NASCAR: Gordon says thank you and goodbye

Jeff Gordon officially brought down the curtain on his legendary career in NASCAR at Friday night's awards banquet in Las Vegas, where he received a lifetime achievement award after an introduction by film star Tom Cruise and NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France (ABOVE). Here is how Gordon said goodbye to his colleagues and fans.

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TOM CRUISE: Hi, guys. Good evening. So, look, I'm honored to present a legend, one who has meant so much to the sport over the last two decades and will continue to do so even outside of a racecar. Now, I remember seeing the photo. His back to the camera, his team's eyes were glued to him and they were learning then what the rest of us would soon know, this was it. And 2015 would be the end. We are happy for him but sad to see him go. When you're treated to excellence every week for 23 years, well, that's not something that you let go of easily, and when news leaked out, well, there was a reaction from everywhere. But with a beautiful wife waiting and two adorable children and a back that's howling, everyone knew the word would come eventually.

In a statement to the world, Brian France called him transcendent, and that set the foundation for his farewell, a victory lap that played out on stages throughout the world. Daytona International Speedway. 30 Rockefeller Plaza, Rwanda, the Waldorf Astoria, the White House and now the Wynn. He felt as comfortable discussing a championship with George Bush as breaking down Homestead with Kyle Busch, at ease discussing SNL skits with Jimmy Fallon as racing door to door with Jimmie Johnson. And with that he brought joy to millions, used his immense and deserved popularity for the betterment of the world both at home and abroad, transcendence. Few reach it, he did. And although many of us want to say we'll miss you, what we really mean is we thank you.

It's now my pleasure to welcome my friend, the four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, the legend, Jeff Gordon.

Jeff piloted the No. 24 Chevrolet to 93 career victories, third most on NASCAR's all-time list. Now to present a very special award to Jeff, please welcome NASCAR chairman and ceo, Brian France.

BRIAN FRANCE: Good evening. Jeff, it's been an honor to watch your exceptional career. From the very beginning you've represented this sport with dignity and class. You're the very definition of a champion and quite simply you changed the sport for the better. Ushering in a new era of excellence on and off the track.

Now, Jeff, you've been awarded many accolades this year, and you deserve them all, but tonight it's my pleasure to give you one more. But it's an important one. This award is not given out every year, only when an individual or an organization has made a significant impact on the industry of NASCAR. We gave the first one out in 1985 and it's a recognition my grandfather took with great pride. Jeff, on behalf of everyone at NASCAR, I want to present you with the Bill France Award of Excellence.

This will be the last time you're on the stage as a driver, but I know you'll always keep NASCAR close to your heart. This award tonight will always be a reminder that you gave everything you could to the sport you love so much. Congratulations.

JEFF GORDON: Oh, my. I knew it was going to be a tough night, but that just made it a little tougher, guys. How do you follow that up? Oh, my gosh.

First, thank you. Thank this entire industry, but, Kyle, Samantha, Joe, entire JGR organization, what an impressive year. Impressive championship. I mean, you've come a long ways from being that kid wanting to get my autograph. And then he was my teammate knocking the right side off the car every practice. But I'm really proud of you, how you've matured, you know, how you've grown as a person, how you've handled adversity. You deserve this, buddy, you really do deserve this championship. Great, great job.

Now, I've had a lot of people this year ask me, why not just one more year? Make it an even 24. It made me think, yeah, for a second about it, but then I really quickly responded, "Hey, this goes all the way back to April of 1977 for me. When I first was introduced to a quarter midget, so to me it's more like 38 years."

It's been a long time. It's been an amazing ride. To all those who know my stepfather, John Bickford, they know that by maybe August or September of 1977, I was racing professionally. That's just the way it worked in my family, and I couldn't be more thankful. So will there be another year? No, there won't be. I am so ready. I am so content because I'm just so proud of all that I've done. I will say it's been absolutely amazing, and I couldn't have ever imagined how my life would turn out.

[Fan yells]

Is that you, Amy? Yes, I knew it was Amy. If any of you have ever been to Texas Motor Speedway and heard somebody screaming and yelling and maybe blew your ear out, you know it's that lady right there.

Motorsports has provided me lifelong memories and stories that I get to reminisce and talk about for years and years to come. NASCAR in particular has changed my life in ways that I could never really even describe. It's still really just a blur to me. It seems like it was just, you know, not that long ago that I was traveling from Indiana to North Carolina to see what NASCAR was even all about, and now here I am 25 years later stepping away from one of the most prestigious series in all of motorsports and a fulfilling career.

That can truly only be described as remarkable, and for that I am forever, forever thankful. Alright. To the France family. To everyone in NASCAR, thank you, thank you, thank you for creating such an amazing series, for maintaining such an amazing series. I've been so proud to be a part of it. Thank you to Sprint, the media, all of our broadcast partners, FOX, NBC for bringing this sport to the fans in a way that just continues to grow to even greater heights each and every year.

Rick and Linda Hendrick, thank you so much – thank you so much for choosing me as your driver. I'm so proud to say I drove for one car owner, the best car owner, my entire Sprint Cup career. I want to thank everyone on the 24 team and everyone at Hendrick Motorsports who puts their blood, sweat and tears making the best teams in race cars every single day, and of course the team that I went to battle with this year and the last several years.

You know, it was an interesting year to say the least, not always looking like we're going to pull this thing off the way we did at the end, but Alan Gustafsson, you never gave up. I love working with you. It has been a pleasure, and I'm so proud of the way that this team battled, that you led them and that we were able to go to Homestead and battle for that championship. I appreciate what you and the team and that effort – I appreciate that effort more than you'll ever know. You know, over the years we've had key partners that have played a big role and some have been there all the way from the beginning, AXALTA all the way from the beginning, 23 years, very proud of that.

I'm proud that I drove a Chevy in all 797 straight starts. Pepsi, thank you. 18 great years together. AARP and the Drive to End Hunger, thank you. A great company and even greater cause that I've truly enjoyed representing the last five years. Ingrid, Ella, Leo, you're at the banquet! Thank you to NASCAR for allowing them to be here, but, my gosh, this journey would never have been so special without the love and support that I have from my family. My mom, my stepfather John, this journey wouldn't exist without them. Thank you to them.

And the fans, where are the fans in the room? I got off to a bit of a rocky start with the fans. There were some cheers, but then there were some boos, but you accepted me, you supported me so much over the years, and this year you rewarded me so much and I – yeah, I greatly appreciate them. To all my fellow competitors, now, when you compete against the same drivers 38 weekends year after year, it certainly creates a few challenges here and there.

But I have truly, truly enjoyed racing with you, all of you, and I appreciate the way that all of you compete at such a high level and I really appreciate the way you represent the sport. This sport has a very bright future ahead because of the drivers and the competitors we have in this room and that aren't here in this room in this sport. Thank you guys.

The question remains, am I going to miss it? There's no doubt there have been some incredible moments and experience that is will be impossible to duplicate in the next chapter of my life. Yeah, sure, I'm going to miss, you know, having that opportunity to win a Daytona 500, maybe another Brickyard 400 or what it was like in that last Martinsville win. I mean, how can you even come close to what that's like?

I'm going to miss the excitement in my team after a win and all of the hard work that they put into it knowing that it paid off or seeing Ingrid and the kids walk into Victory Lane and the look on their faces. Hearing those screaming fans and cheers of thousands of fans pulling for you. Nothing like that.

Sure, I'm going to miss those things, but there are a few things I'm not going to miss so much, like practicing in the middle of the day when it's 90 degrees knowing that it's a night race. You're going to be racing 70 degree conditions. What's that all about? Standing next to a fan – it must have been you in a urinal who's so excited to meet you that they don't want to take the time to wash their hands before they shake your hand. Oh, yeah. That one's happened many times. More than you can ever imagine.

Leading the race, just seeing the white flag, flag man's got that thing in his hand, he's getting ready to wave it, and inches before you're there, caution comes out. No, not going to miss that one. Being the last car on old tires. This one's for you, Alan: On a restart knowing that everyone behind you is on new tires, they're about to blow your doors off on that restart, but your crew chief's going, "No problem, man, you've got this one, man. You've got it. Don't worry." And last but not least, debris cautions. Enough said. Now irony to all of this is that when I'm in the booth commentating next year for FOX, those are the things I'm going look forward to the most. Have fun.

Thank you guys. It's been so special. Thank you, thank you.