NASCAR Drivers Including Hendrick Motorsports Legend Jeff Gordon Fell Victim to an Astonishing Jinx Once

Over the course of its nearly 75-year history, there have been several unusual NASCAR sponsors. However, for two consecutive years at the Richmond Raceway, the sport witnessed the most unusual ones yet. In the early 2000s, Chevrolet partnered with the Richmond Raceway for sponsorship purposes. In 2001, a select few Chevrolet drivers competed in the race with a Looney Tunes paint scheme. This included the likes of Jeff Gordon, Kenny Wallace, and many more.

Additionally, each car had a specific prism paint scheme to let the characters stand out under the lights. Around this time, NASCAR’s popularity was beginning to rise, and with the Looney Tunes tacked on, helped it even further. So the 2001 Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 kicked off.

Wallace was driving the #1 car, Terry Labonte in the #5, Gordon in the #24, and Kevin Harvick in the #29. Also joining them were Busch Series champion Jeff Green in the #30, Mike Skinner, and Bobby Hamilton in the #31 and #55, respectively. Gordon was in pole position with Bugs Bunny on his car. He got off to a great start and began to pull away, but a few cautions allowed the pack to reel him back in.

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Jeff Gordon was one of several participants in the races

On Lap 25, Gordon crashed out, and he was in championship contention. What made things worse was that most of his championship rivals were at the front of the field. Although he rejoined the race, he was well out of contention for a win. Things were already going downhill for Chevrolet, and the leading driver was Dale Earnhardt Jr. He himself was competing in a different challenge, but that’s another story.

As for the other Looney Tunes drivers, Jeff Green and Daffy Duck had a tire failure. Then, Terry Labonte and Wile E. Coyote brushed the wall and his tailpipe began dragging on the ground. Although it broke loose, he inherited the coyote’s bad luck and ran over that pipe, thus crashing. The next victim was Skinner and Yosemite Sam, as his tire failed. The only hope remained with Harvick and the Tasmanian Devil. With 20 laps left, Harvick got aggressive and somehow snatched the lead.

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Unfortunately, karma came back and bit him hard. In other words, Ricky Rudd exacted revenge and won the race for good measure. Harvick eventually settled for 2nd. Bobby Hamilton was 13th, Kenny Wallace 21st, Skinner 33rd, Gordon 36th, Labonte 38th, and Jeff Green in 40th.