Jeff Gordon shares stories from life on the fast track during Liberty University’s CEO Summit

NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Jeff Gordon, the current Vice Chairman of Hendrick Motorsports (HMS), was among the featured speakers at a kickoff luncheon for the Liberty University School of Business’ CEO Summit on Wednesday.

Liberty is hosting more than 630 CEOs, political figures, athletes, and world-class faith leaders on campus through Friday with the goal of uniting industry minds from around the globe in promoting faith, friendship, and Judeo-Christian business principles.

Wednesday’s luncheon on the Third Floor Club Level at Williams Stadium’s Carter Tower also featured former NFL safety Jack Brewer along with Flames Football Head Coach Hugh Freeze and former Flames and NFL running back Rashad Jennings (’09).

In a Q & A with School of Business Dean Dr. Dave Brat, Gordon said work ethic and faith go hand-in-hand in experiencing victory in racing, as in any business.

“It takes a team of people, and when you look at longevity of success … it’s the ones that pay attention to details, that go the extra mile, and the ones that realize that doing it the right way and doing that consistently is going to get you so much further.”

He said his faith allowed him to become one of the greatest drivers in the history of the sport by making bold moves on the racetrack, which led him to 93 career Cup Series victories.

“I’m not a thrill-seeker,” he said. “I’m not somebody who jumps out of airplanes for fun or cliff dives. I’m more of a calculated risk-taker. What worked really well for me in racing was I had a skill set and a comfort level to make good decisions while doing things at a very fast speed and luckily caught a few breaks along the way.”

His legendary racing career and driving faith led him on the path to executive management within a company that thrives by training and treating its employees well.

“I’m so fortunate that everything that I’ve done in my life … driving racecars and being a part of teams in that type of environment has trained me and taught me how to be in a leadership role,” he said. “It’s just letting people do what they do and shine, to just give them the tools that they need to go do their jobs at the best of their ability but yet work with other departments and other people to rise and make the whole company better. Behind the scenes, it’s how we provide those resources, a lot of fundraising, a lot of partnerships, like this one we have with Liberty.”

He said Liberty online business management student and NASCAR driver William Byron, who took over the No. 24 car from him in 2018, has been an exceptional spokesperson for Liberty as a driver who has risen quickly through the NASCAR ranks to the Cup Series.

“He’s a student, and he’s a great person and a great representative of what this company and motorsports is all about, elevating NASCAR to the next level and helping the sport grow,” Gordon said.

Liberty is a primary sponsor for Byron and his No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE team in 12 Cup races annually through 2026.

Before introducing Gordon, Liberty Provost and Chief Academic Officer Scott Hicks said the partnership Liberty has developed with HMS CEO Rick Hendrick in recent years has helped accelerate that growth and opened opportunities for business graduates to thrive in the automotive industry.

“Rick’s been a great friend of Liberty, and we’ve been a great friend of him … predominantly to be able to send students out to serve his organization and his companies … over 100 dealerships,” Hicks said. “He is Mr. NASCAR, and it’s pretty amazing to see what he has accomplished, but it’s more amazing to see how his company is run, how Liberty University is run, and we have common core values of how we come together and how we serve one another.”

“Our students are the products and services that we send to market,” he added, “so we had better send excellent products and services out there to serve wherever they are going to serve. That means they need to be a Champion for Christ and serve with every fiber of their being.”

He said there are more than 100 students volunteering their time to serve at the CEO Summit over the next two days.

“Those students gave up their fall break to be here with you, so they’re probably the ones you want to hire,” Hicks said.

Also during the luncheon, Freeze shared a challenging message from David’s battle with Goliath in 1 Samuel 17 that he had communicated to his team this week in preparation for Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. kickoff at UMass.

“David was fearless in the face of the giant,” Freeze said. “He wasn’t afraid or nervous … because he was prepared for those moments. He knew the battle was the Lord’s, and the Bible says he ran quickly to the battle (knowing) God’s got this. Faith and skill were on display that day.”

As he found out in his own career and rise through the coaching ranks, Freeze said trusting in the Lord’s lead while maintaining personal integrity is vital to success in the journey.

“God’s plan is much better,” he said. “If you just let Him prepare you, be willing to be yourself. You don’t need to coattail with other people. You need accountability, you need great people around you, but God is big enough to handle your battles for you. So be willing to be yourself … and firmly hold on to the trophies of God’s faithfulness.”

Brewer, founder and president of the Brewer Foundation, welcomed guests and is scheduled to host other panels and workshops at the summit. Jennings set the tone of the luncheon with a prayer for the CEOs in attendance. He served as Liberty’s Commencement keynote speaker in 2016, was a winning contestant on “Dancing with the Stars” in 2017, and is a New York Times best-selling author. Jennings hosted an episode of his Sports Illustrated podcast on “Sports and Business” at Liberty on Thursday.

Follow more news from the CEO Summit at Liberty.edu/News