LOUDON, N.H. — Jeff Gordon kissed his wife and high-fived his two young children on pit road, a part of his life missing when he made his Cup debut in 1992.

What has been familiar for all 23 years of Gordon’s career was starting a NASCAR race in the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports.

He’s never missed one — and now he’s NASCAR’s new Iron Man.

Gordon’s latest milestone in a surefire Hall of Fame career came Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway when he set the NASCAR record with his 789th consecutive start. The 44-year-old Gordon passed Ricky Rudd for the record. Rudd set the mark in 2002 when he broke Terry Labonte’s streak of 655 consecutive races.

“Jeff’s a good guy, so if someone’s going to break the record, better him than not one of your favorites,” Rudd said by phone to The Associated Press. “I’ve done my time. People still remember me. I may not be Iron Man 1. Maybe I’m Iron Man 2 now.”

Gordon will retire at the end of the season and shift in 2016 into the Fox broadcast booth.

The four-time Cup champion’s streak began with his Cup debut on Nov. 15, 1992, at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He has never missed a race and holds the record for the longest consecutive starts streak from the beginning of a career.

Gordon has four series championships and his 92 wins have him third on the career list, trailing only Richard Petty and David Pearson.