Jeff Gordon and his Fabulous Career in Nascar (Part 1)

The 92 career winning champion has left his mark on stock car racing.

Stock car legend Jeff Gordon just recently announced that after 2015, he will no longer race full time. Out of dislike for athletes who leave and continue to perform, Gordon refused to use the word “retirement.” In addition, Gordon does plan to race every now and then. “I didn’t say this is my final year of ever competing at a single event. As I get further into the year, as things come together, I don’t see myself doing any races.”

• Jeff Gordon just recently announced that after 2015 he won’t race full-time
• Gordon earned his first Winston Cup Championship in 1995
• In 1998 Gordon won a record of USD 1,637,625 in prize money

Even in his post-regular season appearances on the track, Gordon will continue to drive for Hendrick Motorsports which is the only one he’s driven for. Gordon’s appearances will be made sparingly, since he said he doesn’t want to distract the other drivers on the team working part-time. Let’s look at the career of the four-time Cup Series champion and how he kept at the forefront of racing and US gambling news.

Jeff Gordon formative years racing NASCAR

Jeff Gordon made his debut for the Winston Cup in 1992 at the Hooters 500 in Atlanta which he unfortunately crashed in. Initially Gordon wanted to have No. 46 on his car, but Paramount Pictures owned the trademark after they used it for their film “Days of Thunder.” In 1993 Gordon started his full-time season by winning the Gatorade Twin 125’s race becoming the youngest to win a qualifying race for Daytona 500.

Given the name “Wonderboy” by racing legend Dale Earnhardt, Gordon won the Busch Clash in 1994 by making a incredible pass by Earnhardt and with Brett Bodine in close pursuit was able to pass the leader Ernie Irvin in the last lap. Gordon was able to get a top 10 finish in his next nine races. His first official victory came at the Coca-Cola 600. At the end of the season, Gordon finished eighth in the driver standings.

Gordon began 1995 with a 22nd place finish at the Daytona 500. A week later, after winning the pole position by making the all-time track record 252.8 km/hr, Gordon won at Rockingham by 329 laps. A week later Gordon won again at Atlanta and at Bristol. Gordon’s team was fined USD 60,000 by NASCAR officials for using unapproved wheel hubs. At the end of the season Gordon earned his first Winston Cup Championship beating last reigning seven-year champion Dale Earnhardt by 300 points.

In 1996, Gordon became a safe bet by anybody on the planet using online sportsbooks in the US. Although he lost his first race, Gordon was able to win the next 10 races. That year Gordon team collected 24 wins in 10 races making it the 3rd straight year of racing victories in the double-digits. Unfortunately Gordon loss the Winston Cup championship by 37 points to his teammate Terry Labonte.

Gordon has some amazing years ahead of him

Gordon won his second Bush Clash in 1997. In the “Clash” race, the field was inverted which started Gordon in the third position. Soon he would win the Daytona 500 for the first time becoming the youngest driver in history to win. A week later, Gordon was 2nd at Rockingham and had a 3rd place finish in Bristol the next week where he won causing Rusty Wallace to slip by making contact with his car.

Soon victories would follow at the Coca-Cola 600 and the Southern 500.These wins soon allowed Gordon to claim his second Winston Cup Championship. Finishing 10 victories at Daytona, Rockingham, Bristol, Martinsville, Charlotte, Pocono, California, Watkins Gloen, Darlington and New Hamphire, many consider Gordon’s year one of the most impressive performances in NASCAR held in a single season. Betting on Gordon, within US gambling laws, was money in the bank during this time.

After starting with a 16th place finish in the Daytona 500 in 1997, Gordon at Rockingham the next week and Bristol four weeks later. He would win 13 races setting a modern era record along with the largest amount of prize money at that time of USD 1,637,625. In 1998, Gordon would win the championship once again in style setting cup records including four consecutive wins, 17 consecutive top-five finishes, seven poles, 25 top five finishes and 27 top 10 finishes.

Another victory at the Daytona 500 started 1999 on a positive note for Gordon with additional wins at Atlanta, Fontana and Sears Point. He soon became the first driver to win three consecutive races at Watkins Glenn raceway. Under new crew chief Brian Whitesell, Gordon won back to two consecutive victories at Martinsville and Lowe’s. Although he won seven races, Gordon finished 6th in the Winston Cup standings.