page_title: Jeff Gordon
section_title: Early Sprint Cup (2008–2013)
hierarchical_section_title: Jeff Gordon / NASCAR / Cup Series / Early Sprint Cup (2008–2013)
caption_attribution_description: Jeff Gordon with the Subway Fresh Fit trophy in Victory Lane. Photo by Jordan McNerney, AARP.
context_page_description: Jeffery Michael Gordon is an American former professional stock car racing driver, currently an announcer for Fox NASCAR, and a top executive for Hendrick Motorsports. He formerly drove the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in 23 full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series seasons between 1993 and 2015, and served as a substitute driver for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in select races during the 2016 season.
  Gordon started his professional racing career in the Busch Series with Hugh Connerty Racing, followed by Bill Davis Racing, winning three races, and began racing full-time in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series for Hendrick Motorsports in 1993. He is a four-time Cup Series champion, having won the title in 1995, 1997, 1998, and 2001. He was the youngest driver to win a NASCAR title, being 24 years old by the end of the 1995 season. He also won the Daytona 500 three times in 1997, 1999, and 2005. Gordon has completed three career Grand Slams and has won a total of sixteen Crown Jewel races, both of which are all-time records.
context_section_description: From 2008 to 2010, Gordon struggled, recording just one win during the three seasons at the Samsung 500, his first win at Texas Motor Speedway. In the three-year timespan, Gordon recorded six total poles, including four in 2008, and a third-place points finish in 2009 behind HMS teammates Mark Martin and champion Johnson. During the 2009 season, Gordon became the first driver in NASCAR history to pass US$100 million in career winnings.
  Martin's crew chief Alan Gustafson joined Gordon in 2011 after Steve Letarte was reassigned to Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s team. In the second race of the year at Phoenix, Gordon won for the first time in 66 races; At the Aaron's 499, Gordon broke the tie for the third-most poles with Cale Yarborough. At Pocono, he tied Bill Elliott for the most wins at the track with five, and at Atlanta, he defeated Johnson to claim his 85th career win, third-most of all time behind Richard Petty and David Pearson. Gordon became the winningest driver in the modern era of the sport, passing Darrell Waltrip.
  Gordon struggled during the early portion of the 2012 season, despite a pole at Talladega, failing to reach the top ten in points. At Pocono, Gordon took advantage of teammate Jimmie Johnson's right-rear tire failure on a late restart just immediately before an expected large thunderstorm rained onto the track, thus giving him his 86th Cup victory and sixth at the track, surpassing Elliott for the most wins at the track. At Richmond, despite troubles early in the race that mired him a lap down, Gordon rallied to finish second to Clint Bowyer, and made his eighth Chase for the Sprint Cup. At the November Phoenix race, Gordon was running near the front until Bowyer again made contact and forced him into the wall. Gordon then cut a tire when trying to retaliate and was penalized with a black-flag for both his attempt at retaliation and failing to come down pit road to fix his tire. In reply to the black-flag Gordon retaliated by intentionally wrecking Bowyer, collecting Joey Logano and Aric Almirola in the process, thus ending Bowyer's hopes to win the Cup title. The two crews began brawling while a furious Bowyer climbed out of his car. Bowyer frantically sprinted to Gordon's hauler, but he was restrained by officials just in front of Gordon. Gordon was fined $100,000, docked 25 points, and placed on probation until December 31. He recovered from his penalty by winning the season finale, the Ford EcoBoost 400, the next week for the 87th Sprint Cup victory of his career.
  In 2013, Gordon made his 700th consecutive Cup start in the Bojangles' Southern 500; Gordon finished 3rd, marking his 300th career top-5 finish. At Dover, Gordon finished 3rd, tying David Pearson for third all-time in top-five finishes with 301. In qualifying for the Federated Auto Parts 400, Gordon set a track record with a lap speed of 130.599 mph (210.179 km/h) and a time of 20.674 seconds for his first pole of 2013 and fifth at Richmond, breaking the tie with Mark Martin for most poles at the track among active drivers. Gordon's winning a pole in 21 consecutive seasons set a NASCAR record. However, despite finishing 8th, Gordon was winless and was knocked out of the Chase initially by finishing one point behind Joey Logano. On September 13, it was announced that Gordon would be added into the Chase after it was found that Logano's team had collaborated with David Gilliland's Front Row Motorsports team for Gilliland to give up a spot to Logano so that Logano could secure his tenth-place position over Gordon. At the Martinsville race, Gordon won his first race of 2013 and first at Martinsville since 2005.
caption: Gordon after his victory at Phoenix in 2011
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