Who is Jeff Gordon?

As one of the most popular stars in NASCAR, Jeff Gordon is a character of great interest among the public. While many other drives in the league are aggressive, Jeff Gordon is a more laid back kind of racer who is no only experienced in racing but is also incredibly talented and successful.

The story of Jeff Gordon starts well before his NASCAR days. Born in 1971 in California, Gordon first entered the world of competitive racing when he was eighteen years old. Even before then he won three short track races in the USAC Midget Car Racing league, and he won a top rookie award in the league.

In 1991 and 1992 Jeff Gordon advanced to the NASCAR Busch Series League. Soon after he joined the Winston Cup series. Many people even see him as an heir apparent to racing legend Richard Petty, whose final race was the same one that Gordon made his major debut in.

In 1994 Jeff Gordon won his first career NASCAR race, and soon after he won his first NASCAR Winston Cup. Since this first one Gordon has won four Winston Cups. Only Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr. have more Winston Cups than he does.

Even with his success Jeff Gordon has received some criticism from many racing fans. Some accuse Gordon of being too casual and laid back, which is different from other NASCAR drivers. Some people even tried to create hostile rumors about him being gay. However, many people say that these criticisms and insults towards Jeff Gordon are done primarily because he’s a West Coast figure that has been successful in a sport that is more popular in the South than it is out there.

After Dale Earnhardt Sr. died in 2001 many people looked to find who they thought could be the next great icon of NASCAR for the new century. Jeff Gordon became the person people especially looked upon. Gordon has had a great amount of success in a short period of time in his career, and he continues to be one of the top racers in the Nextel Cup series, often making the season ending Chase for the Cup. Gordon’s personality has even been seen as something that is especially marketable for NASCAR in its work to expand to various other places, including the West Coast, Canada and Mexico.

With these many different things in mind, it only makes sense that Jeff Gordon is one of the top drivers in NASCAR history, and the most amazing thing about it is that the story of Jeff Gordon is still being written today. Who knows what impressive feats he will pull off next?

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Jamie McMurray winning the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400 in the same season made for an interesting discussion. If these two races are two of NASCAR's majors, what would NASCAR's other two Majors be? Begin Slideshow

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