Who will Jeff Gordon's fans root for in 2016?
Randall King is like many other Jeff Gordon fans facing a difficult decision after Sunday’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
When Gordon steps out of a Sprint Cup Series car for the final time, completing a 23-year career in which he never missed a start, a generation of fans will wonder who to pull for next.
“I’ve gone back and forth on it all year,” said King, 28. “I’ve gone from, ‘I’m not going to watch at all’ to ‘I’ll watch it casually’ to ‘I’ve got to pick someone new to root for.’
“I’m at a crossroads. And I don’t know who to pull for.”
Through 94 interviews with Gordon fans conducted in person, on the phone and via email, the only clear answer is there’s no consensus on who fans will choose to replace the four-time champion as their favorite.
The most frequent response was from fans who will either root for several drivers in attempt to fill the void (21 people fell into this category) or are completely undecided with their loyalty up for grabs (20).
That’s 44% of fans who don’t have a single driver in mind to replace their favorite.
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Jo Koster, a college professor who has been following Gordon since he raced sprint cars in the late 1980s, is one of the people who doesn’t know what she’ll do.
Koster will root for Tony Stewart next season for sentimental reasons — it's his final year before following Gordon out the door — but would prefer to find a young driver to follow.
"You want to be along for the full ride," she said.
The problem is, she said, none of them have gotten her attention so far.
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The biggest obstacle cited among fans who want to select a new driver is Gordon himself. He's irreplaceable. Gordon's personality and success actually drew people into the sport, creating new NASCAR fans along the way. He changed the perception of NASCAR and helped build it into a national power.
Now that he's leaving, many of his fans lack direction.
"I can't pull for someone else the same way," Keegan Leahy said. "I grew up idolizing the guy to the point where his success feels like my success. There's no way I can have another favorite driver like that."
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But some have already found another driver to root for, and they didn’t have to look far. Chase Elliott, who is replacing Gordon in the No. 24 car, was the most-mentioned driver among fans who said they’ve already made a decision (18 people).
Though fans praised Elliott’s personality, his potential and pedigree (he’s the son of Hall of Famer Bill Elliott), Gordon fans are largely flocking to him because of the car.
“I feel attached to the 24 like you get attached to your favorite sports teams,” Dustin McGrew said. “Players come and go, but you always keep your allegiance to your team.”
Elliott understands the situation. The 19-year-old said some Gordon fans have told him they intend to pull for him next year, and others have said they won’t.
“You can’t make people like you,” he told USA TODAY Sports. “You can’t force that upon them. If they want to support what we’re doing, that’s great. I hope to get as many of his supporters as possible.”
As for those who don’t intend to pull for Elliott, the results were scattered. No other driver reached double-digit figures among the fans interviewed.
Kyle Larson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were next with six votes each, followed by Jimmie Johnson (four). Both Earnhardt and Johnson are currently teammates of Gordon’s at Hendrick Motorsports.
Larson is viewed by some fans as being the heir apparent to Gordon’s legacy due to their similar backgrounds, even though he didn’t take over Gordon’s ride.
“(I) like how they both came from California, raced midgets with plans to go open-wheel racing and didn't have support from family money,” Justin Nguyen said. “Add in the connections between the two, like how Kyle was a Gordon fan growing up, and it's pretty easy for Kyle to be my next favorite.”
In perhaps the biggest surprise, Brad Keselowski also drew three votes — this despite clashing with Gordon during last year’s Chase for the Sprint Cup.
“Many people wouldn't believe me, but I'll be rooting for Brad Keselowski,” Chris Gollon said. “Of all the drivers I've met in person, few treat their fans better than Mr. Keselowski. He may not be the most popular driver, but I'm looking forward to being his fan for years to come.”
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Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Blaney and Darrell Wallace Jr. also were picked as new favorite drivers by at least one Gordon fan.
Some fans, though, said next week’s race will be their final event as a fan. They view themselves more as a fan of the driver than the sport, and they’ll no longer be watching NASCAR once Gordon retires (seven people answered this way).
“It is strange to have a constant disappear in your life,” German Etcheverry said. “When Jeff announced his retirement, I didn't think of who I was going to root for; I thought about why I was watching NASCAR. The reason why I was watching NASCAR was because of Jeff Gordon.
“Now that Jeff Gordon is leaving, part of me inside has died.”
Follow Gluck on Twitter @jeff_gluck
