Gordon Enjoys More Competitive Second Porsche Race at IMS
September 05, 2022 | By Paul Kelly
Parker Thompson and Riley Dickinson drove to overall victories in the two Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands races Sept. 3-4 during Porsche Sports Car Together Fest at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Former Road to Indy driver Thompson won the 40-minute race Saturday, while Dickinson triumphed in the 40-minute race Sunday on the 14-turn, 2.605-mile road course.
Guest driver Jeff Gordon, winner of five Brickyard 400 races at IMS and four NASCAR Cup Series championships, just missed a top-10 class finish Sunday in the No. 24 Hendrick Performance Porsche GT3 Cup car.
Gordon improved to 11th in class after placing 15th Saturday in his debut in the world’s premier one-make series featuring 500-horsepower Porsches. Gordon’s first Cup Series crew chief, fellow NASCAR Hall of Famer Ray Evernham, led the crew for Gordon’s car this weekend.
“I wanted to do some fun things, make some passes,” Gordon said of his race Sunday. “I made a pass on the white flag lap. That made my whole weekend. I think we ended it on a positive note.
“All week I have been happy I am here, having a great time with Ray, Steve Barkdoll, my dad, Jon Edwards and the whole team. I must say that yesterday, I thought, ‘Man, I am getting beat out here,’ and I don’t like that. If I am going to be in an environment like this, I want to be competitive. But today turned the corner for me. So, I hope I get to do another one one day.”
Sports car racing will return to IMS from Oct. 7-9 for the Indianapolis 8 Hour.
The elite sports car drivers and evocative brands of the Intercontinental GT Challenge Powered by Pirelli will compete for the third consecutive year at IMS in the endurance race. The Indianapolis 8 Hour will begin at noon ET on Saturday, Oct. 8 and run to 8 p.m., allowing fans a unique chance to watch cars race after sunset at IMS.
Since 2016, the series has brought together some of the world’s great standalone endurance events to compete under the FIA’s global GT3 sports car regulations. The race weekend at IMS is part of a globe-trotting campaign that races on at least three continents.
Tickets for the Indianapolis 8 Hour are on sale at IMS.com.