I met Jeff at Lawrenceburg Speedway back a few years ago when he raced a winged sprint car. He was 16 years old at the time and drove a yellow car sporting the number 16. I seen him break the track record on the quarter mile dirt there. I would go to the pits after the feature race was over to visit with other race fans and drivers. I never had much of a conversation with Jeff but always said helo to him. He seemed very shy and quiet spoken. I kid about him tripping over my feet once when he stepped backward, this my claim to fame. I could have received an audagraph at any time but I never ask. Years later when he was a star NASCAR driver of the Dupont #24 I sent him a letter asking for an audagraphed photo. I explained I had been a fan at Lawrenceburg and traveled to the Brickyard 400 with Mel & Tim Johnson, the promoters of Lawrenceburg Speedway, to see him win there. I ask if he would send a photo of him in the yellow #16 sprint car he drove. Jeff was now very famous with NASCAR, I thought he would never read the letter I sent. Low and behold only a week or so later I received a hand written letter and a photo of Jeff setting in the #16 sprint car that I remembered so well.
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Jeff Gordon (born August 4, 1971) is a professional American race car driver. He was born in Vallejo, California, raised in Pittsboro, Indiana, and currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. He is a four-time NASCAR Winston Cup (now Sprint Cup) Series champion, three-time Daytona 500 winner, and driver of the #24 Chevrolet Impala. His primary sponsor is DuPont, though Pepsi and Nicorette both supplement the team as secondary sponsors. Other sponsors include Quaker State, Haas Automation, GMAC, Bosch Spark Plugs, and Georgia-Pacific/Sparkle. He, along with Rick Hendrick, are the co-owners of the #48 Lowe's sponsored team, driven by Jimmie Johnson, who won both the 2006 and 2007 NEXTEL Cup series championship. Gordon also has an equity stake in his own #24 team.
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