Jeff Gordon: Difference between revisions
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== Early career == |
== Early career == |
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Jeff Gordon stared raceing when he was 5 then when he was s1x he started dateing his mom and getting drunk.his family had to overcome an insurance hurtle. The minimum age for driving the sprint cars was 16. 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 [[United States Automobile Club|USAC]] [[United States Automobile Club#USAC National Midget Series|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]].<ref name="NMARHoF" /> 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.<ref name="NMARHoF">{{cite web|url=http://www.worthyofhonor.com/|title=Tappett, Humphrey, Gordon & Doty join "Hall of Fame" |date=2008-08-24|publisher=[[National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame]]|accessdate=2008-09-06}}</ref> In 1991, Gordon into the [[United States Automobile Club#USAC Silver Crown Series|USAC Silver Crown]], and at the age of 20 became the youngest driver to win the season championship.<ref name="NMARHoF" /> He also won the [[4 Crown Nationals]] midget car race that season.<ref name="NMARHoF" /> In his midget car career between 1989 and 1992, he finished in the Top 3 in 22 of 40 USAC midget car events.<ref name="NMARHoF" /> |
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==Busch Series Career== |
==Busch Series Career== |
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Revision as of 19:39, 20 February 2010
Jeffery Michael "Jeff" Gordon (born August 4, 1971) is a professional American race car driver. He was born in Vallejo, California, raised in Pittsboro, Indiana, and currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. He is a four-time NASCAR Winston Cup (now Sprint Cup) Series champion, three-time Daytona 500 winner, and driver of the #24 DuPont/Pepsi/United States National Guard Chevrolet Impala. He, along with Rick Hendrick, are the co-owners of the #48 Lowe's sponsored team, driven by Jimmie Johnson, who won the 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009 Sprint Cup series championships. Gordon also has an equity stake in his own # 24 team. He also became the first driver to reach $100 Million in winnings for the Cup series in 2009.
Early career
Jeff Gordon stared raceing when he was 5 then when he was s1x he started dateing his mom and getting drunk.his family had to overcome an insurance hurtle. The minimum age for driving the sprint cars was 16. 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.[1] 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.[1] In 1991, Gordon into the USAC Silver Crown, and at the age of 20 became the youngest driver to win the season championship.[1] He also won the 4 Crown Nationals midget car race that season.[1] In his midget car career between 1989 and 1992, he finished in the Top 3 in 22 of 40 USAC midget car events.[1]
Busch Series Career
In 1991 and 1992, Gordon went on to the Busch Series driving 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. His time with Bill Davis racing introduced Gordon to Ray Evernham as his crew chief. He was sponsored by Carolina Ford Dealers in 1991 and Baby Ruth in 1992. Coincidentally, Gordon's first NASCAR Winston Cup Series race, the 1992 Hooters 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, was also the final race for Richard Petty. He went on to finish 31st, crashing after 164 laps of competition.
Cup Series Career
In 1993, Gordon raced his first full season in Winston Cup (now the Sprint Cup) for Hendrick Motorsports, in which he won a Daytona 500 qualifying race, the Rookie of the Year award, and finished 14th in points. Ray Evernham was placed as Jeff Gordon's first crew chief. Gordon's success in the sport reshaped the paradigm and eventually gave younger drivers an opportunity to compete in NASCAR. However, during the 1993 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.
1994
In 1994, Gordon collected his first career victory at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Coca Cola 600, NASCAR's longest and most demanding race. Additionally, Gordon scored a popular hometown victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the inaugural Brickyard 400, passing Ernie Irvan for the lead late in the race when Irvan cut down a tire. Gordon finished eighth in the Winston Cup point standings for the '94 season, as Earnhardt grabbed the driving championship for his 7th and final time.
1995-2001
1995 saw Gordon win his first NASCAR Winston Cup Championship. He won it by battling 7-time and defending champ, Dale Earnhardt into the final race of the season. Many see this as a symbolic passing of the torch, as Gordon collected his first championship the year after Earnhardt won his seventh and final championship. Earnhardt won his first championship in 1980, the year after Richard Petty won his seventh and final championship. Gordon finished the season with eight poles, and seven victories, winning at Rockingham in the second race of the season, Atlanta, Bristol (starting a streak of four consecutive wins in the spring event), Daytona (in the Pepsi 400), New Hampshire, Darlington (Starting a streak of four consecutive wins in the Southern 500 event), and Dover. The team's consistency was much better as well, having 3 DNF's in 1995, compared to 21 in his previous two seasons combined.
Gordon got off to a rocky start in 1996, but rebounded to win ten races, the series high. The 24 team collected wins at Richmond, Darlington (winning both the spring event and the Southern 500), Bristol, Dover (winning both events of the season), Pocono, Talladega, Martinsville, and North Wilkesboro (winning the final event ever at the track). This would start a three year streak of winning double digit races. He finished 2nd to teammate Terry Labonte for the championship, losing by 37 points.
Jeff Gordon won his first Daytona 500 in 1997, becoming the youngest driver in history to win the race. He won the second race of the season at Rockingham the following week. Later in the season he also won the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte and had a chance to become the first man since Bill Elliott in 1985 to win the "Winston Million." Gordon completed the feat by holding off a determined Jeff Burton in the final laps of the Southern 500 at Darlington. While Elliott failed to win the Winston Cup in 1985, Jeff 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) for the second straight season. His victory at California was in the track's inaugural race, and his victory at Watkins Glen began a streak of seven consecutive road course victories.
In 1998 Gordon successfully defended his victories in the Coca-Cola 600 and the Southern 500, winning a record four consecutive Southern 500s in the process. Gordon also won his second Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis. According to most NASCAR drivers the race at Indianapolis has become second in prestige only to the Daytona 500. Gordon finished the 1998 season with a victory in the season finale at Atlanta. This was his 13th victory of the season and tied Richard Petty's modern era record of 13 wins in a single season. He finished 1998 with 13 wins, 7 poles, 26 top fives, and 28 top tens.
In 1999, Gordon along with crew chief Evernham formed Gordon/Evernham Motorsports. Though short lived, the race team enjoyed success. The co-owned team received a full sponsorship from Pepsi and ran six races with Gordon as driver and Ray Evernham as crew chief in the NASCAR Busch Series. GEM only survived one year as Evernham was pulled away by Dodge, ending one of the most dominant driver/crew-chief combinations in Nascar history. Jeff Gordon extended his Busch experiment one more year, through 2000 as co-owner, with Rick Hendrick buying Evernham's half. After the departure of Evernham (who left Hendrick Motorsports to begin his own team, Evernham Motorsports, reintroducing Dodge into the series), the race team was renamed JG Motorsports. While winning six times in 1999, Gordon's season was a major disappointment, finishing 6th in the series standings. Brian Whitesell was named the interim crew-chief for remainder of the season after Evernham's departure in September. Whitesell scored back to back victories in his first two races.
2000 saw Gordon enter his first campaign with Robbie Loomis as crew-chief. Loomis had been with Petty Enterprises for years prior. The team struggled as the rebuilding process went on. Gordon scored his first victory of 2000 at Talladega in the spring event, winning his 50th career victory in the series. He went on to win at Infineon Raceway and Richmond. Gordon finished the season 9th in points.
Many people questioned Gordon's ability to win championships without longtime crew chief, Ray Evernham, especially after Gordon struggled to a 9th place points finish in 2000, winning only three races. Gordon answered those challenges in 2001 by winning 6 races (including a third Brickyard 400 win, and the inaugural event at Kansas Speedway) en route to his 4th Winston Cup championship. Jeff Gordon became the third driver to win four Cup championships in NASCAR history only second to Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt (7 times). The 24 car's paint scheme was changed for the first time this season, abandoning the 'Rainbow Warrior' scheme in favor of a flames-themed car. Both paint schemes were designed by Sam Bass.
2002-03
Gordon entered the 2002 season as defending champion, but the year was far from perfect. In addition (or perhaps because of), Gordon's divorce proceedings with wife Brooke affected his on track performance. A strong showing in the Daytona 500 was ruined when Sterling Marlin sent Gordon spinning in the infield grass with a handful of laps remaining, while leading the race. Gordon had won his 125 qualifier, but finished ninth in the Daytona 500 after the contact with Marlin. It was announced to the media during the spring event at Darlington that Gordon's then-wife, Brooke, was filing for divorce. Many think that the addition of the 48 team with Jimmie Johnson as driver in 2002, also took away from Gordon's season as the 24 team helped to build the 48 team. Gordon did not win until the Sharpie 500 night race at Bristol in August, his first victory in the night race at Bristol. He followed that up with a fifth victory in the Southern 500 at Darlington a week later. Gordon won for the third and final time in 2002 at Kansas Speedway, his second consecutive at the track. The 24 team finished the season 4th in points.
In 2003, Jeff Gordon returned with Robbie Loomis for a third season together. Gordon won early in April, winning Martinsville, and winning Atlanta and Martinsville again in the fall. He finished the year 4th in the NASCAR standings, with 3 wins, 15 Top-5 finishes, and 20 Top-10 finishes. Gordon also was in second in rank to Matt Kenseth for the championship early in the season. In June, Gordon went to Indianapolis Motor Speedway to take part in a test with then-F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya. The two switched rides, with Gordon driving an F1 car for the first time. Montoya would eventually join the NASCAR Cup series in 2007.
2004
2004 was a huge rebound for the team. Gordon won the Brickyard 400 in August 2004, obtaining his 4th Indy win (1994, 1998, 2001, 2004). He is the only NASCAR driver with four Brickyard 400 victories at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and one of only five drivers to have four victories at the historic track. Prior to this victory, Gordon won at Talladega (ending the DEI dominance on restrictor plate tracks), and followed that up with a victory the following weekend at California. He also won at Infineon Raceway, and followed that up with a victory the following weekend in the Pepsi 400 at Daytona, his second consecutive restrictor plate win. He finished 3rd in the 2004 NEXTEL Cup points standing behind Kurt Busch and teammate Jimmie Johnson even though he scored the most total points throughout the whole season, a consequence of the new Chase system implemented in 2004. While the Hendrick Motorsports team enjoyed success with Johnson and Gordon finished 2nd and 3rd in the points, the team suffered a major off-track tragedy. On October 24, during the race weekend at Martinsville, a Hendrick Motorsports plane carrying engine builder Randy Dorton, team President John Hendrick (Rick Hendrick's brother), Vice President Jeff Turner, Ricky Hendrick (Rick Hendrick's 24 year old son) and more crashed on its way to the track. Everyone on board were killed. The team was clearly affected by this, but continued with impressive performances.
2005
Gordon started the 2005 season with a win in the Daytona 500, his fourth win in the event. Inconsistency would plague him throughout the year, however. A late season (notably top 10s at Indy and Bristol) run put him in position to qualify for the Chase, but in the last race before the Chase at Richmond, Gordon made contact with the wall and failed to qualify for the chase. Despite this disappointment, on October 23 Gordon won the Subway 500 at Martinsville Speedway, his first win in 22 points races, and his 7th career victory at the 0.526-mile (0.847 km) track, which leads all active drivers at the facility. He went on to finish 11th in the Championship and received a $1,000,000 bonus as the top driver finishing outside the Chase. It was Gordon's first time outside the top 10 in the point standings since 1993.
On September 14, 2005 Crew Chief Robbie Loomis resigned from the #24 team. Loomis stayed on with Hendrick Motorsports as a consultant for Jimmie Johnson's #48 team through the Chase for The NEXTEL Cup in 2005. Steve Letarte, Gordon's car chief for most of the '05 season and long time member of the 24 crew, replaced Loomis as crew chief effective at New Hampshire International Speedway on September 18, 2005.
2006
Gordon won his ninth road race, the 2006 Dodge/Save Mart 350, at the Infineon Raceway - his first win of the season and fifth at Infineon. The day before the race, he announced his engagement to Belgian model Ingrid Vandebosch.
On June 29, 2006, Gordon announced that he would participate in the Rolex 24 endurance sports car event at Daytona International Speedway, teaming up with SunTrust Racing drivers Max Angelelli and Wayne Taylor, who won the 2005 Rolex 24 race.[2] His team went on to finish third, despite problems, two laps behind the winning team of Juan Pablo Montoya, Scott Pruett, and Salvador Durán.[3] On July 9, 2006, Gordon won his first race at the Chicagoland Speedway at the running of the USG Sheetrock 400(this was also the first win for Hendrick Motorsports at this track).
Gordon made the "Chase for the NEXTEL Cup" with his improvements on the intermediate 1.5/2-mile downforce racetracks from 2005. His consistency in the latter portions of 2006 made him competitive week-in and week-out, eventually finishing 6th in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Standings.
Jeff Gordon attended the awards ceremony at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City for his top-10 finish in the NEXTEL Cup Standings. While there he collected a check for his 2006 winnings of $7,471,447 which brings his career winnings total to $82,838,526.
2007
Gordon started the 2007 Cup season off by winning his Gatorade Duel qualifying race. Due to a rear shock bolt breaking during the race on his car, he failed the post-race inspection which found that the rear of his car was too low and, as a result, had to start 42nd in the 2007 Daytona 500. He went on to finish 10th in the race despite being involved in a crash during a spectacular last-lap finish.
On March 23, 2007, Gordon won his 58th career pole for the 2007 Food City 500 at Bristol, the first race for the Car of Tomorrow. He went on to a 3rd place in the race, which gave him the points lead for the first time since the 2005 Daytona 500. At Texas Motor Speedway, Gordon started on the pole because qualifying was rained out. He led the most laps before brushing the wall coming out of turn 4 and finishing 4th.[4]. On April 19, 2007 at Phoenix International Raceway, Gordon won the pole, and tied Darrell Waltrip's modern day record of 59 career poles. Two days later, at the Subway Fresh Fit 500, he won for the first time at PIR, ending also a streak of 21 races of non-pole winners at the track. With the win, he also tied Dale Earnhardt for 6th all time in overall number of NASCAR NEXTEL Cup series wins (second in the modern era). After winning the race, he held a black flag with the number 3 to honor the late Dale Earnhardt.
On April 28, 2007, Gordon earned the pole at Talladega Superspeedway, his 60th career pole (and third consecutive in 2007), passing Darrell Waltrip's record of 59 to become the modern era pole leader.[5] One day later, he passed Earnhardt for sole position of sixth on the all time wins list with 77 by winning the Aaron's 499.[6]
On May 13, 2007, Gordon held on despite an overheating car and a late charge by Denny Hamlin to win the Dodge Avenger 500, the 78th win of his career, and his 7th at Darlington Raceway.
In the 2007 Coca-Cola 600, Gordon crashed after contact with Tony Raines and AJ Allmendinger on lap 61 at Lowe's Motor Speedway, only 91.5 miles (147.3 km) into the race,[7] ending his streak of completing every lap during the season. Gordon finished 41st.[8]
On June 11, 2007, Gordon earned his 4th win of the year and 79th of his career in a rain shortened race at Pocono Raceway. Six days later, he scored a ninth place finish at the Citizens Bank 400 at Michigan International Speedway, the 300th top-ten finish of his career. On September 8, 2007, Gordon earned a place in the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup. With his four wins in the first 26 races, he earned the second seed (teammate Jimmie Johnson earned the top seed with six wins) in the chase.
On October 7, 2007, Gordon led only the final lap in winning the UAW-Ford 500 at Talladega Superspeedway for his 80th career victory, using a strategy of staying near the end of the field until nearly the end of the race to avoid the inevitable "big one", especially with the unknowns involved in racing the Car of Tomorrow. With the win, he swept the 2007 season races at Talladega, and won his 12th race at a restrictor plate track (Daytona and Talladega), making him the all-time leader for restrictor plate wins.[9]
On October 13, 2007, Gordon led 71 laps and, although fuel was a question near the end of the race, he was able to finish the race and earned his 81st career victory in the Bank of America 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
Finishing fourth in the 2007 Ford 400, Gordon finished the 2007 Chase for the Nextel Cup 2nd in the standings to Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson, trailing by 77. However, Gordon's top-ten finish at Homestead left him with a total of 30 top-ten finishes for the season, setting a new modern era Cup Series record. This was the second time that Gordon lost a championship because of the Chase points system. As with 2004, he recorded the most points over the entire season, but lost the title because of the ten race championship system. Gordon has been the only driver to lose the title because of the Chase more than once.
2008
Gordon finished fourth in the Budweiser Shootout and finished third in the Gatorade Duel qualifying race. He started the 50th annual Daytona 500 from the eighth position and led eight laps, some under caution, but on lap 159 suffered suspension failure and finished in 39th position.
Jeff Gordon wrecked with 5 laps to go at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS), claiming that it was one of the hardest wrecks he's ever had, and leading him to call for safety improvements on the inside walls of LVMS and other similar tracks.[10] The wreck has had drivers and owners from all around Nascar now concerned with the lack of a SAFER barrier on the inside walls at tracks and the design of the wall where it allows access for emergency vehicles.[11] Greg Biffle went as far to say that the wreck should be taken as seriously as the one that took Dale Earnhardt's life in 2001.[12] Other drivers who have publicly supported Gordon's call for safety improvements include Jeff Burton, Tony Stewart, Robby Gordon, and Kurt Busch.[12]
Gordon collected his 64th career pole for the Kobalt Tools 500 on March 7, 2008, then went on to finish 5th in the race leading 3 laps.[13]
Gordon collected his 65th career pole for the Goody's Cool Orange 500 on March 28, 2008 at Martinsville Speedway. Gordon went on to finish second in the race after being caught up in a crash caused by Aric Almirola and coming back from the tail end of the field. Gordon led 90 laps in the race.
Gordon finished 3rd in the Dodge Challenger 500 making that his 4th straight top 3 finish in that particular event.
Gordon scored a 3rd at the Toyota/Save Mart 350 making this finish his 4th top 3 finish in the last 8 events at Sonoma.
On September 7, 2008, with his 8th place finish at Richmond, Gordon will make his 4th appearance in the Chase for the Sprint Cup earning the 10th seed out of 12 drivers.[14]
Gordon collected his 66th career pole at the Dover International Speedway for the Camping World RV 400. Gordon led 30 laps in the race and scored a top 5, while Greg Biffle won.
Gordon was caught up in an accident with David Reutimann in the Amp Energy 500 after Reutimann's rear tire exploded and he spun out into Gordon. Gordon criticized Goodyear for tire quality during his interview. [citation needed] He finished 35th, while Reutimann continued to race, until his engine expired.
On October 31, 2008, Gordon earned his 67th career pole, his fourth of the 2008 season, and first ever at Texas Motor Speedway.[15] Gordon finished 2nd to Carl Edwards.
Gordon finished 7th in the 2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup, 368 points out of first place. He finished winless for the first time since 1993. This was also the final season the team ran the flames paint scheme that was introduced in 2001. In 2009, the 24 car would unveil its third 'regular' paint scheme. The new scheme was not much different than the previous flames design, but the color blue was replaced with black. This was the first time in Gordon's career that his primary paint scheme did not feature the color blue.
2009
Gordon started off the 2009 season by drawing the 28th and final position of the Budweiser Shootout. Gordon finished 4th at the Shootout, the same finish he had in 2008 after getting through three wrecks, including a last lap crash. He held off Tony Stewart to win his 5th Gatorade Duel. It was his first win in forty-one races. As a result of the win Gordon started 3rd in the Daytona 500 and, after overcoming a tire issue late in the race, finished 13th.
Despite leading 64 laps, Gordon finished runner-up to Matt Kenseth in the Auto Club 500. It was Gordon's 9th top-5 finish at California.
Gordon led 17 laps in the Shelby 427 but cut a tire coming into the pits and as a result he finished 6th, despite having a shredded fender. Gordon took his first points lead since 2007.
Gordon led 35 laps in the Kobalt Tools 500 and finished second to Kurt Busch for his second top five finish of the season.
Gordon finished 4th in the Food City 500 to collect his third top five of the season and extended his point lead to 77 points.
Gordon led 147 laps in the Goody's Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville, but finished fourth. His teammate Jimmie Johnson won the event. Gordon extended his point lead to 90 points over Clint Bowyer.
Gordon ended his 47 race winless streak, winning the Samsung 500 for his 82nd career victory and his first at Texas Motor Speedway[16]. With the win, Gordon has won at every track that currently hosts a Cup race except Homestead-Miami Speedway. He held off teammate Jimmie Johnson for the win and extended his points lead to 162 points.[17] Gordon also led 105 of the 334 laps, earning him 10 bonus points.
Gordon scored a 5th place in the Southern 500; despite a loose wheel in the beginning of the race. It was Gordon's 5th straight top 5 finish at the track. He extended his point lead to 31 points over Tony Stewart. Gordon scored second place finishes behind teammate Mark Martin, in both the June LifeLock 400 at Michigan and the July LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. Because Martin and Gordon finished 1-2 in both races, LifeLock will pay a $1 million bonus to a Colorado family.[18]
Gordon qualified for the 2009 Chase by virtue of his second place standing in the points following the Chevy Rock & Roll 400. Reseeding dropped him to sixth in the points.
Gordon scored two consecutive second place finishes at the Kansas Speedway and the Auto Club Speedway. He finished second to Tony Stewart and teammate Jimmie Johnson in those races and sits 3rd in points behind by 112 points. (After Texas).He was behind 169 points after Phoenix.He finished 3rd in points giving Hendrick Motorsports the first team ever to finish 1-2-3 in the points. He finished behind teammate Mark Martin and Jimmie Johnson Johnson became the first driver to win four straight titles, but under the new Chase points system. Gordon's four came under the season long points standings. Had this system still been in place, instead of the Chase, Gordon's Cup total would be at six championships, as he scored the most season long points in both 2004, and 2007.
2009 Results
| Date | Race | Track | Start | Finish | Rank | Behind | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02/07/2009 | Budweiser Shootout | Daytona International Speedway | ||||||||
| 02/15/2008 | Daytona 500 | Daytona International Speedway | ||||||||
| 02/22/2008 | Auto Club 500 | Auto Club Speedway | ||||||||
| 03/01/2009 | Shelby 427 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | ||||||||
| 03/08/2009 | Kobalt Tools 500 | Atlanta Motor Speedway | ||||||||
| 03/22/2009 | Food City 500 | Bristol Motor Speedway | ||||||||
| 03/29/2009 | Goody's Fast Relief 500 | Martinsville Speedway | ||||||||
| 04/05/2009 | Samsung 500 | Texas Motor Speedway | ||||||||
| 04/18/2009 | Subway Fresh Fit 500 | Phoenix International Raceway | ||||||||
| 04/26/2009 | Aarons 499 | Talladega Superspeedway | ||||||||
| 05/02/2009 | Crown Royal Presents the Russell Friedman 400 | Richmond International Raceway | ||||||||
| 05/09/2009 | Southern 500 | Darlington Raceway | ||||||||
| 05/24/2009 | Coca-Cola 600 | Lowe's Motor Speedway | ||||||||
| 05/31/2009 | Autism Speaks 400 Presented by Heluva Good! | Dover International Speedway | ||||||||
| 06/07/2009 | Pocono 500 | Pocono Raceway | ||||||||
| 06/14/2009 | Life Lock 400 | Michigan International Speedway | ||||||||
| 06/21/2009 | Toyota/Save Mart 350 | Infineon Raceway | ||||||||
| 06/28/2009 | Lenox Industrial Tools 301 | New Hampshire International Speedway | ||||||||
| 07/04/2009 | Coke Zero 400 | Daytona International Speedway | ||||||||
| 07/11/2009 | LifeLock.com 400 | Chicagoland Speedway | ||||||||
| 07/26/2009 | Allstate 400 at the Brickyard | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | ||||||||
| 08/02/2009 | Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 | Pocono Raceway | ||||||||
| 08/09/2009 | Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen | Watkins Glen International | ||||||||
| 08/16/2009 | 3M Performance 400 presented by Bondo | Michigan International Speedway | ||||||||
| 08/22/2009 | Sharpie 500 | Bristol Motor Speedway | ||||||||
| 09/06/2009 | Pep Boys Auto 500 | Atlanta Motor Speedway | ||||||||
| 09/12/2009 | Chevy Rock & Roll 400 | Richmond International Raceway | ||||||||
| 09/20/2009 | Sylvania 300 | New Hampshire International Speedway | ||||||||
| 09/27/2009 | AAA 400 | Dover International Speedway | ||||||||
| 10/4/2009 | Price Chopper 400 Presented by Kraft Foods | Kansas Speedway | ||||||||
| 10/11/2009 | Pepsi 500 | California Speedway | ||||||||
| 10/17/2009 | NASCAR Banking 500 only from Bank Of America | Lowe's Motor Speedway | ||||||||
| 10/25/2009 | TUMS Fast Relief 500 | Martinsville Speedway | ||||||||
| 11/1/2009 | AMP Energy 500 | Talladega Superspeedway | ||||||||
| 11/8/2009 | Dickies 500 | Texas Motor Speedway | ||||||||
| 11/15/2009 | Checker O'Reily Auto Parts 500 presented by Pennzoil | Phoenix International Raceway | ||||||||
| 11/22/2009 | Ford 400 | Homestead-Miami Speedway | ||||||||
2010 Season
| Date | Race | Track | Start | Finish | Rank | Behind | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02/06/2010 | Budweiser Shootout | Daytona International Speedway | |||||
| 02/11/2010 | Gatorade Duel | Daytona International Speedway | |||||
| 02/14/2010 | Daytona 500 | Daytona International Speedway | |||||
| 02/21/2010 | Auto Club 500 | Auto Club Speedway | |||||
| 2/28/2010 | Shelby American GT 350 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | |||||
| 3/07/2010 | Kobalt Tools 500 | Atlanta Motor Speedway | |||||
| 3/21/2010 | Food City 500 | Bristol Motor Speedway | |||||
| 3/28/2010 | Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500 | Martinsville Speedway | |||||
| 4/10/2010 | Subway Fresh Fit 600 | Phoenix International Raceway | |||||
| 4/18/2010 | Samsung Mobile 500 | Texas Motor Speedway | |||||
| 4/25/2010 | Aarons 499 | Talladega Superspeedway | |||||
| 5/01/2010 | Crown Royal 400 | Richmond International Raceway | |||||
| 5/08/2010 | Southern 500 | Darlington Raceway | |||||
| 5/16/2010 | N/A | Dover International Speedway | |||||
| 5/22/2010 | NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race | Charlotte Motor Speedway | |||||
| 5/30/2010 | Coca Cola 600 | Charlotte Motor Speedway | |||||
| 6/06/2010 | Pocono 500 | Pocono Raceway | |||||
| 6/13/2010 | Life Lock 400 | Michigan International Speedway | |||||
| 6/20/2010 | Toyota/Save Mart 350 | Infineon Raceway | |||||
| 6/27/2010 | Lenox Industrial Tools 301 | New Hampshire Motor Speedway | |||||
| 7/03/2010 | Coke Zero 400 | Daytona International Speedway | |||||
| 7/10/2010 | LifeLock.com 400 | Chicagoland Speedway | |||||
| 7/25/2010 | Brickyard 400 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | |||||
| 8/01/2010 | Pennsylvania 500 | Pocono Raceway | |||||
| 8/08/2010 | Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen | Watkins Glen International | |||||
| 8/15/2010 | Carfax 400 | Michigan International Speedway | |||||
| 8/21/2010 | Irwin Tools Night Race | Bristol Motor Speedway | |||||
| 9/05/2010 | Labor Day Classic 500 | Atlanta Motor Speedway | |||||
| 9/11/2010 | N/A | Richmond International Raceway | |||||
| 9/19/2010 | Sylvania 300 | New Hampshire Motor Speedway | |||||
| 9/26/2010 | AAA 400 | Dover International Speedway | |||||
| 10/03/2010 | Price Chopper 400 | Kansas Speedway | |||||
| 10/10/2010 | Pepsi 500 | Auto Club Speedway | |||||
| 10/16/2010 | NASCAR Banking 500 only from Bank of America | Charlotte Motor Speedway | |||||
| 10/24/2010 | N/A | Martinsville Speedway | |||||
| 10/31/2010 | N/A | Talladega Superspeedway | |||||
| 11/07/2010 | Lone Star 500 | Texas Motor Speedway | |||||
| 11/14/2010 | N/A | Phoenix International Raceway | |||||
| 11/21/2010 | N/A | Homestead-Miami Speedway | |||||
(Schedule Subject to Change)
Other racing
Gordon has also participated in some off-road events, including a winning drive with Team USA at the 2002 Race of Champions. He was slated to run it again in 2004 against Formula One Champion Michael Schumacher but was sidelined by the flu, and Casey Mears took his place. In 2005, Gordon competed in the Race of Champions event again, this time held in Paris, France, where he was partnered with famed motocross racer/X Games winner Travis Pastrana. In 2007, Gordon competed in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona for the first time. He raced the #10 Pontiac for Wayne Taylor racing. His teammates consisted of: Max Angelelli, Jan Magnussen, and Wayne Taylor. The team placed third in Gordon's first ever Rolex 24.
Career NASCAR statistics
| Year | Races | Wins | Poles | Top 5 | Top 10 | DNF | Finish | Start | Winnings | Season Rank | Team(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 31.0 | 21.0 | $6,285 | 79th | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| 1993 | 30 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 11 | 11 | 17.7 | 13.1 | $623,855 | 14th | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| 1994 | 31 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 14 | 10 | 15.8 | 9.8 | $1,507,010 | 8th | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| 1995 | 31 | 7 | 8 | 17 | 23 | 3 | 9.5 | 5.0 | $2,088,460 | 1st | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| 1996 | 31 | 10 | 5 | 21 | 24 | 5 | 9.5 | 6.3 | $2,409,018 | 2nd | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| 1997 | 32 | 10 | 1 | 22 | 23 | 2 | 9.6 | 9.4 | $4,191,227 | 1st | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| 1998 | 33 | 13 | 7 | 26 | 28 | 2 | 5.7 | 7.0 | $4,156,417 | 1st | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| 1999 | 34 | 7 | 7 | 18 | 21 | 7 | 12.9 | 7.4 | $4,312,292 | 6th | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| 2000 | 34 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 22 | 2 | 12.9 | 12.2 | $2,676,065 | 9th | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| 2001 | 36 | 6 | 6 | 18 | 24 | 2 | 11.0 | 9.5 | $6,635,896 | 1st | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| 2002 | 36 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 20 | 3 | 14.1 | 12.6 | $4,981,168 | 4th | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| 2003 | 36 | 3 | 4 | 15 | 20 | 5 | 12.9 | 8.6 | $5,107,762 | 4th | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| 2004 | 36 | 5 | 6 | 16 | 25 | 4 | 11.4 | 9.6 | $6,437,665 | 3rd | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| 2005 | 36 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 14 | 9 | 17.8 | 11.5 | $6,855,444 | 11th | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| 2006 | 36 | 2 | 2 | 14 | 18 | 7 | 14.9 | 10.0 | $5,975,873 | 6th | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| 2007 | 36 | 6 | 7 | 21 | 30 | 1 | 7.3 | 11.3 | $7,148,622 | 2nd | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| 2008 | 36 | 0 | 4 | 13 | 19 | 6 | 14.5 | 10.7 | $4,650,649 | 7th | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| 2009 | 36 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 25 | 1 | 10.3 | 10.5 | $4,650,649 | 3rd | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Totals | 579 | 82 | 68 | 263 | 359 | 81 | 12.3 | 9.7 | $97,944,052 | |||
Data as of November 11, 2009 [19]
Sponsorship and Paint
Jeff Gordon and his team have carried the nickname "The Rainbow Warriors" throughout the years. Jeff has always carried DuPont[20] as a sponsor. From 1993 to 2000, Gordon carried a rainbow scheme that got the team their nickname. Throughout the years, Gordon has sometimes carried different paint, such as Jurassic Park, Star Wars, and Snoopy. In 1997, Gordon signed a long-term contract with Pepsi[20] that is still in place today. Every year Gordon has driven a car with the Pepsi scheme. In 2001, Gordon debuted a new scheme designed by NASCAR artist Sam Bass, which keeps a blue base but changes the rainbow pattern to flames. In 2006, Gordon acquired a new sponsor, Nicorette[20]. In 2007, Gordon increased his partnership with Nicorette, and ran the paint scheme in 4 races. At Talladega in 2007, Gordon had a fan design contest. The design got a real treat, as Gordon won the race. Since 2007, Gordon has had the same design with different colors. (e.g Nicorette scheme, green and yellow flames) Gordon will occasionally run a scheme that will support a different type of DuPont paint such as Cromax Pro.
Gordon announced that the primary scheme of the DuPont #24 Chevrolet will change for 2009 & beyond on the QVC show For Race Fans Only. The 2009 scheme keeps the flames format but the colors have radically changed to red and orange flames on a black base color. The new 2009 DuPont paint scheme was unveiled on NBC's Today show. In 2009, National Guard signed a contract with Gordon, replacing Nicorette. National Guard is set to be the primary sponsor on Gordon's car for 6-8 races per season. Occasionally, a one-race sponsor steps in to sponsor Gordon's car for one race. For example, Gordon ran a Megatron scheme at Charlotte in the Fall of 2009 to promote the movie Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen that was soon to come out on DVD.
Hendrick Motorsports owner, Rick Hendrick, said in November 2009 that he is working on signing a contract extension with DuPont, Gordon's primary sponsor since the beginning of his career. DuPont's current contract with Jeff Gordon expires at the end of 2010, and Hendrick said he wants it to be Gordon's primary sponsor for the rest of his career.
NASCAR Drug Testing
Gordon has announced that he supports the new drug policy implemented by NASCAR on September 20, 2008. Other drivers who support the new random drug test policy, which will start before the 09 season include Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin, Greg Biffle, Jimmie Johnson, and Kasey Kahne.
Personal life
Gordon's parents are Carol Ann Bickford (née Houston) and William Grinnell Gordon of Vacaville, California. He has an older sister, Kim.
Gordon met first wife Brooke Sealey after he won a Busch race. Sealey was then a college student and had been present as "Miss Winston" in the victory lane in 1992. The pair began dating in secret, due to a rule that didn't allow drivers to date Miss Winston, and were married in 1994. In 2003, Gordon's divorce from Sealey became tabloid fodder. 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."
Gordon was introduced to Ingrid Vandebosch by a mutual friend in 2002, but they didn't begin dating until 2004.[21] Jeff 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.[22] Gordon and Vandebosch were married in a small, private ceremony in Mexico on Nov. 7, 2006. On June 20, 2007, Vandebosch gave birth to their first child, Ella Sofia Gordon in New York City. Gordon recently announced that he and Ingrid are expecting their second child.[23][24]
Gordon owns a private jet, a British Aerospace BAE-125-800, also known as a Hawker 800, with a tail number on this jet matching his car number, N24JG[25] and also owns a Lazzara 106 yacht called the 24 Karat. [26]
In 1999, Jeff Gordon established The Jeff Gordon Foundation to help support children facing life-threatening and chronic illnesses. In 2007, Jeff 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.[27].
It was announced in 2009 that Gordon would receive the Silver Buffalo Award, the Boy Scouts of America's highest award for his work as a Scout Recruiter and humanitarian work.[28]
Gordon is a Christian. He has talked about how in the early nineties he got curious and followed some drivers to the weekly chapel one week, which is how he first started to learn more about God.[29][30][31][32]
Career awards
He was inducted in the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame at the January 10, 2009 Chili Bowl Nationals race at Tulsa.[1]
In popular media
 |
Gordon occasionally appears on television shows. He has co-hosted Live with Regis and Kelly ten times on days when Regis Philbin was unavailable. In January 2003, Gordon became the first NASCAR driver to host NBC's Saturday Night Live. In 2005, he played himself in Herbie Fully Loaded.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Stats
NASCAR Nextel Cup results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | NNCC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | H.M.S | 24 | Chev. | DAY | CAR | RIC | ATL | DAR | BRI | NWS | MAR | TAL | LOW | DOV | INF | POC | MIC | DAY2 | POC2 | TAL2 | GLN | MIC2 | BRI2 | DAR2 | RIC2 | DOV2 | MAR2 | NWS2 | LOW2 | CAR2 | PHO | ATL2 31 |
79th | 70 | |||
| 1993 | H.M.S. | 24 | Chev. | DAY 5 |
CAR 34 |
RIC 6 |
ATL 4 |
DAR 24 |
BRI 17 |
NWS 34 |
MAR 8 |
TAL 11 |
INF 11 |
LOW 2 |
DOV 18 |
POC 28 |
MIC 2 |
DAY2 5 |
NHA 7 |
POC2 37 |
TAL2 31 |
GLN 31 |
MIC2 3 |
BRI2 20 |
DAR2 22 |
RIC2 10 |
DOV2 24 |
MAR2 11 |
NWS2 34 |
LOW2 5 |
CAR2 21 |
PHO 35 |
ATL2 31 |
14th | 3447 | ||
| 1994 | H.M.S. | 24 | Chev. | DAY 4 |
CAR 32 |
RIC 3 |
ATL 8 |
DAR 31 |
BRI 22 |
NWS 15 |
MAR 33 |
TAL 24 |
INF 37 |
LOW 1 |
DOV 5 |
POC 6 |
MIC 12 |
DAY2 8 |
NHA 39 |
POC2 8 |
TAL2 31 |
IND 1 |
GLN 9 |
MIC2 15 |
BRI2 32 |
DAR2 6 |
RIC2 2 |
DOV2 11 |
MAR2 11 |
NWS2 8 |
LOW2 28 |
CAR2 29 |
PHO 4 |
ATL2 15 |
8th | 3776 | |
| 1995 | H.M.S. | 24 | Chev. | DAY 22 |
CAR 1 |
RIC 36 |
ATL 1 |
DAR 32 |
BRI 1 |
NWS 2 |
MAR 3 |
TAL 2 |
INF 3 |
LOW 33 |
DOV 6 |
POC 16 |
MIC 2 |
DAY2 1 |
NHA 1 |
POC2 2 |
TAL2 8 |
IND 6 |
GLN 3 |
MIC2 3 |
BRI2 6 |
DAR2 1 |
RIC2 6 |
DOV2 1 |
MAR2 7 |
NWS2 3 |
LOW2 30 |
CAR2 20 |
PHO 5 |
ATL2 32 |
1st | 4614 | |
| 1996 | H.M.S. | 24 | Chev. | DAY 42 |
CAR 40 |
RIC 1 |
ATL 3 |
DAR 1 |
BRI 1 |
NWS 2 |
MAR 3 |
TAL 33 |
INF 6 |
LOW 4 |
DOV 1 |
POC 1 |
MIC 6 |
DAY2 3 |
NHA 34 |
POC2 7 |
TAL2 1 |
IND 37 |
GLN 4 |
MIC2 5 |
BRI2 2 |
DAR2 1 |
RIC2 2 |
DOV2 1 |
MAR2 1 |
NWS2 1 |
LOW2 31 |
CAR2 12 |
PHO 5 |
ATL2 3 |
2nd | 4620 | |
| 1997 | H.M.S | 24 | Chev. | DAY 1 |
CAR 1 |
RIC 4 |
ATL 42 |
DAR 3 |
TEX 30 |
BRI 1 |
MAR 1 |
INF 2 |
TAL 5 |
LOW 1 |
DOV 26 |
POC 1 |
MIC 5 |
CAL 1 |
DAY2 21 |
NHA 23 |
POC2 2 |
IND 4 |
GLN 1 |
MIC2 2 |
BRI2 35 |
DAR2 1 |
RIC2 3 |
NHA2 1 |
DOV2 7 |
MAR2 4 |
LOW2 5 |
TAL2 35 |
CAR2 4 |
PHO 17 |
ATL2 17 |
1st | 4710 |
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Tappett, Humphrey, Gordon & Doty join "Hall of Fame"". National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame. 2008-08-24. Retrieved 2008-09-06.
- ^ http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/grandam/27817/
- ^ http://www.grand-am.com/Events/SessionResults.asp?SessionID=803
- ^ "Goody's Cool Orange lap-by-lap".
- ^ "Modern Era Pole Winners".
- ^ "Modern Era Race Winners".
- ^ "Charlotte Lap-by-Lap".
- ^ "Charlotte Nascar results".
- ^ Gordon Wins UAW-500 at Talladega
- ^ Crash has Gordon wanting safety upgrades at LVMS
- ^ Impact of Gordon's crash may be felt beyond LVMS
- ^ a b Drivers concerned about safety at some racetracks
- ^ Gordon takes Atlanta pole, Earnhardt to start second
- ^ [1]
- ^ Jeff Gordon finds pole at one of his least successful tracks
- ^ Gordon gets first victory at Texas to end winless skid
- ^ 2009 Unofficial Driver Standings: Samsung 500
- ^ Martin prevails in frantic finish at Chicagoland speedway
- ^ NASCAR Career Stats
- ^ a b c "Jeff Gordon sponsors".
- ^ "Jeff Gordon Engagement".
- ^ ""Gordon-Vandenbosch Engagement"".
- ^ "Jeff Gordon and Wife Welcome Baby Girl".
- ^ "It's a Girl for NASCAR Champ Jeff Gordon - Birth, Jeff Gordon : People.com".
- ^ Jeff's Personal Jet
- ^ Yachting Magazine - The NASCAR Yacht Club
- ^ Athletes for Hope
- ^ http://www.gnextinc.com/nascar/pr/j_gordon_boys_scout_030609.html]
- ^ Interview on Breakaway tv
- ^ Interview with Larry King
- ^ 2001 Interview on Belief.net
- ^ Hopeway.org
External links
- 1971 births
- People from Vallejo, California
- People from Hendricks County, Indiana
- International Race of Champions drivers
- Living people
- NASCAR drivers
- NASCAR Rookies of the Year
- American Christians
- Daytona 500 winners
- People from the San Francisco Bay Area
- People from Charlotte, North Carolina
- People from Indianapolis, Indiana
- American racecar drivers
- Grand-Am drivers
- Former NASCAR Cup Series champions