Jeff Gordon Biography

Fast Facts

• Began racing at age 5 on a makeshift track built by his stepfather
• By age 6 he was winning events racing a smaller car called a quarter midget
• Attended the Buck Baker Driving School for stock-car racing
• Won his first NASCAR Cup Championship in 1995
• In 1999, created the Jeff Gordon Foundation, which supports children's charities
• In 2006, the Jeff Gordon Children's Hospital opened in Concord, NC, and in 2010, his foundation changed its name to the Jeff Gordon Children's Foundation
• Hosted a 2003 episode of Saturday Night Live
• Authored Jeff Gordon: Racing Back to the Front — My Memoir (2003)
• Appeared in the films Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003) and Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005)
• Provided the voice of an animated car in Cars 2 (2011)
• A fine-wine enthusiast, he partnered with the owner of Briggs & Sons Winemaking Co
• to launch a series of wines labeled the Jeff Gordon Collection in the fall of 2005
• In 2007, became one of the founding members of Athletes for Hope, a nonprofit organization that connects professional athletes with charitable organizations