Jeff Gordon was racing cars before he could even read or write. Kidzworld checks out one of the fastest drivers in NASCAR and the winner of the 2005 Daytona 500.
Jeff Gordon's First Drive
Jeff Gordon was born August 4, 1971 in Vallejo, California. When Jeff Gordon was five, his stepfather, John Bickford, bought him a quarter midget race car and Gordon's driving career began. Jeff Gordon would take his quarter midget car out to a local track and would race nearly every day after school. Gordon won his first Quarter Midget championship when he was eight and by the time he was 13, he had won four class championships in Go Carts, while competing against kids who were 17, or even older.
Jeff Gordon - Teenage Driving Machine
When Jeff Gordon was 15, his family sold their house and business and moved to Indiana, in order to advance Gordon's career as a racecar driver. Indiana had more race tracks and Jeff Gordon could legally race sprint cars in the state, with his parents' permission. Jeff Gordon joined the United States Auto Club at age 16 and by the time he graduated from high school, he had won over 100 races. In 1990, at age 19, Gordon became the youngest USAC National Midget Champion in history, and had his mind set on entering NASCAR.
Jeff Gordon - NASCAR Racing Legend
Jeff Gordon began Cup racing with NASCAR in 1993. Gordon had seven top-five finishes during his first season and was named the NASCAR Rookie of the Year. In 1994, Jeff Gordon won his first NASCAR race at the Coca Cola 600 and it wasn't long before he was regularly leaving the competition in the dust. Jeff Gordon won the NASCAR driving title in 1995 and took the title again in 1997, 1998 and 2001. In 2005, Jeff Gordon won the biggest race in NASCAR - the Daytona 500 - becoming just the fifth driver to win the race three times.
Jeff Gordon - Did U Know?
- Jeff Gordon races a Chevy car with the number 24.
- Jeff Gordon's favorite hobby, outside of racing, is playing video games.
- Jeff Gordon had a small role in the movie, Looney Tunes: Back in Action.
- Jeff Gordon is currently dating model Amanda Church. He and his wife, Jennifer Brooke Sealy divorced in June 2003.
- Jeff Gordon's nicknames are Wonder Boy, Flash Gordon and The Kid.
To find out more about Jeff Gordon, head to his official site www.jeffgordon.com.
