Jeff Gordon celebrates with his wife after winning a September 2014 NASCAR Sprint Series race. (Getty)
Jeff Gordon, the long-time driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Car in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, is one of the greatest drivers in the history of the sport.
Gordon’s career began over 24 years ago in 1991, and he announced that 2015 would be his final season.
Here are Gordon’s notable wins and championships and a timeline of his career:
Career Wins:
Jeff Gordon celebrating after qualifying for pole position at Daytona in February 2014. (Getty)
In Gordon’s 24 years 92 victories, 320 top-five finishes and 454 top-10 finishes. His most successful track was Martinsville in Virginia where he won eight races, had 28 top-five finishes and 35 top-10 finishes.
Gordon’s other big race wins include being a three-time Daytona 500 winner (1997, 1999, 2005) and five-time Brickyard 400 (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) winner ((1994, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2014)).
Bleacher Report has highlighted Gordon’s 10 biggest individual race wins of his career.
Championships:
Jeff Gordon has won the Daytona 500 three times, the last in 2005. (Getty)
Gordon has won the Sprint Cup Championship four times, although when he won it, it was still referred to as: “The Winston Cup.”
Gordon won the Winston cup in 1995, 1997, 1998 and 2001 — a total of four championships in seven years. Alongside names like Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, he carved out a spot in NASCAR history and became a one-man dynasty in the late 1990s and early 2000. Ironically, the three years that Gordon won the sport’s biggest race, he did not win a Championship in that same season. He’s alson won: 78 Career Poles and is 3rd on all-time pole award winner’s list
Other awards and accomplishments that Gordon has been honored with in his career include: 1991 Busch Series Rookie of the Year, 1993 Winston Cup Series Rookie of the Year and being named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers.
Career Timeline:
Jeff Gordon (Getty)
According to the bio on his website:
– He was born on August 4, 1971 in Vallejo, California.
– He was five-years-old when he first performed laps on a makeshift racetrack.
– When he was 13-years-old, he took an interest in sprint cars and was persistent to drive them despite the minimum age of 16
– He joined the NASCAR Busch Series in 1991.
– The next year he signed with Hendrick Motorsports — eventually gained 82 victories through 2010.
– In 2003, he divorced his ex-wife Brooke Sealey after nine years of marriage.
– In 2006, he remarried, and married Ingrid Vandebosch.
– He was the first race car driver to earn $100 million in Cup winnings.
– In 2011, he paired up with Alan Gustafson and experienced his 85th win, placing him third on the NASCAR All-Time Wins list.
– Before the 2014 season, Gordon and the No. 24 team officially partnered with Drive to End Hunger, Axalta Coating Systems and Pepsi Max.
