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 Jeff Gordon Please note I’m doing this
page in order for all my3wide friends that have been wanting a #24 car
in our Toy Box. For all the Jeff fans I hope I have done him justice!!
Its longer than normal and may lack pictures but I hope you enjoy………….
Chevytech
Jeffery Michael Gordon born August 4, 1971 in Vallejo ,
California and raised in Pittsboro , Indiana . He has one sister Kim. He
currently lives in Charlotte , NC . He is a 4 time Sprint Cup Champion,
3 time winner of the Daytona 500. He along with Rick Hendrick is
co-owners of the #48 Lowe’s Team that has tied the 3 peat Championship
record winning in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Jeff also is an equal owner in
the #24 DuPont team.
Jeff was introduced to Ingrid Vandebosch by a mutual friend in 2002, but
they didn't begin dating until 2004. 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. 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 .
Jeff’s early years:
Jeff Gordon began racing at the age of five racing quarter midgets. By
the Age of 6 Jeff Gordon won 35 main events and set 5 track records. By
the age of 13 Jeff took an interest in the 650 horsepower sprint cars.
Jeff Gordon and his family had to overcome an insurance hurtle the
minimum age for driving the sprint cars was 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. In 1990, Gordon won his second consecutive
Night Before the 500, and was on his way to winning the USAC national
Midget title. In 1991, Gordon entered into the USAC Silver Crown, and at
the age of 20 became the youngest driver to win the season championship.
He also won the 4 Crown Nationals midget car race that season. In his
midget car career between 1989 and 1992, he finished in the Top 3 in 22
of 40 USAC midget car events.
Jeff moves up:
In 1991 and 1992 Jeff 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 Jeff Gordon set a NASCAR record by capturing 11 poles
in one season. During his time with Bill Davis racing, Jeff was
introduced 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.
Jeff’s on the move again:
In 1993, Gordon raced his first full season in Winston 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. 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.
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, Gordon
finished eighth in the Winston Cup point standings for the '94 season,
as Dale Earnhardt grabbed the driving championship for his 7th and final
time.
In 1995 saw Jeff 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 Dale
won his seventh.
Jeff won his first Daytona 500 in 1997. 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." Jeff Gordon
claimed his second Winston Cup championship in 1997, completing one of
the most impressive single-season performances in NASCAR history.
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. Jeff also won his second Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis .
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.
In 1999, Gordon along with crew chief Evernham formed Gordon/Evernham
Motorsports. Though short lived, the race team enjoyed success. Jeff
extended his Busch experiment one more year, through 2000 as co-owner,
with Rick Hendrick buying Evernham's half. After the departure of
Evernham, the race team was renamed JG Motorsports.
Jeff struggled in 2002, not winning until the fall Bristol race, and
winning at Darlington and Kansas . In 2003, Jeff returned with Robbie
Loomis for a third season together. Jeff won early in April, winning
Martinsville , and winning Atlanta and Martinsville again in the fall.
He finished the year 4th in the NASCAR standings.
Jeff again won the Brickyard 400 in 2004, obtaining his 4th Indy win
(1994, 1998, 2001, 2004). He is the only NASCAR driver with four
Brickyard 400 wins and one of only five drivers to have four victories
at the historic track. He finished 3rd in the 2004 NEXTEL Cup points
even though he scored the most total points throughout the whole season,
a consequence of the new Chase system implemented in 2004.
Gordon started the 2005 season with a win in the Daytona 500, but
inconsistency would plague him throughout the year. A late season run
put him in position to qualify for the Chase, but in the last race
before the Chase Jeff made contact with the wall and failed to qualify
for the chase. In 2005 Crew Chief Robbie Loomis resigned from the #24
team. Loomis stayed on with Hendrick Motorsports as a consultant. Steve
Letarte became Jeff's crew chief.
In 2006, Gordon announced that he would participate in the Rolex 24
endurance sports car event at Daytona International Speedway, his team
went on to finish third, despite car troubles.
Jeff started of the 2007 Cup season by winning his Gatorade Duel
qualifying race but 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 on the last-lap finish.
In 2008, with his 8th place finish at Richmond , Gordon made his 4th
appearance in the Chase for the Sprint Cup earning the 10th seed out of
12 drivers. Jeff finished 7th in the 2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup, 368
points out of first place, and finished winless for the first time since
1993.
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Date Of Birth: August
4, 1971
Spouse: Ingrid Vandebosch
Place Of Birth: Vallejo , California
Home Town: (currently) Charlotte (raised) Pittsboro ,
Indiana
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car Owner: Rick Hendrick
Crew Chief: Steve Letarte
Car Number: #24
Manufacturer: Chevy
Primary Sponsor: Dupont
Years: 17
Starts: 545
Poles: 67
Wins: 81
Top 5's: 247
Top 10's: 326
(Through 2008)
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