Gordon: from kid to veteran making Cup start 650
At the risk of making myself sound old, it doesn’t seem all that long ago that a young driver named Jeff Gordon emerged on the NASCAR Sprint (then-Winston) Cup Scene. The year was 1992 and one era was being ushered out as another was ushered in. At the season finale at Atlanta Motor Speedway that season, Richard Petty made his final start as a driver and Gordon made his first.
That was nearly 19 years ago, and when the Sprint Cup Series takes the green flag at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, Gordon will make career Cup start 650.
Gordon was referred to as a kid by NASCAR legends like Dale Earnhardt in those early days. Gordon even toasted Earnhardt with a glass of milk during his speech at the awards banquet, then held in New York, after claiming the Cup title in 1995, only his third full season on the circuit—missing Earnhardt‘s mark of claiming his first Cup in his second full year of competition.
Gordon proved that championship wasn’t a fluke, following it up with a couple of consecutive titles in 1997 and 1998. He then went on to win a fourth in 2001, giving him, at that time, the third-most championship trophies in series history, with Earnhardt and Richard Petty being the only drivers at the time with more—seven apiece.
In the years since, Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson has stolen much of the spotlight, claiming an unprecedented five-consecutive Sprint Cups, but Gordon isn’t finished. In 2011, the veteran, now with a little grey in his hair, has continued to claim impressive accomplishments.
After somewhat of a slump, by Gordon standards, in recent years, he has experienced somewhat of a resurgence in 2011. He has three wins this year, the two most recent being record notable. Gordon’s second win of the season was the 84th of his career, tying him for third with NASCAR Hall of Famers Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip on the all-time win list. But that wasn’t enough. He went ahead and claimed win 85, too, to take sole possession of the third spot.
In recent weeks, Gordon has slipped in the standings, sliding to 10th, but he headed into this year’s Chase for the Sprint Cup as many so-called experts’ favorite to dethrone teammate Johnson.
In addition to his 85 wins in his first 649 starts, Gordon also has 285 top-fives and 393 top-10 finishes to his credit. To say that Gordon’s years in the Sprint Cup Series have been fruitful would be a gross understatement. The driver who entered the sport as a kid back in 1992 is now viewed as a legend and one of the greatest ever, and he’s not done yet. Gordon has come a long way.
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