Jeff Gordon and his Fabulous Career in Nascar (Part 2)

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. Refusing to use the word “retirement”, Gordon does plan to race every now and then in an effort not to distract the other drivers on the team. Gordon doesn’t see himself racing for very long. Making his mark on NASCAR by winning 92 races, Gordon will be missed by many friends and enthusiasts.

• In 2004 a plane crashed while Hendrick Motorsports executives were aboard
• Gordon had a 6th place NEXTEL Cup standing in 2004
• Gordon became the 1st driver to pass USD 100 million in career earnings

Making his debut for the Winston Cup in 1992 at the Hooters 500 in Atlanta, Gordon started his career with a bang or a crash literally. He was able to win his first qualifier for the Daytona 500 in 1993. A year later, after 10 top 10 finishes, Gordon won his first race at the Coca-Cola 500. The following year Gordon won his first Winston Cup Championship in 1995 making US gambling news.

Jeff Gordon formative years racing NASCAR

In 2000, despite an invite by Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, Gordon signed a lifetime contract with Hendrick Motorsports. Gordon team had a new crew chief named Robbie Loomis and they had to work and fine tune themselves to gain another victory which they finally accomplished in the form of his first win at Talledega. Although it was considered a rebuilding year, Gordon managed to end the year 9th in points.

Gordon won nine races early in 2001 to the approval of his critics. In the Winston, formerly known as the Loews Motor Speedway, Gordon had a spin out in the second turn of the lap one due to the slickness of the track caused by the rain. Nevertheless, Gordon won the race tying Dale Earnhardt in wins at three each. Winning at Dover, Indianapolis, Watkins Glen and the Inaugural race in Kansas, Gordon won his fourth Winston Cup Championship. Any online betting punter would have made money on Gordon during this time.

Starting the season as the defending champion, Gordon started shaky when he was pushed into the infield by Sterling Marlin resulting in a ninth-place finish. Gordon remained without a victory until the Sharpie 500 night race in Bristol. A week later a fifth victory came at the Mountain Dew Southern 500. With a third victory at the Kansas Speedway, Gordon finished the season fourth in points. Gordon, still working with Loomis, had a better season in 2003.

Unfortunately, Gordon was plagued by various accidents through midseason which resulted in three wins, 15 top five finishes and 20 top 10 finishes ranking fourth in Winston Cup standings. Also he won races such as the California, Infineon Raceway and the Pepsi 400 in Daytona. Tragedy struck when a plane carrying Engine builder Rick Hendrick, Team President John Hendrick, Vice President Jeff Turman and teammate Rick Hendrick crashed killing everyone on board.

Jeff Gordon formative years racing NASCAR

Although he lost the Cup due to the placement of a new race at the end of the season which Jimmy Johnson won, Gordon started the 2005 season strong with a win at the Daytona 500. Soon victories at Talledega and Advance Auto Parts 500 were obtained as well. The season proved unsuccessful due to a inconsistency in Gordon’s performances including several accidents and the resignation of Loomis as crew chief. These years weren’t kind to punters using online sportsbooks in the US.

Gordon finished The Daytona 500 in 26th place. Eventually Gordon would win in his ninth race at the Dodge/Save Mart 350. Gordon’s racing looked as though it was progressing in the right direction but he suffered from three consecutive races where he place outside the top 20 at Kansas, Talladega and Charlotte due to various mechanical mishaps. The next three races would result in top 10 finishes. Another fourth place finish would end Gordon’s season at sixth place in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup standings.

A failed post race inspection cause Gordon to start Daytona 500 at the 42nd position where he eventually finished in 10th place. Gordon finally led in points for the first time since 2005, due to a third place finish at Food City 500 in Bristol. Gordon would eventually win his sixth Championship Cup tying Dale Earnhardt. Winning the 300th top-ten finish at the Citizens Bank 400, Gordon won the “regular season” championship, but was second in the overall standings to teammate Jimmy Johnson.

In 2008, Gordon finished seventh place in cup standings. Gordon reached a new mark in history by becoming the first NASCAR driver to pass USD 100 millions in career winnings. With various struggles, Gordon wouldn’t have a multi-win season until 2011. Gordon flipped a car for the first time in 2012. In the following year, Gordon’s sixth place finish, was his highest since 2009. A 10th place finish at the 2014 Ford EcoBoost 400 marked Gordon’s 454th top-ten finish.