Jeff Gordon is one of the greatest NASCAR drivers of all time. With 93 victories and 4 Championships, there are plenty of iconic moments throughout his legendary Cup Series career. Today, we focus on the moments that have been forgotten by many during Gordon’s career.
Jeff Gordon was unstoppable in 1998. It was his third straight 10+ win season, including 5 wins in 6 races from Pocono in July through the Southern 500 on Labor Day. He headed into the season finale at Atlanta with the Championship locked up and a chance to set the modern-era NASCAR record for wins.
A rain-soaked season final at Atlanta was shortened to 221 laps, and Jeff Gordon had to battle with Dale Jarrett for the win. Gordon took the lead with 7 laps to go and won. It was his 13th win of the season, which tied with Richard Petty for the most wins in a season during the modern era.
Jeff Gordon typically won races in dominating fashion, but, this win at Talladega was anything but. Gordon started in 34th that day, and he waited patiently in the back until the time was right. With a few laps to go, he was running second to teammate Jimmie Johnson.
On the last lap, Gordon made his move to the outside into turn three. He held on to lead the final half a lap and win the race. It was the only time in Gordon’s career that he only led one lap.
Jeff Gordon was not popular amongst Earnhardt fans throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, and that was shown at Talladega in 2004. With 5 laps to go, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were battling for the lead at Talladega when a wreck happened behind them. NASCAR had just stopped letting the field race back to the line the year prior, so, the field was frozen at the caution flag.
NASCAR ruled that Jeff Gordon was in front, and the race ended under caution. Fans showed their displeasure by throwing beer cans on the race track as Gordon tried to do a burnout. Despite their displeasure, Gordon’s win stood.
In terms of percentage of laps led, Jeff Gordon’s 2001 win at Dover was the most dominant of his career. He started in second and took the lead for the first time on lap one. From that point onwards, no one passed Gordon for the lead on the race track.
He led 381 of the 400 laps, with the other 19 laps led by other drivers due to pit strategy. No one was even close to Gordon on that day, and never did he have as dominant of a race as he did that afternoon.
Before his first Speedweeks in 1993, many expected Jeff Gordon to struggle like most rookies do. Well, Gordon quickly showed his talent on the track. He qualified 11th fastest on pole day, good for a 6th place starting spot for his qualifying race. He went on to lead 29 laps and win his qualifying race.
In the Daytona 500, he led the first lap after starting third. He sat in second in the final laps before getting shuffled out to finish 5th. This was a sign of things to come for Gordon, as he went on to win 3 Daytona 500s in his career.
What are some other Jeff Gordon moments that we forgot about? There are plenty to choose from with how many wins and Championships he had.
Joey Logano could break Richard Petty’s 47-year-old record for the most consecutive drafting-track races led this weekend at EchoPark Speedway. After leading laps in the Daytona 500, Logano has now led in 19 straight drafting-track races, dating back to 2023, tying a mark The King set from 1974 to 1979.
Logano now has a clear opportunity to move past Petty and claim sole possession of one of NASCAR’s longest-standing superspeedway records, and considering his and Team Penske’s history of dominance in this style of tracks, it seems that he is poised to break it.
Chris Gabehart has responded to Joe Gibbs Racing’s lawsuit, strongly denying the allegations and calling the claims “false,” “frivolous,” and “retaliatory” in a public statement released this Friday.
After the lawsuit became public, on Thursday, Gabehart spoke out for the first time, stating that he did not share any confidential JGR information with Spire Motorsports or any third parties and that he intends to prove that in court. He also said a third-party forensic review of his personal devices found no evidence supporting the accusations, adding that JGR declined an offer to examine Spire’s systems before filing suit.
“Yesterday afternoon, Joe Gibbs Racing filed a lawsuit claiming — falsely — that I shared JGR confidential information with Spire Motorsports and/or other unnamed third parties… I feel compelled to speak out today and forcefully and emphatically deny these frivolous and retaliatory claims.”
Gabehart said he will address the matter further in a formal legal response in the coming days.
You can learn more about the lawsuit, why it started and all the context surrounding it in the article linked below
Weather could play a major role in the NASCAR weekend at EchoPark Speedway, with current forecasts calling for a 40% chance of rain Saturday afternoon and increasing to 55% in the evening. While conditions are expected to improve, contingency plans are already in place in case races cannot be completed as scheduled
NASCAR has not announced any official schedule changes yet, as decisions will be based on how conditions develop in real time. With rain chances increasing through Saturday afternoon and evening, teams are preparing for multiple outcomes, and Sunday is expected to serve as the primary backup window if events can’t be completed as planned.
Conditions are constantly being monitored, but fans should be prepared for possible schedule adjustments throughout the weekend. We’ll keep you updated throughout the race weekend here on The Daily Downforce
