Jeff Gordon

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

Jeff Gordon
Gordon at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2024
BornJeffery Michael Gordon
(1971-08-04) August 4, 1971 (age 53)
Vallejo, California, U.S.
Height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight150 lb (68 kg)
Achievements1995, 1997, 1998, 2001 Winston Cup Series Champion
2017 Rolex 24 at Daytona Overall Winner
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 Advance Auto Parts Clash Winner
Awards1991 Busch Series Rookie of the Year
1993 Winston Cup Series Rookie of the Year
Named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame (2009)
Silver Buffalo Award (2009)
Heisman Humanitarian Award (2012)
Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (2018)[1]
NASCAR Hall of Fame (2019)
West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame (2019)
Named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers (2023)
See other awards and honors below
NASCAR Cup Series career
805 races run over 25 years
Best finish1st (1995, 1997, 1998, 2001)
First race1992 Hooters 500 (Atlanta)
Last race2016 Goody's Fast Relief 500 (Martinsville)
First win1994 Coca-Cola 600 (Charlotte)
Last win2015 Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500 (Martinsville)
Wins Top tens Poles
93 477 81
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
73 races run over 5 years
Best finish4th (1992)
First race1990 AC-Delco 200 (Rockingham)
Last race2000 Miami 300 (Homestead)
First win1992 Atlanta 300 (Atlanta)
Last win2000 Miami 300 (Homestead)
Wins Top tens Poles
5 32 12
Statistics current as of October 30, 2016.
This article is part of a series about
Jeff Gordon

Business and motorsport

In popular culture


Jeffery Michael Gordon[2] (born August 4, 1971) is an American stock car racing executive and former professional stock car racing driver who currently serves as the vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports. He raced full-time from 1993 to 2015, driving the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series and Sprint Cup Series (now called NASCAR Cup Series), and also served as a substitute driver for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 88 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in select races during the 2016 season.[3] He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential drivers in NASCAR history, helping the sport reach mainstream popularity in the 1990s and 2000s.

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 NASCAR Winston Cup Series for Hendrick Motorsports in 1993. He is a four-time Cup Series champion, having won the title in 1995, 1997, 1998, and 2001. He also won the Daytona 500 three times in 1997, 1999, and 2005. Gordon has completed three career Grand Slams and has won a total of sixteen Crown Jewel races (three Daytona 500s, four Talladega 500s, three Coca-Cola 600s, and six Southern 500s), both of which are all-time records.

He is third on the all-time Cup wins list with 93 career wins, while having the record for the most wins in NASCAR's modern era (1972–present) and the most wins in one modern era season, with 13 during the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. Gordon's 81 pole positions led all active drivers and is third all-time, and also a modern era record; Gordon won at least one pole in 23 consecutive seasons, making this a NASCAR record. Other records include the most restrictor plate track wins with 12 and the most road course wins with 9,[4] and he was the active "iron man" leader for consecutive races participated in with 797 through the 2015 season.[5]

In 1998, NASCAR named Gordon to its 50 Greatest Drivers list. Ten years later in a 2008 article, ESPN's Terry Blount ranked him 10th in the 25 Greatest Drivers of All-Time.[6] Foxsports.com named him as the fifth best NASCAR driver of all time.[7] He was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2019. As of 2016, Gordon was considered the highest-paid NASCAR driver ever and the 18th highest-paid athlete of all-time with $515 million in career earnings, per Forbes.[8]

Gordon, along with Rick Hendrick, co-owns the No. 48 Chevrolet previously 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.[9] 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.

Early life and career

Main article: Early life and career of Jeff Gordon

Gordon is of Scotch-Irish descent,[10] and 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.[11] His stepfather, John Bickford, married his mother in the 1970s.[12] He has a sister, Kim, who is older by four years.[13] His younger cousin, James Bickford, competed in the K&N Pro Series West.[14] Gordon attended Tri-West Hendricks High School in Lizton, Indiana and was on the school's cross country team;[15] he graduated in 1989.[16]

When he was four years old,[17] Gordon rode a BMX bike that his stepfather bought for him[16] 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.[18] In 1979 Gordon won 51 quarter midget races. When he was 11, Gordon won all 25 of the karting races he entered.[15] At age 12, Gordon became bored with cars and decided to start a career in waterskiing before switching back to driving one year later.[19] 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.[15]

During the 1980s,[15] 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 to Pittsboro, Indiana, where there were more opportunities for younger racers. In the late ’80s, he drove in the World of Outlaws series and picked up some feature wins. He became the youngest driver in the World of Outlaws at the time.[20] He also won races at Bloomington and Eldora Speedways.[21] After graduating from high school in 1989, he quickly changed and went to Bloomington to race that night.[22][16] 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.[23] During the decade, Gordon also ran sprint cars in Australia and New Zealand.[15] 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.[23] In 1991, Gordon captured the USAC Silver Crown, and at the age of 20 became the youngest driver to win the season championship.[23] He also won the 4 Crown Nationals midget car race that season.[23] In his midget car career between 1989 and 1992, he finished in the Top 3 in 22 of 40 USAC midget car events.[23] In 1992, Gordon competed in the Slim Jim All Pro Series' Winchester 400, but finished 24th after crashing on lap 172.[24] The following year, he ran a Featherlite Southwest Tour race at Sears Point Raceway, finishing 29th after suffering an engine failure.[25]

In the early 1990s, Gordon expressed interest in IndyCar racing, but was not able to find a ride due to low funding.[19] 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.[26]

NASCAR

Busch Series

Main articles: Early NASCAR Busch Series career of Jeff Gordon and JG Motorsports
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.[27]

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.[16] He was sponsored by Carolina Ford Dealers in 1991 and Baby Ruth in 1992.[28]

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.[29] 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,[30] 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[31] at Phoenix,[32] and 2000 at Homestead.[33]

Cup Series

Main article: NASCAR Cup Series career of Jeff Gordon

Early career (1992–1994)

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.[34] 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.[35] Gordon made his Winston Cup debut in the season-ending race, the Hooters 500 at Atlanta, finishing 31st after a crash.[36]

The following year, Gordon began competing full-time in the Winston Cup Series, driving the No. 24 car for Hendrick. He was originally supposed to race the No. 46, but complications with licensing related to Days of Thunder forced Gordon to the 24.[37] He opened the season with a win in the Gatorade Twin 125's race,[38] while also recording his first-career pole position at the fall Charlotte race,[39] and concluded 1993 with a 14th-place points finish and the Rookie of the Year Award.[16] 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.[40] Additionally, driver Darrell Waltrip wrote he told Hendrick during the season that Gordon had "hit everything but the pace car that year."[41]

In 1994, Gordon won the Busch Clash exhibition race at Daytona.[42] In May, Gordon won the pole for the Coca-Cola 600, and eventually the race after electing to take two tires on a green flag pit stop.[43] 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.[44]

Championship seasons (1995–2001)

Gordon with his 1995 trophy

In 1995, Gordon won his first Winston 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. In addition, he won The Winston Select in dominating fashion.[45] 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.[46] Gordon later won four more poles during the season (Dover, Michigan, Indianapolis, Martinsville) while winning races at Daytona, New Hampshire, Darlington and Dover.[45] The results during the season gave him a commanding 300-point lead over Dale Earnhardt[16] en route to the title. The team's consistency was much better as well, having had three DNF's in 1995,[45] 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).[47] After holding a 111-point lead late in the season, he finished second to his teammate Terry Labonte for the championship, losing by 37 points.[48]

Gordon won consecutive Winston Cup titles in 1997 and 1998. In 1997, he won his first Daytona 500, becoming the youngest driver at the time to win the race.[49] 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.[50] At Charlotte, Gordon won The Winston in a Jurassic Park: The Ride scheme; the car was modified by Evernham with assistance from Hendrick chassis engineer Rex Stump, and after the race it was banned following complaints from other team owners.[51] 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.[52] 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.[53] Gordon set Winston 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.[54]

Gordon began the 1999 season with his second Daytona 500 win. He then won races at Atlanta, Fontana, Sears Point and Watkins Glen.[55] Before the race at Martinsville, Evernham left Hendrick to form Evernham Motorsports, and he was replaced by team engineer Brian Whitesell.[56] With Whitesell, Gordon won at Martinsville[57] and Lowe's.[58] 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.[59] 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.[9]

The 2000 season saw Gordon enter his first campaign with Petty Enterprises' Robbie Loomis as his crew chief. With Loomis, Gordon recorded his first win of the season in the spring Talladega race,[60] giving him his 50th career victory. He also won races at Sears Point[61] and Richmond. Gordon finished the season ninth in points.

The next year, Gordon won six races at Las Vegas, Dover,[62] Michigan (the 100th win for Hendrick Motorsports),[63] Indianapolis,[64][65] Watkins Glen,[66] and the inaugural race at Kansas. Gordon became the third driver to win four Winston Cup championships in NASCAR history, second only to Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt (both winning it seven times),[67] and with a 344-point margin ahead of Tony Stewart.[59]

Late Winston and Nextel Cup (2002–2007)

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. At one point, he had a 6 race streak of top 5 finishes.[68] 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.[69]

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.[70] However, inconsistency would plague him throughout the year. Despite having 14 top tens, he failed to finish nine times.[71] 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.[72] Loomis left the team on September 14,[73] and Steve Letarte, Gordon's car chief, took over for the Chase-opening race at Loudon.[74] 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.[75]

Gordon only recorded two wins in 2006 at Infineon and Chicagoland, while also recording only two poles at Dover and Phoenix's second dates.[76] 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,[77] followed by tying Dale Earnhardt for sixth all-time in overall number of Cup wins.[78] At Talladega, he recorded his 77th career Nextel Cup victory, to the dismay of the fans, who began throwing beer cans at Gordon's car.[79] 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.[80] 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 Nextel Cup Series record.[16] By August 12, Gordon had finished outside the top 10 in only 3 of 23 races so far.[68] This marked the second time that Gordon lost a championship because of the Chase points system. He ended the regular season 312 points ahead of second place in the standings, but since he had less wins than Jimmie Johnson, he started behind him in the Chase.[68] Had the Chase not existed, Gordon would have won the championship by 353 points.[69]

Early Sprint Cup (2008–2013)

Gordon after his victory at Phoenix in 2011

From 2008 to 2010, Gordon struggled, recording just one win during the three seasons at the Samsung 500, his first win at Texas Motor Speedway.[81] 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.[82] During the 2009 season, Gordon became the first driver in NASCAR history to pass US$100 million in career winnings.[83]

Martin's crew chief Alan Gustafson joined Gordon in 2011 after Steve Letarte was reassigned to Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s team.[84] In the second race of the year at Phoenix, Gordon won for the first time in 66 races;[85] At the Aaron's 499, Gordon broke the tie for the third-most poles with Cale Yarborough.[86] At Pocono, he tied Bill Elliott for the most wins at the track with five,[87] and at Atlanta, he defeated Johnson to claim his 85th career win, third-most of all time behind Richard Petty and David Pearson.[88] Gordon became the winningest driver in the modern era of the sport, passing Darrell Waltrip.[89]

Gordon struggled during the early portion of the 2012 season, despite a pole at Talladega, failing to reach the top ten in points.[90] In the 2012 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona on February 18, Gordon was involved in a crash with two laps to go, rolling his car after a collision with Kurt Busch and Jamie McMurray.[91] 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.[92] 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.[93] 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.[94] Gordon was fined $100,000, docked 25 points, and placed on probation until December 31.[95][96] 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.[97]

In 2013, Gordon made his 700th consecutive Cup start in the Bojangles' Southern 500; Gordon finished 3rd, marking his 300th career top-5 finish.[98] At Dover, Gordon finished 3rd, tying David Pearson for third all-time in top-five finishes with 301.[99] In qualifying for the Federated Auto Parts 400, Gordon set a track record with a lap speed of 130.599 mph (210.179 km/h)[100] 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.[101] Gordon's winning a pole in 21 consecutive seasons set a NASCAR record.[100][102] However, despite finishing 8th, Gordon was winless and was knocked out of the Chase initially by finishing one point behind Joey Logano.[103] 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.[104] At the Martinsville race, Gordon won his first race of 2013 and first at Martinsville since 2005.[105]

Final seasons (2014–2016)

Gordon at the 2016 Brickyard 400, his first race since his retirement

In 2014, Gordon recorded four wins, starting at the May Kansas race;[106] 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.[107] 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.[108] Gordon also won at Michigan[109] and Dover, his first wins at the tracks since 2001.[110] 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.[111] Following the race, Gordon confronted Keselowski in pit road over the incident with both drivers being surrounded by their pit crews.[112] 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. Later, Gordon would admit that his anger was fueled by disappointment in the chances of another possible championship slipping away.[113] Despite the four wins, Gordon was unable to compete for the championship after being eliminated from Chase contention in the penultimate race at Phoenix, falling behind by 1 point. 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.[114] It is often discussed inside the NASCAR community that had the Chase system not been in place, Gordon would have clinched his seventh championship in 2014 under the original Winston Cup points system.[68]

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.[115] He started the season by winning the pole for his final Daytona 500,[116] but crashed on the final lap, finishing 33rd.[117] Gordon won two additional poles by sweeping the Talladega races.[118] 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. This would be his only win of 2015, and his 93rd and final win of his NASCAR career.[119] In his final race as a full-time competitor at the 2015 Ford EcoBoost 400, Gordon finished 6th, falling just short of his quest for the fifth championship of his career.[120]

Gordon returned to the Cup Series in 2016 at the Brickyard 400, driving the No. 88 as a substitute for the injured Dale Earnhardt Jr.[121] He also ran at Pocono,[122][121] Watkins Glen,[123] and Bristol.[124] On September 2, it was announced that Earnhardt would be out for the remainder of the season and Gordon would fill in at the Darlington,[125] Richmond, Dover, and Martinsville races.[126] He recorded his best finish of the season at Martinsville, one year after scoring his final win at the same race, with a sixth-place run, his final race in NASCAR.[127]

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.[128] Prior to the ROC, Gordon competed in an ROC America event, losing to Kenny Bräck after crashing. Afterwards, Gordon defeated Johnson by one sixteen-hundredth 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.[129] He was slated to run it again in 2004 against seven-time F1 World Champion Michael Schumacher[130] but was sidelined by the flu, and Casey Mears took his place.[131] 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.[132]

In 1999, sports columnist Mike Bianchi remarked on Gordon's success at Daytona International Speedway: "The only reason he hasn't won the Rolex 24 is because he's never raced in it."[133] Gordon ultimately competed in the 24-hour sports car endurance race twice in his career. In 2007, Gordon made his debut in the Rolex 24 as a co-driver of the No. 10 SunTrust Pontiac-Riley for Wayne Taylor Racing.[134] His teammates consisted of Max Angelelli, Jan Magnussen, and Wayne Taylor. His team finished third, two laps behind the winning team of Juan Pablo Montoya, Scott Pruett, and Salvador Durán.[135] Gordon made his return to the Rolex 24 in 2017, partnering with Wayne Taylor Racing once again. He drove the No. 10 Cadillac alongside Angelelli, Jordan and Ricky Taylor for the event.[136] Early in the race, Gordon made contact with Tom Long, spinning Long's No. 70 out.[137] Despite the incident, the No. 10 team was able to hold off Filipe Albuquerque's No. 5 car to win the overall class, making Gordon the fourth driver to win both the Daytona 500 and the Rolex 24.[138] Gordon drove the car for a total of 2 hours and 34 minutes.[139]

Gordon ran in the International Race of Champions from 1995 to 2000. Gordon won one race at Daytona in 1998. In the race, Gordon led only two laps, but was the race leader by lap 30.[140] Despite being invited for the 2002 season, Gordon declined due to time constraints.[141]

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.[142] 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,[143] marking the first time he had driven an F1 car.[144] 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.[143] Montoya would eventually join NASCAR in 2007.[145]

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.[146] Gordon finished third in the 2007 race,[147] 14th in 2008[148] and 22nd in 2010,[149] the latter being run with Team Riley Hospital for Children.[146]

Broadcasting career

See also: List of NASCAR on Fox broadcasters and NASCAR on television in the 2010s
Gordon and Darrell Waltrip during a pre-race broadcast at the 2016 Daytona 500

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 the broadcast booth.[150] On January 25, 2015, USA Today writer Jeff Gluck reported that Gordon was hired by Fox Sports to work as a guest analyst for NASCAR on Fox broadcasts of Xfinity Series events alongside full-time announcers Adam Alexander and Michael Waltrip;[151] the news was officially announced by Fox Sports the following day.[152] 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.[153][154]

On April 10, 2015, 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.[155] Gordon returned to the broadcast booth for the Drive to Stop Diabetes 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 18,[156] and the Winn-Dixie 300 at Talladega Superspeedway on May 2.[157] 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,[158] Brad Keselowski,[159] Clint Bowyer,[160] and Danica Patrick.[161]

On May 21, 2015, Gordon announced on NASCAR Race Hub that he would join Fox Sports as a full-time analyst for Cup Series events, beginning with the 2016 Sprint Cup Series season.[162][163] Gordon was paired with Mike Joy and Darrell Waltrip in the broadcast booth, replacing Larry McReynolds,[164] who moved to the Hollywood Hotel.[165]

On November 6, 2015, 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.[166] The rehearsal was not shown during the Camping World Truck Series broadcast.[167] Following his final scheduled race as a driver on November 22, Gordon quickly began the transition into his full-time role at Fox Sports.[168][169][170]

Gordon made his debut as a Cup Series analyst as part of Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway in February 2016.[171][172][173][174] To promote his first Daytona 500 as a broadcaster, he starred in the "Jeff Gordon Police Chase" advertisement, as part of the #DaytonaDay campaign.[175] On the eve of the 58th Daytona 500, Fox aired Jeff Gordon's Daytona 500 Kickoff Celebration, a television special he hosted.[176]

Personal life

Early in his career, Gordon stated that he was a born again Christian.[17] He talked about how in the early-1990s he became curious about Christianity and followed some drivers to the weekly chapel one week, which is how he first started to learn more about God.[177][178][179] During this time, Gordon kept verses of the Bible taped to his steering wheel.[180][181] By 2004, Gordon stated he had "a difficult time focusing on one particular faith."[15] When asked again about his faith in a 2015 Sports Illustrated magazine interview, Gordon stated: "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."[182]

Marriages and children

Gordon with first wife Brooke

Gordon has been married twice. He 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.[183] The pair began dating in secret due to an unwritten rule prohibiting drivers from dating the models.[183] 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.[183] 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.[183] The couple were married on November 26, 1994.[184] They owned a home on Lake Norman in North Carolina,[183] but evacuated permanently due to fan intrusions.[185] The couple then moved to Highland Beach, Florida.[186] In March 2002, Sealey sued for divorce after alleging Gordon of marital misconduct, and Gordon eventually counter-sued.[187] 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.[188][189] 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."[190] 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.[191] The divorce was finalized on June 13, 2003.[192] During the year, Gordon was seen with model Amanda Church on a beach in St. Bart's,[193] and later moved in with her in New York City.[15]

Gordon was introduced to Ingrid Vandebosch during a dinner party at The Hamptons by a mutual friend in 2002,[11] but they did not begin dating until 2004.[194] 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.[195] 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.[196][197] 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, 2010.[198] On the morning of August 9, 2010, Vandebosch delivered their son Leo Benjamin Gordon.[199] The family resides in the SouthPark neighborhood of Charlotte, North Carolina.[11]

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.[200] 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.[201]

AARP became Gordon's sponsor in 2011 through the Drive to End Hunger program, which donates meals to hunger relief organizations near NASCAR tracks,[202] 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.[203]

Endorsements and business ventures

Jeff Gordon 24 Energy cans

Prior to his sponsorship with Pepsi, Gordon had been sponsored by Coca-Cola,[204] but eventually chose Pepsi due to more visibility, along with Coca-Cola wanting Gordon to be a regional sponsor in the southeastern United States.[205] Gordon has also been sponsored by Kellogg Company, Frito-Lay,[204] Edy's, and Ray-Ban.[15] Since 2012, Gordon has been sponsored by DVX Sun and Safety Sunglass, which are constructed with elastomer from DuPont.[206]

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.[15] 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),[207] the official die-cast creator of NASCAR.[205] In May 2005, Gordon announced a partnership with Bob Lutz to form the Jeff Gordon Racing School, a stock car racing experience for fans which began its operations at Lowe's Motor Speedway in August that year.[208][209][210] In 2009, Lutz rebranded the school as NASCAR Racing Experience.[211] In 2007, PepsiCo introduced Jeff Gordon 24 Energy, an orange tangerine-flavored energy drink, which has since been discontinued.[212][213]

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.[214][215] Eventually, the 2007 Ella Sofia Napa Valley Joie de Vivre won double gold medals at the 2011 Indy International Wine Competition.[216]

In 2012, Gordon became the designer of the Canadian Motor Speedway in Fort Erie, Ontario, which will be the largest track in Canada.[217] Gordon's stepfather, John Bickford, serves as the general manager of the project.[218]

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.[219]

In 2016, Gordon signed with Creative Artists Agency as their client.[220] He was previously represented by Just Marketing International,[221][222] International Management Group,[223] and William Morris Agency.[224]

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 when considering only wins achieved during the sport's modern era (1972–present).[280]

Gordon holds the records for the most points-paying Cup Series victories on restrictor plate tracks (12) and road courses (9).[281][282] He also earned a record six-consecutive road-course wins from 1997 to 2000.[283]

Gordon is the all-time winningest Cup Series driver at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Sonoma Raceway, with five victories each.[284][285] He was formerly tied with Denny Hamlin for the most series wins at Kansas Speedway with three (also tied with Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, and Joey Logano) and Pocono Raceway with six; Hamlin claimed both records as his own in 2023.[286][287]

In 1995, at age 24, Gordon became the youngest Cup Series champion in NASCAR's modern era and the second youngest overall, behind Bill Rexford, who won the 1950 series championship at 23 years old.[288][289][290]

In 2009, Gordon became the first NASCAR driver to reach US$100 million in career winnings.[291]

In 2014, Gordon joined former F1 driver Michael Schumacher as the only two racers to earn five victories at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in a single racing series.[108]

In 2017, Gordon became the fourth driver to earn victories in the Daytona 500 and the 24 Hours of Daytona; the first three drivers were Mario Andretti, A. J. Foyt, and Jamie McMurray.[292]

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.[5]

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.[198] Although Gordon let Pruett run a couple of 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.[293]

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 to 2005.[294] Gordon ended his career with 797 races consecutively started.[5]

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 1 1 1 0 35 28th
NASCAR Cup Series 805 93 325 477 81
NASCAR Busch Series 73 5 21 32 12
International Race of Champions 24 1 12 22 0
International Motor Sports Association 2 1 2 2 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

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series results
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 33 34 35 36 NSCC Pts Ref
1992 Hendrick Motorsports 24 Chevy DAY CAR RCH ATL DAR BRI NWS MAR TAL CLT DOV SON POC MCH DAY POC TAL GLN MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT CAR PHO ATL
31 		79th 70 [295]
1993 DAY
5 		CAR
34 		RCH
6 		ATL
4 		DAR
24 		BRI
17 		NWS
34 		MAR
8 		TAL
11 		SON
11 		CLT
2 		DOV
18 		POC
28 		MCH
2 		DAY
5 		NHA
7 		POC
37 		TAL
31 		GLN
31 		MCH
3 		BRI
20 		DAR
22 		RCH
10 		DOV
24 		MAR
11 		NWS
34 		CLT
5 		CAR
21 		PHO
35 		ATL
31 		14th 3447 [296]
1994 DAY
4 		CAR
32 		RCH
3 		ATL
8 		DAR
31 		BRI
22 		NWS
15 		MAR
33 		TAL
24 		SON
37 		CLT
1 		DOV
5 		POC
6 		MCH
12 		DAY
8 		NHA
39 		POC
8 		TAL
31 		IND
1* 		GLN
9 		MCH
15 		BRI
32 		DAR
6 		RCH
2 		DOV
11 		MAR
11 		NWS
8 		CLT
28 		CAR
29 		PHO
4 		ATL
15 		8th 3776 [297]
1995 DAY
22 		CAR
1* 		RCH
36 		ATL
1* 		DAR
32* 		BRI
1* 		NWS
2 		MAR
3 		TAL
2 		SON
3 		CLT
33 		DOV
6 		POC
16* 		MCH
2* 		DAY
1* 		NHA
1* 		POC
2 		TAL
8* 		IND
6 		GLN
3 		MCH
3* 		BRI
6 		DAR
1 		RCH
6 		DOV
1* 		MAR
7 		NWS
3 		CLT
30 		CAR
20 		PHO
5 		ATL
32 		1st 4614 [45]
1996 DAY
42 		CAR
40 		RCH
1 		ATL
3 		DAR
1* 		BRI
1* 		NWS
2 		MAR
3* 		TAL
33 		SON
6 		CLT
4 		DOV
1* 		POC
1* 		MCH
6 		DAY
3 		NHA
34* 		POC
7 		TAL
1 		IND
37 		GLN
4 		MCH
5 		BRI
2 		DAR
1 		RCH
2* 		DOV
1* 		MAR
1 		NWS
1* 		CLT
31 		CAR
12 		PHO
5 		ATL
3 		2nd 4620 [298]
1997 DAY
1 		CAR
1 		RCH
4 		ATL
42 		DAR
3 		TEX
30 		BRI
1 		MAR
1* 		SON
2 		TAL
5 		CLT
1 		DOV
26 		POC
1 		MCH
5 		CAL
1* 		DAY
21 		NHA
23 		POC
2 		IND
4 		GLN
1* 		MCH
2 		BRI
35 		DAR
1 		RCH
3 		NHA
1* 		DOV
7 		MAR
4 		CLT
5 		TAL
35 		CAR
4 		PHO
17 		ATL
17 		1st 4710 [299]
1998 DAY
16 		CAR
1 		LVS
17 		ATL
19 		DAR
2 		BRI
1 		TEX
31 		MAR
8 		TAL
5 		CAL
4 		CLT
1 		DOV
3* 		RCH
37 		MCH
3* 		POC
2 		SON
1* 		NHA
3 		POC
1* 		IND
1* 		GLN
1* 		MCH
1 		BRI
5 		NHA
1 		DAR
1 		RCH
2 		DOV
2 		MAR
2 		CLT
5 		TAL
2 		DAY
1* 		PHO
7 		CAR
1 		ATL
1* 		1st 5328 [300]
1999 DAY
1 		CAR
39 		LVS
3 		ATL
1* 		DAR
3 		TEX
43 		BRI
6 		MAR
3 		TAL
38 		CAL
1* 		RCH
31 		CLT
39 		DOV
2 		MCH
2 		POC
2 		SON
1* 		DAY
21 		NHA
3 		POC
32 		IND
3 		GLN
1* 		MCH
2* 		BRI
4 		DAR
13 		RCH
40 		NHA
5 		DOV
17 		MAR
1 		CLT
1 		TAL
12* 		CAR
11 		PHO
10 		HOM
10 		ATL
38 		6th 4620 [55]
2000 DAY
34 		CAR
10 		LVS
28 		ATL
9 		DAR
8 		BRI
8* 		TEX
25 		MAR
4 		TAL
1 		CAL
11 		RCH
14 		CLT
10 		DOV
32 		MCH
14 		POC
8 		SON
1* 		DAY
10 		NHA
5 		POC
3 		IND
33 		GLN
23 		MCH
36 		BRI
23 		DAR
4 		RCH
1 		NHA
6 		DOV
9 		MAR
5 		CLT
39 		TAL
4 		CAR
2 		PHO
7 		HOM
7 		ATL
4 		9th 4361 [301]
2001 DAY
30 		CAR
3* 		LVS
1 		ATL
2* 		DAR
40 		BRI
4 		TEX
5 		MAR
12 		TAL
27 		CAL
2 		RCH
2 		CLT
29 		DOV
1* 		MCH
1* 		POC
2* 		SON
3* 		DAY
37 		CHI
17 		NHA
2* 		POC
8* 		IND
1 		GLN
1 		MCH
7 		BRI
3* 		DAR
2* 		RCH
36 		DOV
4 		KAN
1 		CLT
16 		MAR
9 		TAL
7 		PHO
6 		CAR
25 		HOM
28 		ATL
6 		NHA
15* 		1st 5112 [302]
2002 DAY
9 		CAR
7 		LVS
17 		ATL
16 		DAR
9* 		BRI
31 		TEX
2 		MAR
23 		TAL
4 		CAL
16 		RCH
7 		CLT
5 		DOV
6 		POC
5 		MCH
5 		SON
37* 		DAY
22 		CHI
2 		NHA
29 		POC
12 		IND
6 		GLN
22 		MCH
19 		BRI
1* 		DAR
1* 		RCH
40 		NHA
14 		DOV
37 		KAN
1* 		TAL
42 		CLT
4 		MAR
36 		ATL
6 		CAR
5 		PHO
3 		HOM
5 		4th 4607 [303]
2003 DAY
12 		CAR
15 		LVS
37 		ATL
2 		DAR
33 		BRI
9* 		TEX
3 		TAL
8 		MAR
1 		CAL
11 		RCH
16 		CLT
8 		DOV
2 		POC
13 		MCH
3 		SON
2 		DAY
14 		CHI
4 		NHA
24* 		POC
36 		IND
4 		GLN
33 		MCH
30 		BRI
28* 		DAR
32 		RCH
10* 		NHA
19 		DOV
5 		TAL
5* 		KAN
5 		CLT
5 		MAR
1* 		ATL
1 		PHO
7 		CAR
22 		HOM
5 		4th 4785 [304]
2004 DAY
8 		CAR
10 		LVS
15 		ATL
10 		DAR
41 		BRI
9 		TEX
3 		MAR
6* 		TAL
1 		CAL
1* 		RCH
6 		CLT
30 		DOV
36 		POC
4 		MCH
38* 		SON
1* 		DAY
1* 		CHI
4 		NHA
2 		POC
5 		IND
1* 		GLN
21 		MCH
7 		BRI
14 		CAL
37 		RCH
3 		NHA
7 		DOV
3 		TAL
19 		KAN
13 		CLT
2 		MAR
9 		ATL
34 		PHO
3 		DAR
3* 		HOM
3 		3rd 6490 [305]
2005 DAY
1 		CAL
30 		LVS
4 		ATL
39 		BRI
15 		MAR
1 		TEX
15 		PHO
12 		TAL
1* 		DAR
2 		RCH
39 		CLT
30 		DOV
39 		POC
9 		MCH
32 		SON
33 		DAY
7 		CHI
33 		NHA
25 		POC
13 		IND
8 		GLN
14 		MCH
15 		BRI
6 		CAL
21 		RCH
30 		NHA
14 		DOV
37 		TAL
37 		KAN
10 		CLT
38 		MAR
1 		ATL
2 		TEX
14 		PHO
3 		HOM
9 		11th 4174 [71]
2006 DAY
26 		CAL
13 		LVS
5 		ATL
4 		BRI
21 		MAR
2 		TEX
22 		PHO
10 		TAL
15* 		RCH
40 		DAR
2 		CLT
36 		DOV
12 		POC
34 		MCH
8* 		SON
1* 		DAY
40 		CHI
1 		NHA
15 		POC
3 		IND
16 		GLN
13 		MCH
2 		BRI
5 		CAL
5 		RCH
31 		NHA
3 		DOV
3 		KAN
39 		TAL
36 		CLT
24 		MAR
5 		ATL
6 		TEX
9 		PHO
4 		HOM
24 		6th 6256 [76]
2007 DAY
10 		CAL
2 		LVS
2* 		ATL
12 		BRI
3 		MAR
2 		TEX
4* 		PHO
1 		TAL
1* 		RCH
4* 		DAR
1 		CLT
41 		DOV
9 		POC
1 		MCH
9 		SON
7 		NHA
2 		DAY
5 		CHI
9 		IND
3 		POC
4 		GLN
9* 		MCH
27 		BRI
19 		CAL
22 		RCH
4* 		NHA
2 		DOV
11 		KAN
5 		TAL
1 		CLT
1 		MAR
3* 		ATL
7 		TEX
7 		PHO
10 		HOM
4 		2nd 6646 [80]
2008 DAY
39 		CAL
3 		LVS
35 		ATL
5 		BRI
11 		MAR
2 		TEX
43 		PHO
13 		TAL
19 		RCH
9 		DAR
3 		CLT
4 		DOV
5 		POC
14 		MCH
18 		SON
3 		NHA
11 		DAY
30 		CHI
11 		IND
5 		POC
10 		GLN
29 		MCH
42 		BRI
5 		CAL
15 		RCH
8 		NHA
14 		DOV
7 		KAN
4 		TAL
38 		CLT
8 		MAR
4 		ATL
9 		TEX
2 		PHO
41 		HOM
4 		7th 6316 [306]
2009 DAY
13 		CAL
2 		LVS
6 		ATL
2 		BRI
4 		MAR
4 		TEX
1* 		PHO
25 		TAL
37 		RCH
8 		DAR
5 		CLT
14 		DOV
26 		POC
4 		MCH
2 		SON
9 		NHA
2 		DAY
28 		CHI
2 		IND
9 		POC
8 		GLN
37 		MCH
2 		BRI
23 		ATL
8 		RCH
3 		NHA
15 		DOV
6 		KAN
2 		CAL
2 		CLT
4 		MAR
5 		TAL
20 		TEX
13 		PHO
9 		HOM
6 		3rd 6473 [307]
2010 DAY
26 		CAL
20 		LVS
3* 		ATL
18 		BRI
14 		MAR
3 		PHO
2 		TEX
31* 		TAL
22 		RCH
2 		DAR
4* 		DOV
11 		CLT
6 		POC
32 		MCH
4 		SON
5 		NHA
4 		DAY
3 		CHI
3 		IND
23 		POC
6 		GLN
10 		MCH
27 		BRI
11 		ATL
13 		RCH
12 		NHA
6 		DOV
11 		KAN
5 		CAL
9 		CLT
23 		MAR
20 		TAL
8 		TEX
37 		PHO
11 		HOM
37 		9th 6176 [308]
2011 DAY
28 		PHO
1* 		LVS
36 		BRI
14 		CAL
18 		MAR
5 		TEX
23 		TAL
3 		RCH
39 		DAR
12 		DOV
17 		CLT
20 		KAN
4 		POC
1 		MCH
17 		SON
2 		DAY
6 		KEN
10 		NHA
11 		IND
2 		POC
6 		GLN
13 		MCH
6 		BRI
3* 		ATL
1* 		RCH
3 		CHI
24 		NHA
4* 		DOV
12 		KAN
34 		CLT
21 		TAL
27 		MAR
3 		TEX
6 		PHO
32 		HOM
5 		8th 2287 [309]
2012 DAY
40 		PHO
8 		LVS
12 		BRI
35 		CAL
26 		MAR
14* 		TEX
4 		KAN
21 		RCH
23 		TAL
33 		DAR
35 		CLT
7 		DOV
13 		POC
19 		MCH
6 		SON
6 		KEN
5 		DAY
12 		NHA
6 		IND
5 		POC
1 		GLN
21 		MCH
28 		BRI
3 		ATL
2 		RCH
2 		CHI
35 		NHA
3 		DOV
2 		TAL
2 		CLT
18 		KAN
10 		MAR
7 		TEX
14 		PHO
30 		HOM
1 		10th 2303 [90]
2013 DAY
20 		PHO
9 		LVS
25 		BRI
34 		CAL
11 		MAR
3 		TEX
38 		KAN
13 		RCH
11 		TAL
11 		DAR
3 		CLT
35 		DOV
3 		POC
12 		MCH
39 		SON
2 		KEN
8 		DAY
34 		NHA
10 		IND
7 		POC
2 		GLN
36 		MCH
17 		BRI
7 		ATL
6 		RCH
8 		CHI
6 		NHA
15 		DOV
4 		KAN
3 		CLT
7 		TAL
14 		MAR
1 		TEX
38 		PHO
14 		HOM
11 		6th 2337 [310]
2014 DAY
4 		PHO
5 		LVS
9 		BRI
7 		CAL
13 		MAR
12 		TEX
2 		DAR
7 		RCH
2* 		TAL
39 		KAN
1 		CLT
7 		DOV
15 		POC
8 		MCH
6 		SON
2 		KEN
6 		DAY
12 		NHA
26 		IND
1 		POC
6* 		GLN
34* 		MCH
1 		BRI
16 		ATL
17 		RCH
2 		CHI
2 		NHA
26 		DOV
1 		KAN
14 		CLT
2 		TAL
26 		MAR
2* 		TEX
29 		PHO
2 		HOM
10* 		6th 2348 [311]
2015 DAY
33* 		ATL
41 		LVS
18 		PHO
9 		CAL
10 		MAR
9 		TEX
7 		BRI
3 		RCH
8 		TAL
31 		KAN
4 		CLT
15 		DOV
10 		POC
14 		MCH
21 		SON
16 		DAY
6 		KEN
7 		NHA
9 		IND
42 		POC
3 		GLN
41 		MCH
17 		BRI
20 		DAR
16 		RCH
7 		CHI
14 		NHA
7 		DOV
12 		CLT
8 		KAN
10 		TAL
3 		MAR
1 		TEX
9 		PHO
6 		HOM
6 		3rd 5038 [312]
2016 88 DAY ATL LVS PHO CAL MAR TEX BRI RCH TAL KAN DOV CLT POC MCH SON DAY KEN NHA IND
13 		POC
27 		GLN
14 		BRI
11 		MCH DAR
14 		RCH
16 		CHI NHA DOV
10 		CLT KAN TAL MAR
6 		TEX PHO HOM 38th 218 [313]
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

NASCAR Busch Series results
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 NBGNC Pts Ref
1990 Hugh Connerty Racing 67 Pontiac DAY RCH CAR MAR HCY DAR BRI LAN SBO NZH HCY CLT DOV ROU VOL MYB OXF NHA SBO DUB IRP ROU BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR CLT
DNQ 		NHA CAR
39 		MAR
DNQ 		115th 0 [314]
1991 Bill Davis Racing 1 Ford DAY
DNQ 		CAR
24 		MAR
14 		VOL
13 		HCY
15 		DAR
9 		BRI
32 		LAN
2 		SBO
23 		NZH
5 		CLT
18 		DOV
2 		ROU
9 		HCY
2 		MYB
13 		GLN
6 		OXF
29 		NHA
15 		SBO
20 		DUB
12 		IRP
18 		ROU
11 		BRI
3 		DAR
28 		RCH
13 		DOV
8 		CLT
35 		NHA
19 		CAR
37 		11th 3582 [315]
4 RCH
17
1 Olds MAR
8
1992 Ford DAY
23 		CAR
9 		RCH
8 		ATL
1* 		MAR
6 		DAR
26 		BRI
5 		HCY
28 		LAN
10* 		DUB
5 		NZH
26 		CLT
1 		DOV
18 		ROU
5 		MYB
5* 		GLN
19 		VOL
18* 		TAL
11 		IRP
14 		ROU
9 		MCH
19 		NHA
4 		BRI
19* 		DAR
3 		RCH
17 		DOV
12 		CLT
1* 		MAR
14 		CAR
2 		HCY
11 		4th 4053 [316]
4 NHA
29
1999 Gordon/Evernham Motorsports 24 Chevy DAY CAR LVS
4 		ATL DAR TEX
13 		NSV BRI TAL CAL NHA RCH NZH CLT
33 		DOV SBO GLN MLW MYB PPR GTY IRP MCH
2 		BRI DAR RCH DOV CLT
2 		CAR MEM PHO
1 		HOM 51st 878 [317]
2000 JG Motorsports DAY CAR LVS
18 		ATL DAR BRI TEX
42 		NSV TAL CAL RCH NHA CLT
4 		DOV SBO MYB GLN MLW NZH PPR GTY IRP MCH
7 		BRI DAR RCH DOV CLT CAR MEM PHO HOM
1 		57th 637 [318]

Sports car racing

Rolex Sports Car Series

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

Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series DP results
Year Team No. Engine Chassis 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Pos Pts Ref
2007 SunTrust Racing 10 Pontiac 5.0L V8 Riley Technologies MkXI DAY
(3/3) 		MEX HOM VIR LGA WGL MDO DAY IOW BAR MON WGL INF MIL 61st 30 [319]

WeatherTech SportsCar Championship

WeatherTech SportsCar Championship results
Year Team Class Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pos Pts Ref
2017 Wayne Taylor Racing P Cadillac DPi-V.R Cadillac 6.2 L V8 DAY
1 		SEB LBH COA DET WAT MSP ELK LGA PET 28th 35 [320]

24 Hours of Daytona

24 Hours of Daytona results
Year Class No Team Car Co-drivers Laps Position Class Pos.
2007 DP 10 United States SunTrust Racing Pontiac Riley DP South Africa Wayne Taylor
Italy Max Angelelli
Denmark Jan Magnussen 		666 3 3
2017 P 10 United States Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R United States Jordan Taylor
United States Ricky Taylor
Italy Max Angelelli 		659 1 1

International Race of Champions

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

International Race of Champions results
Year Make 1 2 3 4 Pos. Pts Ref
1995 Dodge DAY
11 		DAR
2 		TAL
5 		MCH
3 		4th 51 [321]
1996 Pontiac DAY
6 		TAL
7 		CLT
5 		MCH
12 		10th 30 [322]
1997 DAY
9 		CLT
3 		CAL
5 		MCH
9 		6th 39 [323]
1998 DAY
1 		CAL
3 		MCH
8 		IND
9 		3rd 51 [324]
1999 DAY
6 		TAL
4 		MCH
7 		IND
2 		5th 49 [325]
2000 DAY
10 		TAL
5 		MCH
7 		IND
4 		6th 37 [326]

See also

References

Citations

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