Early life and career of Jeff Gordon

Jeff Gordon
Gordon in August 1993
Born	Jeffery Michael Gordon (1971-08-04) August 4, 1971 (age 52) Vallejo, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Racing driver
Years active	1976–1992 (early career) NASCAR driver
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
62 races run over 3 years
Best finish	4th (1992)
First race	1990 AC-Delco 200 (Rockingham)
Last race	1992 The Pantry 300 (Hickory)
First win	1992 Atlanta 300 (Atlanta)
Last win	1992 All Pro 300 (Charlotte)
Wins Top tens Poles 3 25 12
Statistics current as of November 8, 1992[N 1].
Championship titles
1990 USAC National Midget Series Champion 1991 USAC Silver Crown Series Champion
Awards
1990 HARF Driver of the Year[1] 1990, 1991 AARWBA All America Team[2] 1991 Busch Series Rookie of the Year 1992 Pat O'Connor Award recipient[3] 1994 HARF Hall of Fame inductee[4] 2005 Vallejo Sports Hall of Fame inductee[5] 2009 National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame inductee[6]

This article is part of a series about Jeff Gordon
Four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion 1995, 1997, 1998, 2001 NASCAR Cup Series career race wins NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2019 Business and motorsport Early life and career Hendrick Motorsports Car No. 24 driver PepsiCo (spokesperson) JG Motorsports (owner-driver) Axalta Coating Systems (advisor) Fox NASCAR (broadcaster) In popular culture Jeff Gordon XS Racing 24 x 24: Wide Open with Jeff Gordon Pepsi Max & Jeff Gordon Present: Test Drive Unrivaled: Earnhardt vs. Gordon
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Jeffery Michael "Jeff" Gordon (born August 4, 1971) is an American professional auto racing driver who competed in the NASCAR Cup Series over a 25-year career. He was born in Vallejo, California to Carol Houston and Billy Gordon; the couple separated a few months later. Gordon's mother then married John Bickford, a car builder and parts supplier.

When Gordon was four years old, his stepfather gave him a BMX bike that he rode at a track near his home. At age five, Gordon began competing in Quarter Midget racing locally. He won 35 main events, set five track records, and earned a local championship by age six. In 1979, Gordon began racing quarter midgets nationally; that year he won 52 main events and set eight track records. At age nine, Gordon began competing in kart racing, and by age twelve, he had won over 200 races in Quarter Midgets and go-karts. Gordon briefly attempted waterskiing before returning to racing.

At age thirteen, Gordon became interested in sprint car racing, and he competed in his first sprint car events in Florida. Under California law, the minimum age to drive a sprint car was 16. In 1986, with Gordon's family supporting his career choice, he moved from Vallejo to Pittsboro, Indiana. At age sixteen, Gordon became the youngest driver ever awarded a USAC license. He was named the 1989 USAC National Midget Series Rookie of the Year, and captured the series championship in 1990. In 1991, Gordon won the USAC Silver Crown Series championship; at age twenty he was the youngest driver to do so.

While competing in sprint cars, Gordon was looking for new opportunities in racing. An impressive stint in a stock car at the North Carolina Motor Speedway, as part of the Buck Baker Racing School, led to a three-race deal from businessman Hugh Connerty to compete in the Busch Grand National Series late in the 1990 season, with Ray Evernham as the crew chief. Gordon qualified second for his first race but crashed twenty-three laps into the event, and he failed to qualify for his other two races. At the end of the season, Gordon and Connerty amicably parted ways when the latter could not secure funding and sponsorship to continue. Gordon later reached a deal with car owner Bill Davis to compete in the Busch Grand National Series full-time for the 1991 season, under crew chief Keith Simmons. Gordon was named the 1991 series Rookie of the Year with five top-five finishes and a pole. Gordon returned to Bill Davis Racing for the 1992 season; he was reunited with Evernham for his sophomore season. Gordon earned his first series victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March, and swept both races at Charlotte Motor Speedway held in May and October. Gordon ended the season with a record 11 poles and a fourth-place points finish, before joining Hendrick Motorsports in the Winston Cup Series.

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