Jeff Gordon
Jeffrey Michael Gordon (born the August 4th 1971 with Vallejo in California) is an American pilot of NASCAR, quadruple winner of the Winston Cup (today Nextel Cup). It controls the Chevrolet n° 24 of Hendrick Motorsports. Its sponsors include Dupont, Pepsi, Quaker State, Haas, GMAC, Georgia-Pacific, Sparkle and Nicorette.
Beginning of career
Very early, Jeff Gordon was regarded as a child prodigy of the automobile race. He learned the rudiments from control thanks to an old driver of stock car of the is of Texas, Brian Merritt. Merritt taught the art of the race to him and helped it to aguérir itself. Gordon took part in its first race at the 4 years age. His/her father-in-law, John Bickford, will confirm later that it was the idea of the Jeff young person. Its family was always of a great support and supported very early it. They did not hesitate to move in the Indiana only for the more important competition appropriatenesses which were offered to the fiston. Before its 18 years, Jeff Gordon had already gained 3 races and receipt the title of Rookie off the Year 1989 in USAC National Midget Series. The following year, it gained the title. In 1991, it left Midget Series for the USAC Silver Crown Series and at age the 20 years the title gained; it was the youngest pilot of the history to gain this championship.
Nascar
Beginnings
Gordon discovers the NASCAR in 1991, when it is allowed in Busch Series. It there short two years and benefits from it to beat the record of the number of poles during one season, 11. Symbolically, its first participation in a race of the Winston Cup, the Hooters 500 of 1992, coincides with the last race of Richard Petty (legend of the NASCAR). In 1993, Gordon runs its first complete season in Winston Cup for Hendrick Motorsports, it there takes down the title of Rookie off the Year and finishes 14th with the classification. In 1994, Jeff gains its first race with the Coca Cola 600 over the Lowe' S Motor Speedway. It gains the same year its race in residence with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the inauguration of the Brickyard 400.
4 times champion
In 1995, at age the 24 years, Gordon takes down the first of its four championships of Winston Cup. It again gains championship NASCAR in 1995, 1997, 1998 and 2001, only two pilots gained more than 4 championships: Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt (7 trophies each one).
Some records
In 2004, Jeff Gordon becomes the first pilot to gain 4 times the Brickyard 400 and only one of the four pilots to gain 4 victories over mythical the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Jeff February 20th, 2005 gained the mythical race of the Daytona 500 for the third time (after its victories of 1997 and 1999).It currently adds up 81 victories, and is only with 3 victories of the record of the modern NASCAR established by Darrell Waltrip with 84 victories. It is as allowed as Jeff Gordon made it possible to more open the NASCAR with the remainder of the United States, before popular only in the States of the south.
Except Nascar
Jeff Gordon took part in several events off-road. It as took part in the Race off Champions as it gained with the team of the United States in 2002. It was expected that it takes part in the edition 2004 against the German champion Michael Schumacher, but, patient, was replaced by Casey Mears at the last time. It took part in the edition 2005 at the side of Travis Pastrana, but does not succeed in qualifying itself for the finales because of engine trouble.The June 11th 2003, in a special exhibition in Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Gordon was confronted with Juan Pablo Montoya, and made some solo circuits on board the Williams FW25, while Montoya took the wheel of the Chevrolet Monte Carlo. The exhibition was diffused on line by Chanel SPEED.
Popularity and personal life
The reaction of the fans vis-a-vis the success growing of Gordon is clearly divided. Jeff is appreciated always as much in the Indiana and its native California. On the other hand, it regularly is whistled and hooted at the time of races being held in the major south of the United States. This schism between supporters is allotted partly to the Madison Avenue appeal of Gordon and with the old resentment of the South with respect to the Yankee S. During decades, the NASCAR was the sport dominating of the south, and much of fans allot the changes of the last years, which are far from achieving the unanimity, with the influence of the sponsors and the mediae arrived in mass since successes of Jeff Gordon.Jeff married in 1994 with Brooke Sealy, followed from there a divorce very mediatized in 2003. It flirté then with Amanda Church (relation that it made public) and married with the Belgian mannequin of ascent Ingrid Vandebosch on November 7th, 2006.