined many more people in the room in a standing ovation, USA Today reports, for the two-time Indianapolis Motor Speedway winner. When the race was completed, Jeff, who finished 13th, and Tony stole the show when they shared an emotional lap around the track with their cars side by side each other. Kyle Busch, 31, ended up taking home the victory for the second year in a row at the Brickyard 400.
HollywoodLifers, what do you think of Jeff’s speech? How great was it to see him honor Tony? We want to hear from you guys, so tell us what you think in the comments below!