NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon joined Cheddar News this week as the iconic racing league celebrates its 75th anniversary.
Gordon, who last raced in 2015, is now the fulltime owner of Hendrick Motorsports. He first became an equity owner in 1999. He told Cheddar's Kristen Scholer that his transition into ownership was relatively seamless.
"My perspective, now that I take all of that knowledge or experience and put it into being part of a co-ownership with Rick Hendrick and just focusing on the foundation that's been built there," he said.
Gordon said the next phase of his career is about helping grow the sport of NASCAR and exposing it to as many new demographics as possible.
Part of NASCAR's growth will be put on display this coming summer when the league has its first street race in Chicago.
"I think that's going to be a testing bed for what's ahead in the future of what kind of venues and racetracks – not just in the U.S. but broader areas. Maybe in North America. It could be Canada, it could be Mexico or beyond and see NASCAR really go global," Gordon told Cheddar News.
When it comes to overhauling the NASCAR experience with EVs, he said it will probably take some time for the league to get there. He noted that when the shift happens, the league will be ready but its primary goal is to maintain the hype and excitement around NASCAR.
LeBron James will serve his first-ever NBA suspension tonight against the New York Knicks after getting into an on-court squabble with Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart. Stewart will also serve a two-game suspension for escalating the fight.
Jill and Carlo are a bit delayed today on account of Carlo's internet not working. Better late than never, they discuss what we know about the suspect in the Christmas parade crash, closing arguments in the Arbery killing trial, and more.
Special Olympics and WWE are announcing a three-year partnership extension of their global partnership to help create inclusion through sports. Mary Davis, CEO of Special Olympics and WWE superstar and Special Olympics Global Ambassador, Drew McIntyre join Cheddar News to talk about the announcement.
NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice and his daughter/business partner Jaqui Rice Gold joined Cheddar's "Between Bells" to talk about their energy drink G.O.A.T. Fuel. The pair talked about launching the brand during the height of the pandemic and what makes it different from competing brands. "The thing that separates us from the other energy drinks is we have cordyceps mushrooms in the drink," he said. "You're not going to have the jitters or anything like that." The duo also discussed the Los Angeles Lakers making it the official energy drink of its organization and what that means for the growth of the brand.
Jill and Carlo cover the developing story out of suburban Milwaukee, where a speeding SUV careened through a Christmas parade. Looters get more brazen in San Francisco, the missing Chinese tennis star resurfaces, and more.
Alternative asset, sports cards-focused platform Alt recently raised $75 million in a Series B round. Alt's platform lets users research, trade, and securely store sports cards and other high-value assets. Right now, the company has more than $70 million worth of cards in its vault. The company is also hoping to get into other assets, including NFTs. Alt CEO Leore Avidar joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Ameeth Sankaran, CEO of the emmy-winning media company Religion of Sports, joined Cheddar to talk about the "Man in the Arena: Tom Brady" docuseries that premiered on ESPN+ earlier this week. Sankaran noted Brady and former NFL star Michael Strahan as co-founders and discussed the origin of the company and its goal to tell stories about sports figures beyond their roles on the court or field.
A former live-in-chef for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown has claimed the NFL star lied about his COVID vaccination status and obtained a fake proof of vaccination card. Brown and the Bucs have since come out denying the claims.
Jill and Carlo are back to cover the latest in the Rittenhouse trial, new information on the origins of Covid, return-to-office and more.
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Ben Stinar, NBA reporter for Fastbreak on FanNation, joins Cheddar Bets to provide some one-month-in overreactions and underreactions to some of the NBA betting lines.
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