Jeff Gordon is one of the most successful drivers in the history of NASCAR, and he is the first in the new age of drivers who changed the sport into the second most successful in America. Jeff Gordon drew the ire of people who loved the southern roots of the sport, and Gordon created a version of the sport that was more exciting to watch overall to cheer on fan’s NASCAR bets. The sport is better off because of Jeff Gordon.
Simple Roots
Jeff Gordon grew up driving sprint cars on Tuesday nights on ESPN, and he rose to NASCAR at a time when the sport was struggling for marketshare. NASCAR was losing all its oldest and most popular drivers, but he was a marketable driver to the rest of America. Americans latched on to Jeff Gordon, and he formed a partnership with Rock Hendrick that has spanned 20 years of racing. Rick Hendrick was willing to put more money into his team than anyone else, and he hired Ray Evernham to run a team that became the most efficient in the sport. No one timed their pit stops to the accuracy of Jeff Gordon’s team until his team was featured on television because of its efficiency.
Four Championships
Jeff Gordon won four championships as a driver, and he is one of the winningest drivers in the sport. Jeff made the way for other drivers who were not born in the south to succeed. He created a team that was immensely successful at Rick Hendrick racing, and he mentored people like Jimmie Johnson. Jimmie Johnson won five championships in a row, and he won a sixth after that. Jeff Gordon alone could be credited with half of the titles that were won during his career.
Branching Out
Jeff’s team was so good that Ray Evernham was able to start his own team, and the sport began to expand to have more drivers than could qualify for every race. This kind of competition made all the cars faster, and Jeff’s team was the first to pioneer new safety technology. His team pushed the sport into the 21st Century, and Jeff’s team has always been competitive. There has rarely been a moment when the rainbow warriors were not in contention for a race win or a championship.
Winning Formulas
Other teams are copying the winning formula that Jeff’s teams were using early in his career. Jeff won his championships early, and the rest of the sport began to catch up with his plan. The plan was so useful that the sport became more competitive, more exciting and more profitable. Jeff’s presence helped drivers make more money, and drivers whose teams were using Jeff’s winning plans were making strides that were previously not possible,
The best drivers in the history of NASCAR all came from the south until Jeff Gordon came along. He was not popular with the southern crowd, but he made NASCAR into a national sport that outperforms the likes of baseball and basketball.