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Jeff Gordon was NASCAR’s most polarizing figure of the 1990s, and a large reason for that was just how dominant he was. He was the undisputed best driver in the sport throughout the latter part of the decade, and some incredible performances earned that reputation. Which races were his most dominant?

• Any Jeff Gordon Cup Series race win is eligible for this list. We will not consider any of his wins in the Xfinity Series from early on in his career.
• Jeff Gordon recorded 93 victories in his storied NASCAR Cup Series career. Some wins were thanks to clutch performances late in the race, but, others were absolute throttling of the field.
• Fans nowadays look back on Gordon’s career quite fondly. They understand just how great he truly was, and these performances are a testament to that.

1995 Goodwrench 500 at Rockingham (Led 329 of 492 Laps)

While not quite the field thrashing that other races on this list were, this race is on the list because of the statement it sent to the NASCAR world. In 1994, Gordon showed some muscle with 2 victories, but, 1995 was truly his breakout season. It started with a dominant performance at Rockinham, winning from the pole and leading 329 laps. He beat Bobby Labonte and Dale Earnhardt to take the trophy.

This set Gordon on a torrid pace to start the 1995 season, where he won 5 of the first 16 races to take the points lead. He went on to win his first NASCAR Cup Series Championship that season.

2004 Dodge/Savemart 350 at Sonoma (Led 92 of 110 Laps)

Jeff Gordon still holds the NASCAR Cup Series record for most road course wins, and his 2004 win at Sonoma was by far his most impressive. He started on the pole, led 92 laps, and won the race by over 1 second over Jamie McMurray. Gordon was never out of the lead for more than 9 consecutive laps on this day.

Gordon was always renowned for his talent on road courses, especially in an era where road course racing was still a novelty in NASCAR. He viewed those races not as a liability, but as an opportunity. Performances like this certainly contributed to his dominance over the sport in the 1990s and 2000s.

2005 Aaron’s 499 at Talladega (Led 139 of 194 Laps)

Rarely do drivers dominate on superspeedways, but Gordon did on this day. He led 139 of 194 laps at Talladega on this day, and he was never out of the lead for more than 8 laps at a time. He went on to lead 49 of the final 52 laps en route to his 4th win of the season.

While 2005 did not end well for Gordon, this race showed just how good he was on superspeedways early in his career. This was his 2nd superspeedway win in a row, and his 4th in 5 races. While DEI was the dominant force on superspeedways in the 2000s, Jeff Gordon put an end to that streak.

1997 Goody’s Headache Powder 500 at Martinsville (Led 431 of 500 Laps)

Jeff Gordon’s best track throughout his career was undisputedly Martinsville with 9 victories. His best performance there came during a Championship year in 1997. Gordon started 4th, but he took the lead for the first time on lap 22. He only lost the lead once more on the day as he went on to lead 431 of 500 laps on this day.

Martinsville Speedway is a very important track to Hendrick Motorsports for multiple reasons. Gordon’s performances there took the Martinsville/Hendrick lore to the next level. It was his personal playground throughout his career.

2001 MBNA Platinum 400 at Dover (Led 381 of 400 Laps)

Jeff Gordon was in another zip code at Dover in June of 2001. Starting on the outside of the front row, Gordon took the lead on lap 2, and he never lost the lead for more than 6 laps at a time the rest of the race. He led a ridiculous 381 of 400 laps en route to his 2nd of 6 wins that season.

Gordon went on to win his 4th Cup Series Championship in 2001, and his most dominant performance came in that incredible season. While he had some great performances, nothing was quite as dominant as this one.

Jeff Gordon was the most dominant NASCAR driver of his time. These were the moments where that shone the brightest.