Jeff Gordon: Ella's birth the best day of my life

I was holding her and she was sleeping in my arms right before I left the hospital. I did not want to leave. That's why I'm excited about being here, because I want to get out there and get this race over as fast as I can. I want to get it done faster than anyone else and get back to my little girl and Ingrid.

Of newfound fatherhood to his dark-haired daughter, Jeff said,

It is absolutely incredible. I expected it to change my life, but I never had any clue of how it was going to, but it has. It's just things are different now, in a great way, though. It was just probably the best day of my life.

You go through so many different emotions. You're excited, you're scared, and then once she's there and you hear her cry and take that first breath, you're just overwhelmed with emotion. It was just an incredible feeling.

Although he is away from his daughter -- Ingrid and Ella weren't released from the hospital until Saturday due to Ingrid's c-section because of Ella's breech positioning -- Jeff has a found a way to keep her close.

[I have a photo of her on my cell phone.] Every time I open my phone, it puts a smile on my face. With everything that's happening here today, as devastating as it is for me, there's nothing that's going to bring me down today. More important things in life are at the top of my list.

Source: NASCAR

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