Jeff Gordon

Jeff Gordon made the Chase For The Sprint Cup for the seventh time in his career in 2011, winning three races during the 26-race regular season. He snapped a 66-race winless streak with his win at Phoenix in February.

Gordon burst onto the NASCAR scene in 1992, winning a record 11 poles in the NASCAR Busch Series. The former USAC sprint car star also won three races and made his NASCAR Cup for Hendrick Motorsports in November.

After winning Cup Rookie of the Year and finishing 14th in points in 1993, Gordon scored his first Cup victory in the 1994 Coca-Cola 600. He also won the inaugural Brickyard 400 that year and finished eighth in points.

In 1995, in just his third full season, Gordon won his first Cup championship, beating seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt. Led by crew chief Ray Evernham, Gordon won seven races and scored 17 top-five and 23 top-10 finishes.

In 1996, Gordon won a series-high 10 races but finished second in points, losing the title to Hendrick teammate Terry Labonte by 37 points.

Gordon was back in championship form in 1997, winning his second title in three years. Gordon won 10 races again, including his first Daytona 500. At 26, Gordon became the youngest driver to win NASCAR’s biggest race.

In 1998, Gordon had his greatest season, winning 13 races to tie Richard Petty’s modern-era record. He won a record-tying four straight races, and won the Coca-Cola 600, Brickyard 400 and Southern 500. His Southern 500 win was his fourth straight.

In 1999, Gordon won seven races, but slumped to sixth in points. After Evernham left the team in October to start his own team, Gordon won his first two races – at Martinsville and Talladega – with new crew chief Brian Whitsell.

Without Evernham, Gordon won just three races and finished ninth in points in 2000.

With crew chief Robbie Loomis, Gordon bounced back in 2001 to win his fourth Cup championship. He won a series-high six races and also finished second six times among his 18 top-five and 24 top-10 finishes. Gordon won the all-star race and the Brickyard 400 for the third time and extended his record for road-course wins with his fourth career win at Watkins Glen.

Gordon posted nearly identical numbers in 2002-03, winning three races each season and finishing fourth in points. He also became co-owner of Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 48 team featuring rookie driver Jimmie Johnson in 2002.

In 2004, Gordon finished third in NASCAR’s inaugural Chase, finishing 16 points behind champion Kurt Busch and eight behind Johnson. He won five races, including his fourth Brickyard 400.

In 2005, Gordon won four races, including his third Daytona 500, but slumped to 11th in points and missed the Chase.

In 2006, Gordon won two races, the fewest in his career to that point, and finished sixth in points. The No. 48 team he co-owns, however, won its first series championship with Johnson.

Gordon returned to championship contention in 2007, winning six races and challenging Johnson for the title. He tied and surpassed Earnhardt for sixth on the all-time win list with back-to-back wins at Phoenix and Talladega in April, his 76th and 77th. His 21 top-five and 30 top-10 finishes led the series.

In 2008, Gordon failed to win a race for the first time in his career and slumped to seventh in points. He had gone 14 straight seasons with at least one victory, the longest active streak at the time.

Gordon finished third in points in 2009 and snapped his winless streak with a victory at Texas in April. His 25 top-10 finishes led the series and his 16 top-fives tied champion Johnson.

Gordon went winless for the second time in three years in 2010 and slumped to ninth in points, his worst finish in the Chase. His best finish was second at Phoenix and Richmond.