Jeff Gordon NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon WINSTON CUP CAREER HIGHLIGHTS ? Won the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup championship. Significant accomplishments during 1997: 10 victories, one pole, 22 top-five finishes and 23 top-10 finishes and 23 top-l0 finishes. Youngest driver to win the Daytona 500. Second driver ever to win the "Winston Million". Broke regular season and overall earning records, becoming the only driver in NASCAR history to exceed $4 million ($4,201,227) in regular-season winnings and passing the $6 million mark ($6,375,658) in overall earnings. ? Finished the 1996 season with 10 victories, five poled, 2,313 laps led and had regular season earnings of $2,484,518 to lead all those categories. He finished second in championship points, only 37 behind teammate Terry Labonte. ? Became the youngest Winston Cup Series champion in NASCAR'S modern era in only his third year on the tour (1995). Significant accomplishments during 1995: Seven victories, eight poles, 23 top-10 finishes, 2,610 laps led and $4,347,343 in overall winnings-the most ever by NASCAR driver. ? Won two Winston Cup Series races in 1994, including the most notable stock car event ever run- the inaugural Backyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The other victory was in NASCAR's longest race, the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. ? Won the 1994 Busch Clash, an exclusive race among the previous season's pole winners, at Daytona International Speedway in February. ? Won more prize money-$1,607,010- than any NASCAR driver during the 31 races of 1994, en route to 14 top-10 finishes and seven top-5's. ? 1993 Maxx Race Cards Rookie of the Year in the Winston Cup Series, becoming the first driver ever to win rookie honors in NASCAR's two top divisions (Busch Series, 1991) ? Won 125-mile qualifying race at Daytona in February of 1993- the first rookie in 30 years to accomplish that feat. Gordon found two of the people closest to him fighting for their lives. Crew chief Ray Evernham's one year old son, Ray Jay, and Gordon's boss, owner Rick Hendrick, had leukemia. Ray Jay is in remission; Hendrick is doing well. In 1995, Jeff Gordon and Crew Chief Ray Evernham formed "Racing for a Reason " to benefit the Leukemia Society of America. Over $175,000 has been raised from the sale of "Racing for a Reason" caps and trading cards.