Jeff Gordon

For other people named Jeffrey Gordon, see Jeffrey Gordon (disambiguation).

Jeff Gordon

Gordon in 2015
Born Jeffery Michael Gordon
(1971-08-04) August 4, 1971
Vallejo, California
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight 150 lb (68 kg)
Achievements 1995, 1997, 1998, 2001 Winston Cup Series Champion
1991 USAC Silver Crown Series Champion
1990 USAC National Midget Series Champion
1997, 1999, 2005 Daytona 500 Winner
1994, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2014 Brickyard 400 Winner
1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2007 Southern 500 Winner
1994, 1997, 1998 Coca-Cola 600 Winner
1995, 1997, 2001 Sprint All-Star Race Winner
1994, 1997 Sprint Unlimited Winner
Awards 1993 Winston Cup Series Rookie of the Year
1991 Busch Series Rookie of the Year
2009 National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame inductee
2009 Silver Buffalo Award recipient
2012 Heisman Humanitarian Award recipient
Named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
See other awards and honors below
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career
805 races run over 25 years
2016 position 38th
Best finish 1st (1995, 1997, 1998, 2001)
First race 1992 Hooters 500 (Atlanta)
Last race 2016 Goody's Fast Relief 500 (Martinsville)
First win 1994 Coca-Cola 600 (Charlotte)
Last win 2015 Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500 (Martinsville)
Wins Top tens Poles
93 477 81
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
73 races run over 5 years
2000 position 57th
Best finish 4th (1992)
First race 1990 AC-Delco 200 (Rockingham)
Last race 2000 Miami 300 (Homestead)
First win 1992 Atlanta 300 (Atlanta)
Last win 2000 Miami 300 (Homestead)
Wins Top tens Poles
5 32 12
Statistics current as of October 30, 2016.

Jeffery Michael "Jeff" Gordon[1] (born August 4, 1971) is an American professional stock car racing driver and currently an announcer for Fox NASCAR. He formerly drove the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in 23 full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series seasons between 1993 and 2015, and served as a substitute driver for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in select races during the 2016 season.

Gordon started his professional racing career in the Busch Series with Hugh Connerty Racing, followed by Bill Davis Racing, winning three races, and began racing full-time in the Cup Series for Hendrick Motorsports in 1993. He is a four-time Sprint Cup champion, having won the title in 1995, 1997, 1998, and 2001. He also won the Daytona 500 three times in 1997, 1999, and 2005. He is third on the all-time Cup wins list with 93 career wins, the most in NASCAR's modern era (1972–present). Gordon's 81 pole positions led all active drivers and is third all-time; Gordon won at least one pole in 23 consecutive seasons, making this a NASCAR record. He was also the active "iron man" leader for consecutive races participated in with 797 through the 2015 season.[2]

In 1998, NASCAR named Gordon to its 50 Greatest Drivers list.[3] In 2008, ten years later, ESPN's Terry Blount ranked him 10th in the 25 Greatest Drivers of All-Time.[4] Foxsports.com named him as the fifth-best NASCAR driver of all time.[5]

Gordon, along with Rick Hendrick, co-owns the No. 48 Chevrolet driven by Jimmie Johnson, who won seven Cup championships from 2006 to 2010, 2013, and in 2016. Gordon also has an equity stake in the No. 24 team.[6] Gordon also owned a Busch Series team between 1999 and 2000, Gordon/Evernham Motorsports (co-owned with Ray Evernham; later solely owned as JG Motorsports), winning twice.

Gordon was born in Vallejo, California and raised in Pittsboro, Indiana. He currently resides in Charlotte, North Carolina with his wife, Ingrid Vandebosch and their two children Ella Sofia and Leo Benjamin.

Early life

When he was 4 years old,[7] Gordon rode a BMX bike that his stepfather bought for him[8] and began racing quarter midgets at the age of five. The Roy Hayer Memorial Race Track (previously the Cracker Jack Track) in Rio Linda, California is noted as the first track Gordon ever competed on. By the age of six Gordon had won 35 main events and set five track records.[9] In 1979, Gordon won 51 quarter midget races. When he was 11, Gordon won all 25 of the karting races he entered.[10] At age 12, Gordon became bored with cars and decided to start a career in waterskiing before switching back to driving one year later.[11] In 1986, Gordon began racing sprint cars, winning three races. The next year, Gordon was awarded a USAC license at age 16, the youngest driver to do so.[10]

Beginning of racing career

During the 1980s,[10] Gordon and his family had to overcome an insurance hurdle. The minimum age for driving the sprint cars was 16, and his persistence paid off with an all Florida speed weeks. Supporting his career choice, Gordon's family moved from Vallejo, California, to Pittsboro, Indiana, where there were more opportunities for younger racers. Before the age of 18, Gordon had already won three short-track races and was awarded USAC Midget Car Racing Rookie of the Year in 1989. That season was highlighted by winning Night Before the 500 midget car race on the day before the Indianapolis 500.[12] During the decade, Gordon also ran sprint cars in Australia and New Zealand.[10] In 1990, Gordon won his second consecutive Night Before the 500, the Hut Hundred, and the Belleville Midget Nationals on his way to winning the USAC national Midget title.[12] In 1991, Gordon captured the USAC Silver Crown, and at the age of 20 became the youngest driver to win the season championship.[12] He also won the 4 Crown Nationals midget car race that season.[12] In his midget car career between 1989 and 1992, he finished in the Top 3 in 22 of 40 USAC midget car events.[12] In 1992, Gordon competed in the Slim Jim All Pro Series' Winchester 400, but finished 24th after crashing on lap 172.[13] The following year, he ran a Featherlite Southwest Tour race at Sears Point Raceway, finishing 29th after suffering an engine failure.[14]

In the early 1990s, Gordon expressed interest in IndyCar racing, but was not able to find a ride due to low funding.[11] However, former Formula One driver Jackie Stewart offered Gordon a test drive in Europe, in what Gordon assumed was Formula Three or Formula 3000; Gordon did not perform the test due to being in contact with NASCAR.[15]

NASCAR

Busch Series

Gordon's Bill Davis Racing Busch Series car on display in the Martin Auto Museum

In 1990 Gordon met Hugh Connerty, who owned some Hooters restaurants and was also a partner in Outback Steakhouse. Connerty secured some sponsorship for a car through Outback, and they tested for the last few Busch Grand National races left in 1990. Ray Evernham was called in to work with Gordon in his stock car debut. His first Busch race came on October 20, 1990 at North Carolina Motor Speedway in the AC-Delco 200. Gordon drove the No. 67 Outback Steakhouse Pontiac for Connerty. Gordon ran the second fastest lap during qualifying and started on the outside of the front row of the field. Gordon would however, get involved in a wreck on lap 33. He ended up with a 39th-place finish.[16]

In 1991 and 1992, Gordon began racing in the Busch Series full-time, driving Ford Thunderbirds for Bill Davis Racing. In his first year as a Busch driver he won Rookie of the Year. In 1992, Gordon set a NASCAR record by capturing 11 poles in one season.[8] He was sponsored by Carolina Ford Dealers in 1991 and Baby Ruth in 1992.[17]

In 1999, Gordon along with Cup crew chief Evernham formed Gordon/Evernham Motorsports (GEM) in the Busch Series with Gordon and Rick Hendrick's son Ricky Hendrick as drivers, the Rainbow Warriors as pit crew and Patrick Donahue as crew chief.[18] The co-owned team received a full sponsorship from Pepsi and ran six races with Gordon as driver and Evernham as crew chief. GEM only survived one year as Evernham left Hendrick Motorsports, citing tension between him and the team,[19] ending one of the most dominant driver/crew-chief combinations in NASCAR history. Gordon extended his Busch experiment one more year, through 2000 as co-owner, with Rick Hendrick buying Evernham's half, and GEM becoming JG Motorsports. In two seasons, Gordon won twice, in 1999 at the Outback Steakhouse 200, the inaugural race[20] at Phoenix,[21] and 2000 at Homestead.[22]

Sprint Cup Series

In 1992, Roush Racing owner Jack Roush planned to sign Gordon, but Gordon's stepfather John Bickford had insisted that Roush hire Ray Evernham; due to Roush's policy of hiring his own crew chiefs, Bickford declined.[23] Later in the year, Rick Hendrick watched Gordon race in a Busch Series event at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and Gordon joined Hendrick Motorsports two days later.[24] Gordon made his Winston Cup debut in the season-ending race, the Hooters 500 at Atlanta, finishing 31st after a crash.[25]

The following year, Gordon began competing full-time in the Cup Series. He opened the season with a win in the Gatorade Twin 125's race,[26] while also recording his first-career pole position at the fall Charlotte racing,[27] and concluded 1993 with a 14th-place points finish and the Rookie of the Year Award.[8] Gordon's early success in the sport reshaped the paradigm and eventually gave younger drivers an opportunity to compete in NASCAR. However, during the season, many doubted Gordon's ability to compete at such a level at such a young age because of his tendency to push the cars too hard and crash. His last-place finish at the 1993 First Union 400 was a firm example of this theory.[28] Additionally, driver Darrell Waltrip wrote he told Hendrick during the season that Gordon had "hit everything but the pace car that year."[29]

In 1994, Gordon won the Busch Clash exhibition race at Daytona.[30] In May, Gordon won the pole for the Coca-Cola 600, and won the race after electing to take two tires on a green flag pit stop.[31] Three months later, he scored a hometown victory at the inaugural Brickyard 400, capitalizing on Ernie Irvan's tire going down late in the race.[32]

Gordon with his 1995 trophy

In 1995, Gordon won his first Cup Series championship. Despite a rough start to the season in the Daytona 500, he won three of the following six races at Rockingham, Atlanta and Bristol, while winning the pole at Rockingham, Richmond, Darlington and North Wilkesboro in that timespan.[33] He won his fifth pole of the season at Charlotte, but after the race, NASCAR officials found unapproved wheel hubs on his car, and fined the team $60,000 while placing Ray Evernham on probation indefinitely.[34] Gordon later won four more poles during the season (Dover, Michigan, Indianapolis, Martinsville) while winning races at Daytona, New Hampshire, Darlington and Dover.[33] The results during the season gave him a 300-point lead over Dale Earnhardt[8] en route to the title. The team's consistency was much better as well, having had three DNF's in 1995,[33] compared to 21 in his previous two seasons combined.

Gordon's title defense in 1996 featured ten wins at Richmond, Darlington (sweeping the races), Bristol, Dover (winning both races), Pocono, Talladega, Martinsville, and North Wilkesboro (winning the final official NASCAR race at the track).[35] He finished second to his teammate Terry Labonte for the championship, losing by 37 points.[36]

Gordon won consecutive titles in 1997 and 1998. In 1997, he won his first Daytona 500, becoming the youngest driver at the time to win the race.[37] He won the second race of the season at Rockingham the following week, followed by a third win at Bristol; after a last-lap battle with Rusty Wallace.[38] At Charlotte, Gordon won The Winston in a Jurassic Park scheme; the car was modified by Evernham with assistance from Hendrick chassis engineer Rex Stump, and as a result, it was considered illegal by other team owners.[39] Afterwards, he won the Coca-Cola 600, and after winning the Southern 500 at Darlington, became the first driver since Bill Elliott in 1985 to win the Winston Million.[40] While Elliott failed to win the Winston Cup in 1985, Gordon claimed his second Winston Cup championship in 1997, completing one of the most impressive single-season performances in NASCAR history. He finished the season with 10 victories (Daytona, Rockingham, Bristol, Martinsville, Charlotte, Pocono, California, Watkins Glen, Darlington, and New Hampshire). The following year, Gordon won a modern-era record 13 races at Charlotte, Sonoma, Pocono, Indianapolis, Watkins Glen, Michigan, New Hampshire, Darlington, Daytona, Rockingham and Atlanta. He clinched his third title with a 364-point lead over Mark Martin.[41] Gordon set Cup records during the season, including four consecutive wins and 17 consecutive top-five finishes. He ended the season with seven poles, 25 top-five, and 27 top-tens.[42]

Gordon began the 1999 season with his second Daytona 500 win. He went on to win races at Atlanta, Fontana, Sears Point and Watkins Glen.[43] Before the race at Martinsville, Evernham left Hendrick to form Evernham Motorsports, and he was replaced by team engineer Brian Whitesell.[44] With Whitesell, Gordon won at Martinsville[45] and Lowe's.[46] During the year, Chip Ganassi Racing owner Chip Ganassi contacted Gordon, expressing interest in signing him, while Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones wanted to partner with him to form a team.[47] However, Gordon signed a lifetime contract with Hendrick Motorsports starting in 2000, which allowed him to become an equity owner in his No. 24 team.[6]

The 2000 season saw Gordon enter his first campaign with Petty Enterprises' Robbie Loomis as his crew chief. With Loomis, Gordon recorded his win of the season in the spring Talladega race,[48] giving him his 50th career victory. He went on to win races at Sears Point[49] and Richmond. Gordon finished the season ninth in points.

The next year, Gordon won six races at Las Vegas, Dover,[50] Michigan (the 100th win for Hendrick Motorsports),[51] Indianapolis,[52][53] Watkins Glen,[54] and the inaugural race at Kansas. Gordon became the third driver to win four Cup championships in NASCAR history, second only to Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt (both winning it seven times),[55] and with a 344-point margin ahead of Tony Stewart.[47]

2002 and 2003 featured three wins each for Gordon at Bristol, Darlington and Kansas, and at Martinsville (twice) and Atlanta, respectively. In 2004, the first season under the Nextel Cup Series banner, the team recorded five wins at Talladega, Indianapolis, Fontana, Infineon and Daytona. Despite the success, the points reset by the newly formed Chase for the Cup erased Gordon's 60-point lead over Johnson. As a result, at the end of the season, he finished the season third in the points standings behind champion Kurt Busch by 16 points and Johnson by eight. Had the Chase not existed, and assuming the finishing spots remained the same, Gordon would have won the championship by 47 points.[56]

The 2005 season began with Gordon claiming his third Daytona 500 victory, followed by a win at Martinsville in the Advance Auto Parts 500 and at Talladega.[57] However, inconsistency would plague him throughout the year. Despite having 14 top tens, he failed to finish nine times.[58] A late season charge put him in position to qualify for the Chase, but in the last race before the Chase at Richmond, Gordon made contact with the turn 2 wall and failed to qualify for the Chase.[59] Loomis left the team on September 14,[60] and Steve Letarte, Gordon's car chief, took over for the Chase-opening race at Loudon.[61] Gordon eventually won at Martinsville in the Subway 500. It was Gordon's first time outside the top ten in the point standings since 1993. Gordon also finished the season with a career-low eight top-five finishes.[62]

Gordon only recorded two wins in 2006 at Infineon and Chicagoland, while also recording only two poles at Dover and Phoenix's second dates.[63] The next year, his performance improved greatly, winning six races and seven poles. Gordon's first win of 2007 was at Phoenix, tying Darrell Waltrip's modern-day record of 59 poles,[64] followed by tying Dale Earnhardt for sixth all-time in overall number of Cup wins.[65] At Talladega, he recorded his 77th career Cup victory, to the dismay of the fans, who began throwing beer cans at Gordon's car.[66] Gordon would win five more times during the season, at Darlington, Pocono, Talladega and Charlotte; Gordon's seven poles occurred at Fontana, Bristol, four consecutive at Texas, Phoenix, Talladega and Richmond, Daytona, Watkins Glen, Michigan and Martinsville.[67] However, Gordon finished the Chase second in the standings to HMS teammate Jimmie Johnson by 77 points. Gordon finished the year with 30 top tens, setting a new modern era Cup Series record.[8] This marked the second time that Gordon lost a championship because of the Chase points system. Had the Chase not existed, Gordon would have won the championship by 353 points.[56]

From 2008 to 2010, Gordon struggled, recording a total of one win during the three seasons at the Samsung 500, his first win at Texas Motor Speedway.[68] In the three-year timespan, Gordon recorded six total poles, including four in 2008, and a third-place points finish in 2009 behind HMS teammates Mark Martin and champion Johnson.[69] During the 2009 season, Gordon became the first driver in NASCAR history to pass US$100 million in career winnings.[70]

Gordon after his victory at Phoenix in 2011

Martin's crew chief Alan Gustafson joined Gordon in 2011 after Steve Letarte was reassigned to Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s team.[71] In the second race of the year at Phoenix, Gordon won for the first time in 66 races;[72] At the Aaron's 499, Gordon broke the tie for the third-most poles with Cale Yarborough.[73] At Pocono, he tied Bill Elliott for the most wins at the track with five,[74] and at Atlanta, he defeated Johnson to claim his 85th career win, third-most of all time behind Richard Petty and David Pearson.[75] Gordon became the winningest driver in the modern era of the sport, passing Darrell Waltrip.[76]

Gordon struggled during the early portion of the 2012 season, despite a pole at Talladega, failing to reach the top ten in points.[77] At Pocono, Gordon took advantage of teammate Jimmie Johnson's right-rear tire failure on a late restart just immediately before an expected large thunderstorm rained onto the track, thus giving him his 86th Cup victory and sixth at the track, surpassing Elliott for the most wins at the track.[78] At Richmond, despite troubles early in the race that mired him a lap down, Gordon rallied to finish second to Clint Bowyer, and made his eighth Chase for the Sprint Cup.[79] At the November Phoenix race, Gordon was running near the front until Bowyer again made contact and forced him into the wall. Gordon then cut a tire when trying to retaliate and was penalized with a black-flag for both his attempt at retaliation and failing to come down pit road to fix his tire. In reply to the black-flag Gordon retaliated by intentionally wrecking Bowyer, collecting Joey Logano and Aric Almirola in the process thus ending Bowyer's hopes to win the Cup title. The two crews began brawling while a furious Bowyer climbed out of his car. Bowyer frantically sprinted to Gordon's hauler, but he was restrained by officials just in front of Gordon.[80] Gordon was fined $100,000, docked 25 points, and placed on probation until December 31.[81][82] He recovered from his penalty by winning the season finale, the Ford EcoBoost 400, the next week for the 87th Sprint Cup victory of his career.[83]

In 2013, Gordon made his 700th consecutive Cup start in the Bojangles' Southern 500; Gordon finished 3rd, marking his 300th career top-5 finish.[84] At Dover, Gordon finished 3rd, tying David Pearson for third all-time in top-five finishes with 301.[85] In qualifying for the Federated Auto Parts 400, Gordon set a track record with a lap speed of 130.599 miles per hour (210.179 km/h)[86] and a time of 20.674 seconds for his first pole of 2013 and fifth at Richmond, breaking the tie with Mark Martin for most poles at the track among active drivers.[87] Gordon's winning a pole in 21 consecutive seasons set a NASCAR record.[86][88] However, despite finishing 8th, Gordon was winless and was knocked out of the Chase initially by finishing one point behind Joey Logano.[89] On September 13, it was announced that Gordon would be added into the Chase after it was found that Logano's team had collaborated with David Gilliland's Front Row Motorsports team for Gilliland to give up a spot to Logano so that Logano could secure his tenth-place position over Gordon.[90] At the Martinsville race, Gordon won his first race of 2013 and first at Martinsville since 2005.[91]

In 2014, Gordon recorded four wins, starting at the May Kansas race;[92] 2007 was the last time he had won at least four times in a season. Entering the Brickyard 400, the twenty-year anniversary of his first career win in the 1994 race, the day was declared "Jeff Gordon Day" by Indianapolis mayor Greg Ballard.[93] Gordon passed teammate Kasey Kahne with 17 laps to go to win, breaking a tie with teammate Jimmie Johnson for most wins in the event, and tied with former Formula One driver Michael Schumacher for the most wins at Indianapolis.[94] Gordon also won at Michigan[95] and Dover, his first wins at the tracks since 2001.[96] At Texas, Gordon and Keselowski were racing for the win when Keselowski tried to shoot between Johnson and Gordon, which cut Gordon's left rear tire and spun him out. Gordon fell to 29th, while Keselowski would finish third.[97] Following the race, Gordon confronted Keselowski in pit road over the incident with both drivers being surrounded by their pit crews.[98] However, it escalated into a brawl due to Keselowski being shoved from behind by Harvick, who had also battled with Keselowski in the final laps. Despite the four wins, Gordon was unable to compete for the championship after being eliminated from Chase contention in the penultimate race at Phoenix. Gordon won the pole for the final race at Homestead, and led a race-high 161 laps, but the decision to pit with 13 laps to go relegated him to 24th, and he finished 10th. The finish marked his 454th top-ten, surpassing Mark Martin for second in all-time top tens, behind Richard Petty's 712.[99]

On January 22, 2015, Gordon announced that 2015 would be his last season as a full-time driver, but did not rule out retirement entirely.[100] On January 29, Gordon stated he does not plan to run any more Daytona 500s after 2015.[101] He started the season by winning the pole for his final Daytona 500,[102] but crashed on the final lap, finishing 33rd.[103] Gordon won two additional poles by sweeping the Talladega races.[104] In November, Gordon claimed his first win of 2015, winning his ninth career Martinsville race in the Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500, advancing him to the Championship Four at Homestead.[105] In the final race of his Sprint Cup career at the 2015 Ford EcoBoost 400, Gordon finished 6th, falling just short of his quest for the fifth championship of his career.[106]

In 2016, Gordon announced he would make his return to the Cup Series at the Brickyard 400, driving the No. 88 as a substitute for the injured Dale Earnhardt Jr. He also ran at Pocono,[107] Watkins Glen and Bristol.[108] On September 2, 2016, it was announced that Earnhardt would be out for the remainder of the season and Gordon would fill in at the Darlington, Richmond, Dover and Martinsville races.[109]

Other racing

Gordon has participated in the Race of Champions three times, including a Nations Cup-winning drive with Team USA's Jimmie Johnson and Colin Edwards at the 2002 event in Gran Canaria.[110] Prior to the ROC, Gordon competed in an ROC America event, losing to Kenny Bräck after crashing. Afterwards, Gordon defeated Johnson by one sixteen-hundredths of a second. Later in the day, Gordon rode with rally driver Marcus Grönholm around the course, both eventually flipping. In the ROC's first round, Gordon (2:03.03) lost to 2002 CART champion Cristiano da Matta, but in round two, Gordon (1:53.47) defeated Formula One's Fernando Alonso. In the semi-finals, Gordon (1:53.20) won against CART driver Sébastien Bourdais, and in the finals, Gordon (1:53.87) triumphed against European Touring Car Championship driver Fabrizio Giovanardi.[111] He was slated to run it again in 2004 against seven-time F1 World Champion Michael Schumacher[112] but was sidelined by the flu, and Casey Mears took his place.[113] In 2005, Gordon competed in the Race of Champions event again, this time held in Paris, France, where he was partnered with motocross racer/X Games winner Travis Pastrana.[114]

In 2007, Gordon competed in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona for the first time. He raced the No. 10 SunTrust Pontiac-Riley for Wayne Taylor Racing.[115] His teammates consisted of Max Angelelli, Jan Magnussen, and Wayne Taylor. His team went on to finish third, two laps behind the winning team of Juan Pablo Montoya, Scott Pruett, and Salvador Durán.[116] Gordon made his return to the Rolex 24 in 2017, partnering with Wayne Taylor Racing once again. He drove a Cadillac alongside Angelelli, Jordan and Ricky Taylor for the event.[117]

Gordon ran in the International Race of Champions from 19952001. Gordon won one race at Daytona International Speedway in 1998. In the race, Gordon led only two laps, but was the race leader by lap 30.[118] Despite being invited for the 2002 season, Gordon declined due to time constraints.[119]

In 1997, Gordon was offered a ride by CART team owner Barry Green with Team Green as a stepping stone to F1's British American Racing. However, Gordon declined, stating that there are "just too many steps" to reach F1.[120] On June 11, 2003, Gordon went to Indianapolis Motor Speedway to take part in a test with then-WilliamsF1 driver Montoya. The two switched rides, with Gordon driving Montoya's Williams FW24,[121] marking the first time he had driven an F1 car.[122] On Gordon's first lap, he went off-course, and recorded a time of 1:17; in comparison, the 2002 United States Grand Prix's pole time was 1:10, while the slowest was 1:13. On his second run, Gordon began with a standing start, and on his next lap recorded 1:16.5.[121] Montoya would eventually join NASCAR in 2007.[123]

Gordon has also participated in the Prelude to the Dream charity dirt track race at Eldora Speedway in 2007, 2008 and 2010; Gordon had been intending to run the 2009 race, but did not due to scheduling conflicts.[124] Gordon finished third in the 2007 race,[125] 14th in 2008[126] and 22nd in 2010,[127] the latter being run with Team Riley Hospital for Children.[124]

Broadcasting career

When Gordon made the decision to step back from full-time driving at the conclusion of the 2015 Sprint Cup Series season, he reportedly put out feelers to television networks about the possibility of joining others in the broadcast booth.[128] On January 25, 2015, USA Today writer Jeff Gluck reported that Gordon was hired by Fox Sports to work as a guest analyst for Fox NASCAR broadcasts of Xfinity Series events alongside full-time announcers Adam Alexander and Michael Waltrip;[129] the news was officially announced by Fox Sports the following day.[130] On February 3, Gordon made a guest appearance on the Fox News Channel morning show Fox & Friends, where he stated his plans to call three races for Fox Sports.[131][132]

On April 10, Gordon made his broadcasting debut on Fox Sports 1 during the network's coverage of the O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway.[133] Gordon returned to the broadcast booth for the Drive to Stop Diabetes 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 18,[134] and the Winn-Dixie 300 at Talladega Superspeedway on May 2.[135] Gordon was one of five active NASCAR drivers to serve as a guest analyst for Fox Sports during the 2015 Xfinity Series season; the other four were Kevin Harvick,[136] Brad Keselowski, Clint Bowyer,[137] and Danica Patrick.[138]

On May 21, Gordon announced on NASCAR Race Hub that he will join Fox Sports as a full-time analyst for Cup Series events, beginning with Speedweeks at Daytona in 2016.[139][140] Gordon was paired with Mike Joy and Darrell Waltrip in the broadcast booth, replacing Larry McReynolds,[141] who moved to the Hollywood Hotel beginning in 2016.[142]

On November 6, Gordon joined Joy and Waltrip in the booth for the first time at a dress rehearsal during the WinStar World Casino & Resort 350 at Texas Motor Speedway.[143] The rehearsal was not shown during the Camping World Truck Series broadcast.[144]

Personal life

Jeff Gordon

Gordon with first wife Brooke
Born Jeffery Michael Gordon
(1971-08-04) August 4, 1971
Vallejo, California, U.S.
Residence Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
Nationality American
Occupation
Home town Pittsboro, Indiana, U.S.
Salary $18.2 million[145]
Religion Christianity
Spouse(s)
Children Ella Sofia (b. 2007)
Leo Benjamin (b. 2010)
Parent(s)
  • William Gordon
  • Carol Bickford
Relatives James Bickford (cousin)
Website jeffgordon.com
Signature

Gordon is of Scotch-Irish descent.[146] He was born in Vallejo, California to parents Carol Ann Bickford (née Houston) and William Grinnell Gordon of Vacaville, California. Gordon's mother and biological father divorced when he was six months old.[147] His stepfather, John Bickford, married his mother in the 1970s.[148] He has a sister, Kim, who is older by four years.[149] His younger cousin, James Bickford, currently competes in the K&N Pro Series West.[150] Gordon attended Tri-West Hendricks High School in Lizton, Indiana and was on the school's cross country team;[10] he graduated in 1989.[8]

Gordon is a born again Christian.[7] He has talked about how in the early-1990s he got curious and followed some drivers to the weekly chapel one week, which is how he first started to learn more about God.[151][152][153] During this time, Gordon kept verses of the Bible taped to his steering wheel.[154][155] In 2004, Gordon stated he "has a difficult time focusing on one particular faith."[10] When asked again in a 2015 Sports Illustrated magazine interview, he claimed: "I wasn't brought up [with religion]. It was something I got introduced to when I came into the Cup Series. I explored it and learned a lot from that experience. I feel it's helped make me a better person, but I choose to do it more privately now."[156]

Marriages and children

Gordon met Brooke Sealey, a Miss Winston Cup model, in victory lane at Daytona International Speedway after he won the first of two qualifying races for the 1993 Daytona 500.[157] The pair began dating in secret due to an unwritten rule prohibiting drivers from dating the models.[157] Sealey's role as Miss Winston concluded following the 1993 season, and the couple publicly revealed their relationship after the NASCAR awards banquet in December.[157] Prior to the 1994 Daytona 500, a year to the day from their encounter in victory lane, Gordon reserved a banquet hall at a French restaurant in Daytona Beach, where Gordon proposed to Sealey.[157] The couple were married on November 26, 1994.[158] They owned a home on Lake Norman in North Carolina,[157] but evacuated permanently due to fan intrusions.[159] The couple then moved to Highland Beach, Florida.[160] In March 2002, Sealey sued for divorce after alleging Gordon of marital misconduct, and Gordon eventually counter-sued.[161] Gordon's wife, who also went by the name Jennifer Brooke Gordon, cited her husband's relationship with professional model Deanna Merryman in her divorce papers with the racecar driver.[162][163] In court papers, she asked for "exclusive use of the couple's oceanfront home, valued at $9 million, as well as alimony, two cars and periodic use of their boats and an airplane."[164] Though Gordon stated that Sealey did not deserve such a high amount of rewards, as he "risked life and limb" to gain the wealth, Sealey stated that "NASCAR is a relatively safe occupation." Sealey subsequently was awarded $15.3 million.[165] The divorce was finalized on June 13, 2003.[166] During the year, Gordon was seen with model Amanda Church on a beach in St. Bart's,[167] and later moved in with her in New York City.[10]

Gordon was introduced to Ingrid Vandebosch during a dinner party at The Hamptons by a mutual friend in 2002,[147] but they did not begin dating until 2004.[168] Gordon announced their engagement on June 24, 2006, at a croquet event at Meadowood Resort in St. Helena, California. According to Gordon, they had kept the engagement secret for the following 30 days.[169] Gordon and Vandebosch were married in a small, private ceremony in Mexico on November 7, 2006. On June 20, 2007, Vandebosch gave birth to their first child, Ella Sofia Gordon in New York City.[170][171] On February 4, 2010, Gordon revealed that he and his wife were expecting their second child in August,[172] and on March 16, he revealed that the baby was a boy.[173] Gordon had Scott Pruett assigned as a standby driver for Watkins Glen because his wife was due to give birth the weekend of August 8.[174] On the morning of August 9, Vandebosch delivered their son Leo Benjamin Gordon.[175] The family resides in the SouthPark neighborhood of Charlotte, North Carolina.[147]

Philanthropy

In 1999, Gordon established the Jeff Gordon Children's Foundation to help support children facing life-threatening and chronic illnesses. On December 16, 2006, Gordon opened the Jeff Gordon Children's Hospital at the NorthEast Medical Center.[176] In 2007, Gordon, along with Andre Agassi, Muhammad Ali, Lance Armstrong, Warrick Dunn, Mia Hamm, Tony Hawk, Andrea Jaeger, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Mario Lemieux, Alonzo Mourning, and Cal Ripken, Jr. founded Athletes for Hope, a charitable organization which helps professional athletes get involved in charitable causes and inspires millions of non-athletes to volunteer and support the community.[177]

AARP became Gordon's sponsor in 2011 through the Drive to End Hunger program, which donates meals to hunger relief organizations near NASCAR tracks,[178] along with reducing hunger among senior citizens. Gordon is also a member of the Clinton Global Initiative, which helps global leaders find solutions to ending the world's pressing problems.[179]

Endorsements and business ventures

Jeff Gordon 24 Energy cans

Prior to his sponsorship with Pepsi, Gordon had been sponsored by Coca-Cola,[180] but eventually chose Pepsi due to more visibility, along with Coca-Cola wanting Gordon to be a regional sponsor in the southeastern United States.[181] Gordon has also been sponsored by Kellogg Company, Frito-Lay,[180][182] Edy's, and Ray-Ban.[10] Since 2012, Gordon has been sponsored by DVX Sun and Safety Sunglass, which are constructed with elastomer from DuPont.[183]

Gordon owns JG Motorsports to manage licensing, and the company received up to 20 percent of Gordon-licensed products. Such items produced $112 million in 1998.[10] Gordon owns a dealership, Jeff Gordon Chevrolet, located in Wilmington, North Carolina, and was opened in 1998. With Dale Earnhardt, Gordon owned Performance Partners, Inc., a real estate company, along with Chase Racewear, a casual clothing line; the two were also major shareholders in Action Performance Companies, Inc. (now Lionel Racing),[184] the official die-cast creator of NASCAR.[181] In 2007, PepsiCo introduced Jeff Gordon 24 Energy, an orange tangerine-flavored energy drink, which has since been discontinued.[185][186]

In October 2005, Gordon started a line of wine with Briggs & Sons Winemaking, Co., debuting with a 2004 Carneros Chardonnay, followed by Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon in January 2007.[187][188] Eventually, the 2007 Ella Sofia Napa Valley Joie de Vivre won double gold medals at the 2011 Indy International Wine Competition.[189]

In 2012, Gordon became the designer of the Canadian Motor Speedway in Fort Erie, Ontario, which will be the largest track in Canada.[190] Gordon's stepfather, John Bickford, serves as the general manager of the project.[191]

On February 12, 2015, Gordon was hired by sponsor Axalta Coating Systems as global business advisor, working in the automotive refinishing, OEM, commercial vehicle and industrial business departments.[192]

Career achievements

Gordon drove this 2015 Corvette Z06 as the honorary pace car driver for the 99th Indianapolis 500
Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Transportation Gene Conti and Gordon unveiling a sign for the Jeff Gordon Expressway

Awards and honors

Namesakes

Records and milestones

Gordon with a commemorative wine bottle celebrating his wins at Sonoma Raceway

With 93 career points-paying victories, Gordon is ranked third among the all-time NASCAR Cup Series winners; he is ranked first among those who have competed during the sport's modern era (1972–present).

Gordon holds the records for the most Cup Series victories on restrictor plate tracks (12) and road courses (9), as well as a record six-consecutive road-course wins.[232]

Gordon is the all-time winningest Cup Series driver at the following tracks:

Gordon and former F1 driver Michael Schumacher are the only two racers to earn five victories at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in a single racing series.[94]

In 2009, Gordon became the first NASCAR driver to reach US$100 million in career winnings.[233]

Consecutive starts streak

For further information, see Iron man (sports streak).

Since making his Cup Series debut in the Hooters 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on November 15, 1992, Gordon never missed a race spanning over 24 consecutive seasons. With 797 starts as of the 2015 Ford EcoBoost 400, Gordon is ninth among all-time Cup Series drivers with the most starts overall.[2]

In 2007, Gordon asked part-time driver Mark Martin if he could be on standby for him to take over the No. 24 car, should he have needed to miss a race to witness the birth of his first child. Daughter Ella Sofia Gordon was born on Wednesday, June 20 in New York City; Gordon traveled to Sonoma, California later that week to compete in the Toyota Save/Mart 350 on June 24. In 2010, Gordon similarly asked road course ringer Scott Pruett to be on standby for him at Watkins Glen due to the impending birth of his second child.[174] Although Gordon let Pruett run a couple practice laps in Gordon's car, Gordon was able to start and complete the race without Pruett's assistance. Son Leo Benjamin Gordon was born less than a day after the race's conclusion. In 2014, Gordon had Regan Smith on standby for the Coca-Cola 600, as Gordon suffered from back spasms during qualifying and practice. Gordon was able to start and complete the race as scheduled.[234]

On September 27, 2015, at New Hampshire, Gordon started his 789th consecutive race, becoming NASCAR's iron man, passing Ricky Rudd, who started 788 consecutive races from 1981–2005.[235] Gordon ended his career with 797 races consecutively started.[2]

Further information: Jeff Gordon in popular culture

Motorsports career results

Career summary

Season Series Team Races Wins Top 5s Top 10s Poles Points Position
1990 NASCAR Busch Series Hugh Connerty Racing 1 0 0 0 0 0 115th
1991 NASCAR Busch Series Bill Davis Racing 30 0 5 10 1 3582 11th
1992 NASCAR Busch Series Bill Davis Racing 31 3 10 15 11 4053 4th
NASCAR Winston Cup Series Hendrick Motorsports 1 0 0 0 0 70 79th
1993 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Hendrick Motorsports 30 0 7 11 1 3447 14th
1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Hendrick Motorsports 31 2 7 14 1 3776 8th
1995 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Hendrick Motorsports 31 7 17 23 9 4614 1st
International Race of Champions NASCAR 4 0 3 3 0 51 4th
1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Hendrick Motorsports 31 10 21 24 5 4620 2nd
International Race of Champions NASCAR 4 0 1 3 0 30 10th
1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Hendrick Motorsports 32 10 22 23 1 4710 1st
International Race of Champions NASCAR 4 0 2 4 0 39 6th
1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Hendrick Motorsports 33 13 26 28 7 5328 1st
International Race of Champions NASCAR 4 1 2 4 0 51 3rd
1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Hendrick Motorsports 34 7 18 21 7 4620 6th
NASCAR Busch Series Gordon/Evernham Motorsports 6 1 4 4 0 878 51st
International Race of Champions NASCAR 4 0 2 4 0 49 5th
2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Hendrick Motorsports 34 3 11 22 3 4361 9th
NASCAR Busch Series JG Motorsports 5 1 2 3 0 637 57th
International Race of Champions NASCAR 4 0 2 4 0 37 6th
2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Hendrick Motorsports 36 6 18 24 6 5112 1st
2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Hendrick Motorsports 36 3 13 20 3 4607 4th
2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Hendrick Motorsports 36 3 15 20 4 4785 4th
2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Hendrick Motorsports 36 5 16 25 6 6490 3rd
2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Hendrick Motorsports 36 4 8 14 2 4174 11th
2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Hendrick Motorsports 36 2 14 18 2 6256 6th
2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Hendrick Motorsports 36 6 21 30 7 6646 2nd
Rolex Sports Car Series SunTrust Racing 1 0 1 1 0 30 61st
2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Hendrick Motorsports 36 0 13 19 4 6316 7th
2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Hendrick Motorsports 36 1 16 25 1 6473 3rd
2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Hendrick Motorsports 36 0 11 17 1 6176 9th
2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Hendrick Motorsports 36 3 13 18 1 2287 8th
2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Hendrick Motorsports 36 2 11 18 2 2303 10th
2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Hendrick Motorsports 36 1 8 17 2 2337 6th
2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Hendrick Motorsports 36 4 14 23 3 2348 6th
2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Hendrick Motorsports 36 1 5 21 4 5038 3rd
2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Hendrick Motorsports 8 0 0 2 0 218 38th
2017 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Wayne Taylor Racing 1 0 0 0 0 0
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 804 93 325 477 81
NASCAR Busch Series 73 5 21 32 12
International Race of Champions 24 1 12 22 0

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Sprint Cup Series

Daytona 500
Year Team Manufacturer Start Finish
1993 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 3 5
1994 6 4
1995 4 22
1996 8 42
1997 6 1
1998 29 16
1999 1 1
2000 11 34
2001 13 30
2002 3 9
2003 13 12
2004 39 8
2005 15 1
2006 2 26
2007 42 10
2008 8 39
2009 3 13
2010 21 26
2011 2 28
2012 16 40
2013 2 20
2014 6 4
2015 1 33

Busch Series

Rolex Sports Car Series

(key) Bold – pole position (overall finish/class finish).

24 Hours of Daytona

International Race of Champions

(key) (Bold – Pole position. * – Most laps led.)

See also

References

Citations

  1. Garner 2016, p. 16.
  2. 1 2 3 "Sprint Cup Series All-Time Starts". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
  3. "NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers". NASCAR. Archived from the original on May 2, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  4. Blount, Terry (May 23, 2008). "The Kid, The King, the Silver Fox and two of open-wheel racing's very best". ESPN. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  5. "Ranking the 20 greatest NASCAR drivers of all time". Foxsports.com. February 22, 2012. Archived from the original on March 22, 2014. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  6. 1 2 "Jeff Gordon Signs Lifetime Agreement with Henrick Motorsports". Motorsport. October 6, 1999. Retrieved March 30, 2014.
  7. 1 2 "Interview with Larry King". CNN. May 22, 2001. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Jeff Gordon Biographical Information". Gordonline.com. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
  9. "Jeff Gordon's Official fan site Bio".http://wayback.archive.org/web/20151117032132/http://www.jeffgordon.com/about_jeff/default.sps?itype=12223http://jeffgordon.com/
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Puna, Mike (June 21, 2004). "The Rainbow Warrior". ESPN Classic. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  11. 1 2 McGee, Ryan (July 24, 2008). "Indianapolis Motor Speedway is Jeff Gordon's personal playground". ESPN. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 "Tappett, Humphrey, Gordon & Doty join "Hall of Fame"". National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame. August 24, 2008. Retrieved September 6, 2009.
  13. "1992 Featherlite Trailers Winchester 400". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 23, 2015.
  14. "1993 Budweiser 200". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
  15. "NASCAR's Jeff Gordon on Formula One racing". Formula One. June 17, 2004. Archived from the original on November 10, 2014. Retrieved February 19, 2014.
  16. Newton, David (September 7, 2011). "Gordon's greatness is enduring". ESPN. Retrieved August 19, 2013.
  17. "Jeff Gordon". Jeff Gordon.http://wayback.archive.org/web/20151123142301/http://www.jeffgordon.com/aboutjeff/http://jeffgordon.com/news/
  18. "Team Bio". Gordon Online. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  19. "Evernham leaving Gordon, Hendrick". CNN Sports Illustrated. September 24, 1999. Archived from the original on January 23, 2001. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  20. "Shut out". CNN Sports Illustrated. October 30, 1999. Archived from the original on November 4, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  21. Callahan, Terry (November 6, 1999). "Jeff Gordon wins first Busch Series race at Phoenix". The Auto Channel. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
  22. "The spoiler". CNN Sports Illustrated. November 11, 2000. Archived from the original on June 26, 2001. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  23. Jensen, Tom (January 23, 2015). "Inside story: Jack Roush's failed attempt to hire Jeff Gordon". Foxsports.com. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
  24. Siano, Joseph (August 8, 1994). "Gordon Hears the Roar of the Hometown Fans". The New York Times. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
  25. "1992 Hooters 500". Racing-Reference. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  26. Rodman, Dave (September 6, 2011). "Highlights on the road to 85 Cup Series victories". NASCAR. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  27. "1993 Mello Yello 500". Racing-Reference. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
  28. "1993 First Union 400". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
  29. Waltrip, Darrell (July 30, 2014). "Is Indy winner Jeff Gordon NASCAR's greatest of all time? DW says ...". Foxsports.com. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  30. Pearce, Al (February 14, 1994). "Gordon's Glash Takes Busch Clash". Daily Press. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  31. "Hendrick Motorsports celebrates Underdog Day". Hendrick Motorsports. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
  32. Jensen, Tom (July 22, 2014). "Best of the Brickyard, No. 4: Jeff Gordon's date with destiny". Foxsports.com. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
  33. 1 2 3 "1995 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
  34. Siano, Joe (July 16, 1995). "From Wonder Boy to Leader". The New York Times. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
  35. Perski, Rick (September 29, 2012). "Today in History: The final NASCAR sanctioned race was run at North Wilkesboro Speedway". Speedway Digest.
  36. "NASCAR Winston Cup standings for 1996". Racing-Reference. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
  37. Aumann, Mark (February 10, 2003). "Jeff Gordon: NASCAR Daytona 500 Youngest Ever Winner". NASCAR. Archived from the original on March 7, 2012. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
  38. Caraviello, David (March 12, 2014). "TOP 10 SPRING BATTLES AT BRISTOL". NASCAR. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
  39. Newton, David (August 9, 2007). "Evernham pushed envelope with T-Rex Chevrolet". ESPN. Retrieved May 15, 2014.
  40. "The Callahan Report: Jeff Gordon Wins The Winston Million". The Auto Channel. September 1, 1997. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  41. "NASCAR Winston Cup standings for 1998". Racing-Reference. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  42. "NAPA 500 Preview". CNN Sports Illustrated. November 5, 1998. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  43. "1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  44. Associated Press (September 20, 1999). "Whitesell replaces Evernham in Gordon's pits". ESPN. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  45. "Gordon caps turmoil-filled week with NAPA 500 win". CNN Sports Illustrated. October 18, 1999. Archived from the original on August 22, 2004. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  46. "Gordon wins second race with new crew chief Whitesell". CNN Sports Illustrated. October 18, 1999. Retrieved July 19, 2013.http://wayback.archive.org/web/20141214175546/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/motorsports/news/1999/10/11/nascar_gm500_ap/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1999-10-04/sports/9910040184_1_brian-whitesell-ray-evernham-jeff-gordon
  47. 1 2 Bruce, Kenny (January 22, 2015). "GORDON'S LOYALTY TO HENDRICK PAID OFF IN LONG RUN". NASCAR. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
  48. "A Look Back in Talladega History: Jeff Gordon's Talladega Career". Talladega Superspeedway. January 30, 2009. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  49. "Throwback Thursday: King of the Road". NASCAR. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  50. McKee, Sandra (June 4, 2001). "Gordon dominates at Dover". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  51. Callahan, Terry (June 11, 2001). "Jeff Gordon Interview: Winning at Michigan". The Auto Channel. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  52. "Looking back at Jeff Gordon's 2001 Brickyard 400 win". Hendrick Motorsports. July 23, 2013. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  53. "Brickyard at 20: 2001". NASCAR. July 11, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  54. Spoor, Mark (August 12, 2001). "Gordon takes Global Crossing for seventh road victory". CNN Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on October 12, 2008. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  55. "Jeff Gordon". Gordon Online. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
  56. 1 2 Smith, Marty (September 20, 2008). "Jeff Gordon, six-time champion? No, sitting at four and almost OK with it". ESPN. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  57. Jenkins, Chris (May 1, 2005). "Gordon dominating in win at Talladega". USA Today. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
  58. "2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  59. Associated Press (September 10, 2005). "Gordon fades into Richmond night". ESPN. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  60. Fryer, Jenna (September 14, 2005). "Jeff Gordon's crew chief steps down, leaves team". USA Today. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  61. Newton, David (July 30, 2010). "Letarte to remain Gordon's crew chief". ESPN. Retrieved August 8, 2013. Letarte, who replaced Robbie Loomis, has been with Gordon since the September 2005 race at New Hampshire.
  62. Bonkowski, Jerry (December 23, 2013). "How Much Does Jeff Gordon Have Left in the Tank?". Bleacher Report. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
  63. "2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
  64. Associated Press (April 19, 2007). "Gordon wins fourth pole of season at Phoenix". ESPN. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  65. "Memorable Moments: Phoenix". NASCAR. November 7, 2013. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
  66. Glier, Ray (April 30, 2007). "To Fans' Dismay, Gordon Passes an Icon". The New York Times. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
  67. "2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
  68. Sporting News Wire Service (April 6, 2009). "Gordon gets first victory at Texas to end winless skid". NASCAR. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  69. Associated Press (November 22, 2009). "Jimmie Johnson Wins Fourth Straight NASCAR Championship". New England Sports Network. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  70. Elliott, Hannah (September 22, 2013). "Jeff Gordon's Dad: How To Make Your Kid A Star Racecar Driver". Forbes.com. Retrieved 2013-09-24.
  71. Blount, Terry (November 24, 2010). "Jeff Gordon the big winner in shake-up". ESPN. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  72. Armijo, Mark (February 27, 2011). "Jeff Gordon wins at PIR, ends winless streak at 66 races". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  73. "Gordon Leads Hendrick Sweep of Top Four Spots in Qualifying for Aaron's 499". Talladega Superspeedway. April 16, 2011. Retrieved August 3, 2013.
  74. Gelston, Dan (June 12, 2011). "Jeff Gordon wins for 5th time at Pocono". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved August 3, 2013.
  75. Associated Press (September 7, 2011). "Jeff Gordon holds on for third 2011 win". ESPN. Retrieved August 3, 2013.
  76. "Statistics: Modern Era Race Winners". NASCAR. July 10, 2011. Archived from the original on October 17, 2012. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  77. "2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
  78. Gelston, Dan. "Jeff Gordon gets win in rain-shortened Pocono". The Washington Times. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  79. Menzer, Joe (December 5, 2012). "Season filled with ups and downs". NASCAR. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
  80. Hembree, Mike (November 11, 2012). "CUP: Gordon, Bowyer Clash Sparks Fight". Speed. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  81. Fryer, Jenna (November 13, 2012). "Gordon fined $100K, docked 25 points by NASCAR". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved November 13, 2012.http://wayback.archive.org/web/20151123200611/https://sports.yahoo.com/news/jeff-gordon-fined-100-000-224542416--nascar.htmlhttp://news.yahoo.com/gordon-fined-100k-docked-25-points-nascar-004154248--spt.html
  82. "Jeff Gordon fined $100,000, put on probation". USA Today. November 12, 2012. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  83. Pfeifer, Jay (November 18, 2012). "NASCAR Homestead: Jeff Gordon stretches fuel to beat Clint Bowyer for win". Sporting News. Retrieved December 8, 2012.
  84. Ryan, Nate (May 11, 2013). "Matt Kenseth tames Darlington for third win of year". The Journal News. Retrieved May 11, 2013.
  85. "Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finish inside the top 10 at Dover". Hendrick Motorsports. June 2, 2013. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  86. 1 2 Gluck, Jeff (September 6, 2013). "Jeff Gordon on pole for Federated Auto Parts 400". USA Today. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
  87. "Jeff Gordon keeps Chase hopes alive with Richmond pole win". Hendrick Motorsports. 2013-09-06. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
  88. Bruce, Kenny (July 5, 2013). "With historic streak, Gordon only looks forward". NASCAR. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  89. Phillips, Michael (September 7, 2013). "Edwards wins at RIR as Gordon misses chase". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  90. "Gordon added to Chase as 13th driver". NASCAR. September 13, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
  91. Associated Press (October 27, 2013). "Jeff Gordon earns first win of season at Martinsville". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 27, 2013.
  92. Ryan, Nate (May 11, 2014). "Jeff Gordon wins at Kansas; Danica is seventh". USA Today. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
  93. Peltz, Jim (July 27, 2014). "Jeff Gordon makes best restart of his life for fifth Brickyard 400 win". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
  94. 1 2 Associated Press (July 27, 2014). "It's 'Jeff Gordon Day' at IMS for record 5th time". USA Today. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
  95. Associated Press (August 17, 2014). "Jeff Gordon ends drought at Michigan". ESPN. Retrieved August 17, 2014.
  96. NASCAR (September 28, 2014). "Gordon pulls away for win at Dover". NASCAR. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
  97. "Brawl breaks out at Texas between Gordon, Keselowski, Harvick". USA Today. November 2, 2014. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  98. Bromberg, Nick (November 2, 2014). "Sunday's fracas at Texas was incited by Harvick's push of Keselowski". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  99. Olson, Jeff (November 16, 2014). "Final pit stop costs Jeff Gordon a shot at victory". USA Today. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  100. "Jeff Gordon: Last full-time season". ESPN. January 22, 2015. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
  101. Pennell, Jay (January 29, 2015). "Hold the farewell: Jeff Gordon wants to go out as competitive as ever". Foxsports.com. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
  102. Boarman, John (February 15, 2015). "Jeff Gordon wins Daytona 500 pole, full qualifying results". Tireball. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  103. Gluck, Jeff (February 22, 2015). "Jeff Gordon still smiling after tough end to Daytona 500". USA Today. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  104. Wackerlin, Jeff (October 24, 2015). "Talladega Pole Sweep for Gordon". Motor Racing Network. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
  105. Jensen, Tom (November 1, 2015). "Gordon picks perfect time to claim another Martinsville clock". Foxsports.com. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
  106. Turner, Jared (November 22, 2015). "Farewell ride: Jeff Gordon's bid for fifth title falls short at Homestead". Foxsports.com. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  107. "Out of retirement, Jeff Gordon to replace Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Brickyard 400". USA Today. July 20, 2016. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  108. Staff report (August 2, 2016). "Jeff Gordon to fill in for Dale Jr. in next two races". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  109. Dustin Long (September 2, 2016). "Jeff Gordon, Alex Bowman to drive No. 88 rest of season for Dale Earnhardt Jr.". NASCAR.nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  110. "Jeff Gordon". Race of Champions. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  111. "USA Wins The Nations Cup". Gordon Online. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
  112. "Michael Schumacher to take on Jeff Gordon". Grand Prix. September 5, 2004. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  113. "NASCAR driver Casey Mears will fill in for ailing Jeff...". Chicago Tribune. December 4, 2004. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  114. McKee, Sandra (November 5, 2005). "Pastrana honored to drive in Paris". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  115. Press Release (January 7, 2007). "Gordon's Rolex 24 team fastest at Daytona test". NASCAR. Archived from the original on May 15, 2010. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
  116. "Rolex 24 At Daytona". Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved February 27, 2007.
  117. Pockrass, Bob (December 1, 2016). "Jeff Gordon to drive for Wayne Taylor Racing in 2017 Rolex 24". ESPN. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  118. "Jeff Gordon Wins IROC First Round". The Auto Channel. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  119. "Jeff's IROC Statistics". Gordon Online. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
  120. Tuttle, Tim (October 7, 2008). "The road to F1 Gordon almost took". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on December 11, 2008. Retrieved February 19, 2014.
  121. 1 2 "Jeff's Formula One Detour". Gordon Online. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
  122. Marty Smith (June 12, 2003). "Gordon shows skill in F1 demonstration at Indy – June 12, 2003". NASCAR. Archived from the original on October 16, 2011. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  123. Peltz, Jim (July 10, 2006). "Formula One' Montoya Will Join NASCAR". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
  124. 1 2 "The Prelude to the Dream". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
  125. "2007 Prelude to the Dream". Racing-Reference. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
  126. "2008 Prelude to the Dream". Racing-Reference. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
  127. "2010 Prelude to the Dream". Racing-Reference. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
  128. Ryan, Nate (January 23, 2015). "Is a NASCAR TV analyst career in Jeff Gordon's future? 'I'd entertain it'". NBC Sports. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  129. Gluck, Jeff (January 25, 2015). "Jeff Gordon to be Fox guest analyst for NASCAR's Xfinity series". USA Today. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
  130. "Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski join FOX NASCAR team". Foxsports.com. January 26, 2015. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  131. "JEFF GORDON REVEALS TV PLAN TO 'FRIENDS'". NASCAR. February 3, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  132. "Jeff Gordon announces he is leaving NASCAR". Fox News Channel. February 3, 2015. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  133. "Jeff Gordon set for debut in FOX Sports 1 broadcast booth". Foxsports.com. April 8, 2015. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  134. Caldwell, Gary (April 17, 2015). "Gordon returns to broadcast booth Saturday". Bristol, TN: Hendrick Motorsports. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  135. Ryan, Nate (April 30, 2015). "Is the next career move for Jeff Gordon calling NASCAR races on TV? He might know soon". NBC Sports. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  136. Albert, Zack (February 22, 2015). "HARVICK GETS RAVE REVIEWS FOR TV ANALYSIS". NASCAR. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  137. "Bowyer named latest XFINITY Series race analyst for FOX, FS1". Foxsports.com. February 25, 2015. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  138. "Danica Patrick joins the FOX Sports 1 booth for her first XFINITY race". Foxsports.com. June 13, 2015. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  139. "Jeff Gordon joins FOX NASCAR on-air team as analyst for 2016 season". Foxsports.com. May 21, 2015. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  140. Bruce, Kenny (May 21, 2015). "JEFF GORDON TO JOIN FOX'S NASCAR COVERAGE IN 2016". NASCAR. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  141. "LARRY MCREYNOLDS BIDS FAREWELL TO BOOTHMATES". NASCAR. June 28, 2015. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  142. "MCREYNOLDS: 'SUNDAY IS GOING TO BE VERY TOUGH'". NASCAR. June 26, 2015. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  143. "Jeff Gordon completes first rehearsal with 2016 FOX Sports team". Foxsports.com. November 10, 2015. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
  144. Utter, Jim (November 10, 2015). "Jeff Gordon already getting a jump on his new NASCAR job". Motorsport.com. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
  145. "Fernando Alonso tops the rich list in motorsports". Sportskeeda. September 12, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2013.
  146. Webb, James (October 3, 2004). "Why You Need To Know the Scots Irish". Parade. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
  147. 1 2 3 Elliott, Hannah (October 8, 2013). "At Home With Jeff Gordon: The Superstar Driver Is (Finally) Shifting Gears". Forbes. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  148. "The Bickford Effect". Gordon Online. Retrieved September 28, 2013.
  149. Gordon 2005, p. 26.
  150. "CUP STARS, JEFF GORDON'S COUSIN IN K&N SONOMA RACE". NASCAR. June 18, 2014. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  151. Interview on Breakaway tv Archived July 6, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  152. Caldwell, Dave (February 17, 2011). "2001 Interview on Belief.net". Beliefnet.com. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  153. "Jeff Gordon: What Drives Your Life?". hopeway.org. Archived from the original on May 11, 2003. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
  154. Mansfield, Stephanie (June 13–15, 1997). "You can't live your life worrying". USA Weekend. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  155. Roberts, Selena (February 14, 2003). "Letting Go, Jeff Gordon Is Adopting a New Image". Daytona Beach, FL: The New York Times. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  156. Bechtel, Mark (November 23, 2015). "The Last Ride of Jeff Gordon". Sports Illustrated. pp. 64–68.
  157. 1 2 3 4 5 Hinton, Ed (April 24, 1995). "ON THE FAST TRACK AT 23, JEFF GORDON IS NASCAR'S HOTTEST DRIVER AND BIGGEST HOPE FOR THE FUTURE". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  158. Smith, Steven Cole (February 13, 2003). "Gordon's Messy Divorce Bleeds Onto The Track". Daytona Beach, FL: Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  159. Hinton, Ed (June 30, 2000). "Crazed Fans Driving Away Drivers". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  160. "Changes in Latitude". Harrisburg, NC: Jeff Gordon Online. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  161. "Jeff Gordon". SportsCentury. Season 4. Episode 19. February 9, 2004. ESPN Classic.
  162. Harris, Elliott (February 12, 2003). "Crass course about divorce for Gordon". Chicago Sun-Times via NewsBank.
  163. "Speed demon". New York Post. N.Y.P. Holdings, Inc. February 8, 2003. p. 10 via LexisNexis.
  164. "Hitting the Skids". People. April 1, 2002. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  165. Merron, Jeff. "The List: Sports' most harmful relatives". ESPN. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  166. Anderson, Lars (July 2, 2007). "Here Comes Mr. Gordon". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
  167. Smith, Steven Cole (February 14, 2003). "Fast and the furious". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  168. Newton, David (August 15, 2006). "Are the best of times ahead for Gordon?". NASCAR. Archived from the original on October 7, 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  169. "Gordon-Vandenbosch Engagement". That's Racin'.http://wayback.archive.org/web/20151121223819/http://www.thatsracin.com/mld/thatsracin/14901236.htmhttp://www.hogwild.net/Rants/nascar-wedding-jeff-gordon-ingrid-vandebosch.htm
  170. "Jeff Gordon and Wife Welcome Baby Girl".
  171. Fleeman, Mike (June 20, 2007). "It's a Girl for NASCAR Champ Jeff Gordon – Birth, Jeff Gordon". People. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  172. Michaud, Sarah (February 4, 2010). "Jeff Gordon, Wife Expecting Second Child – Babies, Jeff Gordon". People. Retrieved June 15, 2010.
  173. "Jeff Gordon Reveals Sex of Baby on the Way – Babies, Jeff Gordon". People. March 16, 2010. Retrieved June 15, 2010.
  174. 1 2 Swan, Raygan (August 6, 2010). "Pruett ready to fill in should baby duty call Gordon". NASCAR. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
  175. "Jeff Gordon Welcomes Son Leo Benjamin- Babies, Jeff Gordon". People. August 9, 2010. Retrieved August 9, 2010.
  176. "Gordon Childrens Hospital Opens". Motor Racing Network. December 16, 2006. Retrieved September 12, 2013.
  177. "Athletes for Hope". Athletes for Hope. Retrieved August 2, 2010.
  178. Associated Press (August 10, 2011). "Jeff Gordon The Go-To Guy For Good Causes". Speed. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
  179. "Gordon's Philanthropy Reaches New Heights". Speed. December 13, 2011. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
  180. 1 2 "Top 10 endorsement superstars". CNNMoney.com. December 31, 2008. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
  181. 1 2 "Jeff And Dale Race to the Bank". Gordon Online. July 21, 1998. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
  182. "Jeff Gordon". NNDB. Soylent Communications. Retrieved September 7, 2010.
  183. "Wiley X,® Inc. Launches New DVX® Sun and Safety Sunglass Brand to be Sold Exclusively Through Walmart Vision Centers Nationwide". PR Newswire. February 24, 2012. Retrieved September 28, 2013.
  184. "RCCA – Buy The Official Diecast of Nascar". Lionel Racing. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
  185. "Jeff Gordon 24 Energy Drink". BevNET. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
  186. Black, Jay (August 1, 2007). "24x24 Wide Open with Jeff Gordon – DVD Review". AOL TV. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
  187. "Gordon Enters The Winery". Gordon Online. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  188. Grossman, Deborah (June 22, 2007). "Jeff Gordon / NASCAR driver's devotion to wine". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  189. Berninger, Jeff (May 6, 2012). "Vines and Wines: Jeff Gordon Cellars". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  190. Clarkson, Michael (November 5, 2013). "Canadian Motor Speedway gets green light in Fort Erie". Toronto Star. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
  191. McCubbin, Ashley (February 12, 2013). "John Bickford Discusses Canadian Motor Speedway And Jeff Gordon's Career". Speedway Media. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
  192. Pennell, Jay (February 12, 2015). "Jeff Gordon named Axalta global business advisor". Foxsports.com. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
  193. "HARF Driver of the Year". Hoosier Auto Racing Fans. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
  194. "Ed Carpenter receives Pat O'Connor Award from Hoosier Auto Racing Fans". INDYCAR. January 26, 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
  195. "HARF Hall of Fame". Hoosier Auto Racing Fans. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
  196. "Richard Petty Driver of the Year". National Motorsports Press Association. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  197. "All-Time ESPY Winners". ESPN MediaZone. June 24, 2010. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
  198. "Gordon wins 'Best Driver' ESPY award". Hendrick Motorsports. July 12, 2007. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
  199. "Gordon Honored With Top North Carolina Award". Raleigh, NC. Archived from the original on November 8, 1996. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  200. "McCrory awards Jeff Gordon with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine". WSOC-TV. January 13, 2016. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
  201. "Jeff Gordon". People. May 12, 1997. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
  202. "December 1997". NASCAR Illustrated. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  203. "December 2004". NASCAR Illustrated. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  204. "December 2011". NASCAR Illustrated. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  205. "Gordon named NASCAR Illustrated's 2011 Person of the Year". Hendrick Motorsports. November 16, 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  206. "Gordon talks being a part of 50 Greatest". NASCAR. December 2, 2015. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  207. "NEMA's Humphrey Earns Midget Hall of Fame Spot". YankeeRacer.com. September 3, 2008. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  208. "Scouts honor Jeff Gordon". ThatsRacin.com. March 25, 2009. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  209. "Jeff Gordon Joins Elite Group as Newest Member of The Legends of The Glen". Watkins Glen, NY: Watkins Glen International. August 12, 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  210. "Jeff Gordon Named Winner of the 2011 NMPA Speedway Motorsports Spirit Award". Jeff Gordon Children's Foundation. January 23, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  211. "Jeff Gordon named 2012 Heisman Humanitarian recipient". Hendrick Motorsports. August 3, 2012. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  212. Caraviello, David (December 14, 2012). "JEFF GORDON HUMBLED BY MYERS BROTHERS AWARD". Las Vegas, NV: NASCAR. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  213. "Jeff Gordon And Nile Rogers To Be Honored At Angel Ball". Look to the Stars. September 25, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  214. Cain, Holly (May 24, 2015). "JEFF GORDON DRIVES INDY 500 PACE CAR". NASCAR. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  215. Wolkin, Joseph (June 30, 2015). "Jeff Gordon Honored with Tour Bus in New York City". Frontstretch. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  216. Marot, Michael (July 23, 2015). "NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon receives Sagamore of the Wabash award before Brickyard 400". The Goshen News. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
  217. "Jeff Gordon Presented With H. Clay Earles Award by Martinsville Speedway". Martinsville Speedway. November 1, 2015. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
  218. Caldwell, Gray (December 3, 2015). "Gordon honored as first Chevrolet Lifetime Achievement Award recipient". Las Vegas, NV: Hendrick Motorsports. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  219. Caldwell, Gray (December 4, 2015). "Gordon talks prestigious Chevrolet Lifetime Achievement Award". Las Vegas, NV: Hendrick Motorsports. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  220. Pennell, Jay (December 5, 2015). "Jeff Gordon receives prestigious award, chokes back tears in emotional speech". Foxsports.com. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
  221. "JEFF GORDON WINS FOURTH QUARTER NMPA SPIRIT AWARD". Darlington, SC: NASCAR. December 17, 2015. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  222. Pearce, Al (January 4, 2016). "Jeff Gordon: 2016 Autoweek Achievement -- The Denise McCluggage Award". Autoweek. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
  223. "McCrory awards Jeff Gordon with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine". WSOC-TV. January 13, 2016. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
  224. O'Neill, Kane (April 16, 2016). "Gordon inducted into Legends Plaza". Bristol, TN: WJHL-TV. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
  225. "Pittsboro, Indiana Names Street of Jeff Gordon". Motorsport.com. July 29, 1999. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  226. Busbee, Jay (May 26, 2013). "There is, alas, a speed limit on the Jeff Gordon Expressway". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  227. Flores, Adrianne; Brad Broders (October 19, 2011). "Mecklenburg County Commissioners approve 'Jeff Gordon Expressway'". Raleigh, NC: News 14 Carolina. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
  228. Lyttle, Steve (May 24, 2012). "Ready for the Jeff Gordon Expressway?". Gulfport, MS: Sun Herald.com. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  229. "NCDOT dedicates section of I-85 in Mecklenburg County as the Jeff Gordon Expressway". Hendrick Motorsports. May 25, 2012. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
  230. "PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY TO BE RENAMED JEFF GORDON RACEWAY ON NOV. 15 FOR THE QUICKEN LOANS RACE FOR HEROES 500". Phoenix International Raceway. June 12, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  231. Menzer, Joe (August 22, 2015). "Jeff Gordon floored by having Bristol name grandstand after him". Foxsports.com. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  232. Shifting Gears: Jeff Gordon and road courses. November 2, 2015. Retrieved January 9, 2016 via YouTube.
  233. Elliott, Hannah (September 22, 2011). "Jeff Gordon's Dad: How To Make Your Kid A Star Racecar Driver". Forbes. Retrieved February 19, 2014.
  234. Pockrass, Bob (May 26, 2014). "Jeff Gordon proves his toughness in Coca-Cola 600". Sporting News. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
  235. Bromberg, Nick (September 27, 2015). "Jeff Gordon breaks NASCAR's consecutive starts streak at New Hampshire". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved September 27, 2015.

Sources

Garner, Joe (2016). Jeff Gordon: His Dream, Drive & Destiny. Jeff Gordon Inc. ISBN 1-6038-0396-3. 
Gordon, Jeff; Steve Eubanks (2005) [2003]. Jeff Gordon: Racing Back to the Front—My Memoir. New York: Pocket Books. ISBN 0-7434-6416-8. 
Grissom, Glen (2005). Jeff Gordon: The NASCAR Superstar's Story. Motorbooks. ISBN 0-7603-2178-7. 
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Dale Earnhardt
Terry Labonte
Bobby Labonte
NASCAR Winston Cup Series champion
1995
1997, 1998
2001
Succeeded by
Terry Labonte
Dale Jarrett
Tony Stewart
Preceded by
Fernando Alonso
Jesús Puras
Rubén Xaus
Race of Champions
Nations' Cup

2002 with:
Colin Edwards
Jimmie Johnson
Succeeded by
Cristiano da Matta
Fonsi Nieto
Gilles Panizzi
Achievements
Preceded by
Dale Earnhardt
Dale Jarrett
Busch Clash winner
1994
1997
Succeeded by
Dale Earnhardt
Rusty Wallace
Preceded by
Inaugural
Ricky Rudd
Bobby Labonte
Kevin Harvick
Ryan Newman
Brickyard 400 winner
1994
1998
2001
2004
2014
Succeeded by
Dale Earnhardt
Dale Jarrett
Bill Elliott
Tony Stewart
Kyle Busch
Preceded by
Geoff Bodine
Michael Waltrip
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
The Winston winner
1995
1997
2001
Succeeded by
Michael Waltrip
Mark Martin
Ryan Newman
Preceded by
Dale Jarrett
Dale Earnhardt
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Daytona 500 winner
1997
1999
2005
Succeeded by
Dale Earnhardt
Dale Jarrett
Jimmie Johnson
Preceded by
Bill Elliott
Ward Burton
Greg Biffle
Southern 500 winner
1995, 1996, 1997, 1998
2002
2007
Succeeded by
Jeff Burton
Terry Labonte
Kyle Busch
Awards
Preceded by
Jimmy Hensley
NASCAR Winston Cup Series Rookie of the Year
1993
Succeeded by
Jeff Burton
Preceded by
Joe Nemechek
NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Rookie of the Year
1991
Succeeded by
Ricky Craven
Preceded by
Al Unser, Jr.
Jimmy Vasser
Tony Stewart
Best Driver ESPY Award
1996
1998, 1999
2007
Succeeded by
Jimmy Vasser
Dale Jarrett
Jimmie Johnson
Preceded by
Inaugural
Tony Stewart
Kevin Harvick
Tony Stewart
EA Sports NASCAR cover athlete
1998
2002
2006
2009
Succeeded by
Dale Earnhardt
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Elliott Sadler
Final
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 12/2/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.