INDIANAPOLIS -- Jeffrey Hess thought he said goodbye to his favorite driver last year.
In November, he flew from suburban Philadelphia to witness Jeff Gordon’s final Sprint Cup race, at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and soaked up all the hoopla surrounding the four-time champion’s farewell.
So when Hess watched a news conference online last week and heard Hendrick Motorsports officials mention the possibility Gordon could make a comeback at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the 41-year-old didn’t hesitate.
After clearing it with his wife, Hess bought two race tickets and two plane tickets – one each for he and his 8-year-old son, Nathan – to fly to the Brickyard. And this was five days before Gordon’s role in replacing the ailing Dale Earnhardt Jr. was confirmed.
“I couldn’t miss it,” Hess said of watching Gordon, who grew up in nearby Pittsboro, get behind the wheel again. “I wish it was under better circumstances, of course. It’s bittersweet, especially with the Earnhardt angle.”
USA TODAY Sports spoke to several Gordon and Earnhardt fans who plan to attend Sunday’s Brickyard 400, where Gordon will climb into the No. 88 car while Earnhardt sits out a second race as he continues to battle concussion-like symptoms. There is no timeline on when he might return.
One thing is clear: Though both groups of fans are concerned about Earnhardt’s health, there’s a divide in how fans are feeling.
Earnhardt fans are understandably a bit depressed, while Gordon’s presence was a beacon that called some of his longtime fans from across the country.
Randall King, 29, from Oklahoma City, had never been to IMS. But he immediately knew he would make the 11-hour drive when Hendrick made its announcement.
“It was second nature once they said Gordon was racing,” he said. “I had a feeling I needed to see that.”
King said he’s struggled to enjoy NASCAR this year without Gordon; he’s turned into more of a casual fan than a diehard when it comes to watching races. The way Gordon ended his career -- at the time -- felt like a goodbye.
But Gordon’s return won’t tarnish how the driver ended his full-time career no matter what happens on the track, King said. Though it will be odd to see Gordon in the No. 88 after he spent 23 years driving the No. 24, he added.
“It’s probably one of the weirdest things I’ve experienced as a fan,” King said.
The number change didn’t bother Betty Koulos, 50, from Naperville, Ill. It’s about the driver, she said – not the number.
And the driver is why she chose to make the trip to Indianapolis with her family after previously deciding to skip the race this year.
When Koulos found out Gordon might race again, she was driving and nearly had to pull over.
“I was just trying not to cry so I could see the road,” she said.
Earnhardt fans have been trying not to cry for a different reason. Without the 13-time most popular driver at the track, some of his fans said they feel hollow.
“I’m not buying a program; I’m not buying anything,” said Paul Bunnell, 33, from nearby Lawrenceburg. “I don’t want anything to remember this by. Not at all. It never happened.”
Bunnell, wearing a No. 88 cap and green No. 88 shirt, said he would not have come to the race if a friend hadn’t already gotten him a garage pass. When Earnhardt sat out last week’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Bunnell refused to watch.
He certainly does not want to see Gordon win in the No. 88, he said, because he’s worried it would make Earnhardt look bad. Earnhardt is winless so far this season in his second year with crew chief Greg Ives. The team won three times and qualified for the Chase last year. Gordon has a record five wins here.
“If Gordon wins, I’m going to be beside myself,” Bunnell said. “Everyone will say it’s the driver – not the team, not the crew chief – nothing but the driver.”
Ashley Ewing, a 28-year-old from Franklin, Ind., said she didn’t want Gordon to win in the No. 88 car – but for a different reason.
“No part of me wants to see Gordon get out of that car in victory lane on Sunday,” she said. “That’s Dale Jr.’s car, and seeing someone else win in it – I wouldn’t be cool with that.”
Ewing typically comes to the Brickyard with a diecast No. 88 car and spends her time trying to get an autograph from Earnhardt. This time, she said, “it took a lot for me to even decide that I wanted to come.”
Without being focused on a driver who she’d been rooting for since her pre-teen years, Ewing said she looked at the track in a different way.
“I texted my cousin and said, ‘Who knew other drivers come to this?’ ” she said with a laugh.
Follow Gluck on Twitter @jeff_gluck
