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Early Life
Jeff Gordon was born on August 4, 1971 in Vallejo, California. He raced go-karts built by his step-father, John Bickford. He started racing quarter-midgets at the race of five. When he was 11, he won all 25 national races he entered. -
Early Career
Jeff Gordon made his first career NASCAR Winston Cup Series start at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1992 for Hendrick Motorsports. This was Richard Petty's last race and it was seen as the King passing the torch to the last legend to enter NASCAR. He won his first race at the Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway and he won the first Brickyard 400 in 1994. -
First Championship-1995
Jeff Gordon became the youngest NASCAR Champion in 1995 after a prolific season. He won seven races, had seventeen top five finishes, and twenty-three top ten finishes. This was the season where he stole Dale Earnhardt's dominance and became the face of NASCAR for the next two decades. -
Second Championship-1997
Despite a ten win season in 1996, Gordon came second to teammate Terry Labonte in the points. Gordon opened the '97 season with his first Daytona 500 win and he won a total of ten races to seal his second championship. He and his crew chief, Ray Evernham had a perfect partnership and became the top team in NASCAR. [Link text](www.hendrickmotorsports.com) [Link text] (www.chevrolet.com/) [Link text](jeffgordon.com/) -
Third Championship-1998
Jeff Gordon established himself as the greatest driver in NASCAR history after his prolific season in 1998. His thirteen wins are the most in the modern era. He also had 26 top ten finishes in thirty-one races. He would have won at Bristol, but Rusty Wallace wrecked him intentionally and he had a DNF. He won the Winston Cup for a third time. He would also win the 1999 Daytona 500. -
Fourth Championship-2001
During the 2001 Daytona 500, his rival Dale Earnhardt was killed on the last lap from slamming into the concrete wall at 180 mph head on. Jeff Gordon dominated once again during 2001 with six wins and eighteen top fives. He also had a new paint scheme that year. He cruised to his fourth NASCAR title. [Link text](www.dupont.com/) -
Years 2002-2005
Gordon got revenge for 1998 on Rusty Wallace after he tapped Rusty Wallace on the rear quarter panel to get him loose and pass him for the win at Bristol in 2002. He won at least four races per season in this time period. He won the 2005 Daytona 500 also. He met his wife in 2003 as well. [Link text](www.pepsi.com/) -
2006-2007
Jeff Gordon married Ingrid Vandebosch and their daughter, Ella Sofia Gordon, was born in 2007. Jeff Gordon had a six win season in 2007 and narrowly missed out on his fifth championship to teammate Jimmee Johnson. He won both Talladega races in 2007 and won the spring race in Phoenix after an intense battle with Tony Stewart. -
Rough times 2008-2010
Gordon astonishingly went winless in 2008 and 2010. He would drive the car as hard as he could every single week, but engine failure and his crew chief's inability to set up his cars to be competitive to keep pace with dominant Jimmee Johnson. He won at Texas Motor Speedway in 2009. -
Resurgence and Retirement
Gordon snapped a 66-race winless streak at Phoenix in 2011. He won four races in 2014 and was very competitive week in and week out. He was assigned a new crew chief in 2011, which led to him having competitive race cars again. He retired in 2015 after barely missing out on a fifth championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway. His final win came at Martinsville in 2015. He finished his historic career with 93 wins. Third on the all-time win list. Link text
