Jeff Gordon was a racing child prodigy. Gordon began racing when he was about four years old. According to his step-father racing was Jeff's idea. It may have been Jeff's idea, but his family fully supported him. Gordon's family moved to Indiana just for the racing opportunities available for drivers in general but especially for minor-aged drivers. Before the age of 18 Gordon had already won three short-track races and was awarded USAC Midget Car Racing Rookie of the Year in 1989. The next year Gordon won the USAC Midget title. In 1991, Gordon moved up to the USAC Silver Crown and at the age of 20 became the youngest driver to win the title. Gordon then went on to spend two successful years in the NASCAR Busch Series (he set a NASCAR record by capturing 11 poles in one season). Coincidentally, almost symbolically, Gordon's first Winston Cup race, the 1992 Hooters 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, was also the final race for Richard Petty. In 1993, Gordon raced a full season in the Winston Cup for Hendrick Motorsports, he won the Rookie of the Year award. Finally, in 1995, at the age of 24, Gordon won the first of four NASCAR Winston Cup Championships. There are only two other drivers with more than four Cup titles: Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt (both had seven titles). In 2004, Gordon also became the only NASCAR driver with four Brickyard 400 victories at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and one of only four drivers to have four victories at the historic track.

Gordon is widely regarded as the best active driver in NASCAR because he achieved so much through sheer talent at such a young age. He currently has 72 Nextel Cup victories and has yet to pass Dale Earnhardt's 76 wins, or Darrell Waltrip's modern-era NASCAR record of 84. It is also thought by many that he opened NASCAR up to the rest of the nation; before Gordon's success in NASCAR, the sport and organization was not popular outside of the Southeast United States. Gordon is still one of the best known drivers in NASCAR.