Four-Time Cup Series Champion · NASCAR

Jeff Gordon

Ninety-three wins, four championships, and a debut in the race that ended Richard Petty's career. The official Jeff Gordon collection: the No. 24, DuPont, and the Brickyard.

Nationality
American
Born
4 August 1971 · Vallejo, California
Team
Hendrick Motorsports, the No. 24 (1992–2016)
Championships
4 (1995, 1997, 1998, 2001)
Daytona 500 wins
3 (1997, 1999, 2005)
Hall of Fame
Class of 2019
Graphic illustration of NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon wearing his red and blue DuPont racing suit, featuring his number 24 DuPont race car and helmet.
Four-Time Cup Series Champion
1992 — 2016
4
Cup Series Championships
93
Cup Series Wins
81
Pole Positions
805
Cup Series Starts

Who is Jeff Gordon?

Jeff Gordon (born 4 August 1971) is an American former NASCAR driver who won 93 Cup Series races, third on the all-time list, and four championships in 1995, 1997, 1998 and 2001. He won three Daytona 500s and a record five Brickyard 400s, drove the No. 24 for Hendrick Motorsports throughout his career, and entered the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2019.

Full name
Jeffery Michael Gordon
Nationality
American
Cup Series career
1992–2016
Best known for
Four titles, and 93 wins in the No. 24
Rider Profile

Jeff Gordon: Full Biography

Jeff Gordon is an American former NASCAR driver and the vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports. He won 93 Cup Series races, third on the all-time list, along with four championships, three Daytona 500s and a record five Brickyard 400s. He entered the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2019.

The Debut He came out of quarter midgets and USAC, winning the national midget title in 1990 and the Silver Crown in 1991. His first Cup start came at Atlanta in November 1992, in the same race that closed Richard Petty’s thirty-five-year career. He was rookie of the year in 1993, won the Coca-Cola 600 and the inaugural Brickyard 400 in 1994, and took the championship in 1995 at twenty-four — the youngest champion of the modern era.

The Peak Ten wins in 1996 were not enough, and he finished second. Ten more in 1997 brought a second title and the Daytona 500. Then 1998: thirteen victories in thirty-three starts, still the modern-era record for a season, and a third championship. A fourth followed in 2001.

The Streak He drove the No. 24 for Hendrick Motorsports for his entire career and started 797 consecutive races, a NASCAR record. His last full season was 2015, in which he won at Martinsville and finished third; he came back in 2016 to substitute for Dale Earnhardt Jr. He now runs the team he raced for, and its cars have won the championship twice under him.

The Career

Three Chapters That Defined Jeff Gordon

Chapter 01

Petty's Last Race

He started in quarter midgets at five, took the USAC national midget championship in 1990 and the Silver Crown the year after, and made his first Cup start at Atlanta in November 1992. It was the same afternoon Richard Petty ran the last of his 1,184 races, and the same afternoon Alan Kulwicki took the championship by ten points; Gordon crashed and finished 31st. He was rookie of the year in 1993. In 1994 he won the Coca-Cola 600 and then the first Brickyard 400, at a circuit an hour from where he grew up. In 1995 he won the championship, at twenty-four, younger than anyone else in the modern era has managed.

Jeff Gordon's number 24 car following Rick Mast's number 1 on track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with packed grandstands behind. The inaugural Brickyard 400 · Indianapolis, 1994 Photo: Jeff Gordon's number 24 car following Rick Mast's number 1 by Doctorindy — CC BY-SA 3.0. Cropped and resized. · licence
Chapter 02

Thirteen Wins

Ten wins in 1996 were beaten to the title by his own team mate's consistency, and he finished second. Ten more in 1997 brought the championship and the Daytona 500 with it. Then came 1998, and a season that has not been matched since: thirteen victories from thirty-three starts, twenty-six top fives, and a third title. He added a fourth in 2001. Across those years the No. 24 crew were known as the Rainbow Warriors, after a paint scheme that made the car impossible to mistake, and three Daytona 500s and five Brickyard 400s followed in time — the most anyone has won at Indianapolis.

Jeff Gordon's number 24 DuPont Chevrolet in blue and orange flame livery, at speed with the background blurred. No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet · Sonoma, 2008 Photo: Jeff Gordon's number 24 DuPont Chevrolet by anthony_goto — CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized. · licence
Chapter 03

The Iron Man

He drove for one team his whole career and did not miss a race for twenty-three years. At New Hampshire in September 2015 he made his 789th consecutive start, passing Ricky Rudd's record, and finished on 797. That final full season brought a win at Martinsville and third in the championship. He returned in 2016 for eight races, standing in for Dale Earnhardt Jr., then stopped for good. The Hall of Fame took him in 2019, and he is now vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, whose cars have twice won the title with him in the role.

Jeff Gordon in dark Hendrick Motorsports team clothing, being photographed by reporters at a racetrack. Jeff Gordon · 2021 Photo: Jeff Gordon (2021) by Zach Catanzareti Photo / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (resized) · licence
Career Timeline

Jeff Gordon Career Timeline: 1971–Present

Born in Vallejo

Jeffery Michael Gordon is born on 4 August in Vallejo, California, and grows up in Pittsboro, Indiana.

USAC Champion

Wins the USAC National Midget Series championship, and the Silver Crown title the following year.

Cup Debut

Makes his first Cup start at Atlanta in November, the race that ends Richard Petty's career.

Rookie of the Year

A first full season with Hendrick Motorsports in the No. 24, and the rookie award.

First Wins

Takes the Coca-Cola 600, then the inaugural Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis.

Champion at 24

Seven wins and eight poles for a first title, the youngest champion of the modern era.

Daytona 500

Wins the Great American Race and a second championship, with ten victories.

Thirteen Wins

A modern-era record for a single season, and a third championship.

Fourth Title

Six wins and six poles for a fourth championship, his last.

Fifth Brickyard

A record fifth win at Indianapolis, twenty years after the first.

Iron Man

Passes Ricky Rudd's consecutive-starts record, wins at Martinsville, and finishes third in his last full season.

Final Races

Returns for eight races, substituting for Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Hendrick.

Hall of Fame

Inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, and later becomes vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports.

By the Numbers

Jeff Gordon Cup Series Record, Season by Season

Jeff Gordon season-by-season record: team, wins, poles, top 5, top 10 and final standing.
SeasonTeam Wins Poles Top 5 Top 10 Pos.
1992 Hendrick Motorsports 0 0 0 0 79
1993 Hendrick Motorsports 0 1 7 11 14
1994 Hendrick Motorsports 2 1 7 14 8
1995 Hendrick Motorsports 7 8 17 23 1
1996 Hendrick Motorsports 10 5 21 24 2
1997 Hendrick Motorsports 10 1 22 23 1
1998 Hendrick Motorsports 13 7 26 28 1
1999 Hendrick Motorsports 7 7 18 21 6
2000 Hendrick Motorsports 3 3 11 22 9
2001 Hendrick Motorsports 6 6 18 24 1
2002 Hendrick Motorsports 3 3 13 20 4
2003 Hendrick Motorsports 3 4 15 20 4
2004 Hendrick Motorsports 5 6 16 25 3
2005 Hendrick Motorsports 4 2 8 14 11
2006 Hendrick Motorsports 2 2 14 18 6
2007 Hendrick Motorsports 6 7 21 30 2
2008 Hendrick Motorsports 0 4 13 19 7
2009 Hendrick Motorsports 1 1 16 25 3
2010 Hendrick Motorsports 0 1 11 17 9
2011 Hendrick Motorsports 3 1 13 18 8
2012 Hendrick Motorsports 2 2 11 18 10
2013 Hendrick Motorsports 1 2 8 17 6
2014 Hendrick Motorsports 4 3 14 23 6
2015 Hendrick Motorsports 1 4 5 21 3
2016 Hendrick Motorsports 0 0 0 2 38

Championship seasons are highlighted. Career totals: 93 wins · 81 poles · 325 top fives · 477 top tens from 805 starts across 25 seasons, which is what this table sums to — and the NASCAR Hall of Fame's figures of 805, 93 and 81 match it exactly. Ninety-three wins is third on the all-time list, behind Richard Petty and David Pearson. The poles column counts only those earned on qualifying time, the figure NASCAR records. He drove for Hendrick Motorsports throughout, in the No. 24 except for 2016, when he ran eight races in Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s No. 88 and was not classified for a championship position. Points are not comparable across the table: NASCAR changed its scoring system twice and introduced the Chase playoff in 2004. Not shown here: five wins in the Busch Series, and two championships as a Hendrick team owner. Figures verified 15 August 2026.

Jeff Gordon in his own words

In His Own Words
I certainly recognized the significance for me to be part of it because of what I was seeing.
Jeff Gordon · on making his Cup debut in Richard Petty's final race, 1992
Frequently Asked

Jeff Gordon: Frequently Asked Questions

How many races did Jeff Gordon win?

Ninety-three in the Cup Series from 805 starts, which is third on the all-time list behind Richard Petty and David Pearson. His first came in the Coca-Cola 600 in 1994 and his last at Martinsville in 2015.

How many championships did Jeff Gordon win?

Four, in 1995, 1997, 1998 and 2001. The first came when he was twenty-four, making him the youngest champion of NASCAR's modern era.

What happened in Jeff Gordon's first Cup race?

He made his debut in the Hooters 500 at Atlanta on 15 November 1992, crashed mid-race and finished 31st. The same afternoon was Richard Petty's last of 1,185 starts, and Alan Kulwicki took the championship by ten points over Bill Elliott. It is often called the most significant single day in NASCAR's history.

What was Jeff Gordon's best season?

1998. He won thirteen of the thirty-three races he started, with twenty-six top fives and twenty-eight top tens, and took his third championship. Thirteen wins in a season remains the modern-era record.

Why is Jeff Gordon called an iron man?

Because he started 797 consecutive Cup races without missing one. He passed Ricky Rudd's record of 788 at New Hampshire in September 2015, in what proved to be his final full season.

Did Jeff Gordon drive for anyone other than Hendrick?

No. He raced for Hendrick Motorsports for the whole of his Cup career, from his 1992 debut to his last start in 2016, and is now the team's vice chairman.

How many Brickyard 400s did Jeff Gordon win?

Five — in 1994, 1998, 2001, 2004 and 2014 — more than any other driver. The first was the inaugural running of the race, at a circuit about an hour from where he grew up in Indiana.

What does Jeff Gordon do now?

He is vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, the team he drove for. Its cars have won the Cup Series championship twice since he took the role, and he won the Rolex 24 at Daytona outright as a driver in 2017.

Shop His Gear

Jeff Gordon Collection

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References

Sources & Further Reading

Every statistic on this page is drawn from the following records.

  1. Jeff Gordon — Class of 2019 inductee · NASCAR Hall of Fame (official)
  2. jeffgordon.com — official site · Official
  3. Jeff Gordon and Richard Petty on their first and last race · NBC Sports, source of the pull quote
  4. Jeff Gordon Children's Foundation · Official
  5. Jeff Gordon · Wikipedia, season-by-season results
  6. 1992 Hooters 500 · Wikipedia
  7. 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series · Wikipedia
  8. Brickyard 400 · Wikipedia
  9. Jeff Gordon (Q313565) · Wikidata entity record

How this page is made

Rider profiles are compiled from official series records and cross-checked against independent statistical databases before publication.

Commercial disclosure. This page links to merchandise sold by KozmozInspire. Products are fan-made tributes inspired by motorsport history and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or licensed from the rider, their estate, or any team.

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