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Jeff Gordon: 1998 Winston Cup Champion

© Thomas M. Sampson

"Records were made to be broken," and you can rest assured that the NASCAR records that Jeff Gordon hasn't broken yet, are being worked on diligently by Jeff and the Hendrick Motorsports team. At the age of 27, six years as a Winston Cup driver, with three Winston Cup Championships, 42 wins, and over 26 million in career earnings, Jeff is on a roll. Dale Earnhardt dubbed him "The Kid," back when he started to win Winston Cup races. Now, they call him "The Man."

It's really not that much of a surprise when you look back at his childhood. He's been competing on race tracks for 22 years, starting with Quarter Midget racers when he was five. He won his first Midget Championship when he was seven. He's been successful in all phases of racing, and one of his biggest thrills before he got into Winston Cup, was beating Steve Kinser to win the "World of Outlaws" Championship.

His 13 wins this season ties the modern era record of Richard Petty. His double-digit wins, three years in a row, is a NASCAR record. The NASCAR banquet at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City was the icing on the cake for Jeff. His championship check for $2,922,272 coupled with his two Winston No Bull Five checks, gives him $4,292,272 in bonuses for the '98 season, and that's not counting the purse money he won from the actual racing. Adding the percentage of his purses to his bonuses and salary, and his earnings range somewhere between eight and eleven million for the year. And, that doesn't include the diamond rings for him and his wife Brooke, the solid gold race car replica, etc.

A deeply religious couple, Jeff and Brooke are always quick to thank the lord for their bountiful tidings, and set a great example for the thousands of people connected to NASCAR. Brooke is the former Miss Winston of 1993, so she's no stranger to the racing business, or to the multitude of fans that have made NASCAR what it is today.

At last year's awards banquet, standing up in front of his peers, Jeff was overcome with emotion, and lost his composure. This year, he only got choked up a couple of times. He spoke of his wife; "Brooke is one person I can share all of my feelings and thoughts with, good or bad. She is a huge support and I'm so thankful to have her in my life." He also spoke of his parents, who were in attendance: "I've talked a lot in the past about how my stepfather has started me racing and how my mom supported it all. They did so much for me. Now that I'm a little bit older with a few more years of experience under my belt I can see that I wouldn't have the kind of life I do now if they hadn't gotten me involved in racing. They're here tonight, and I want to let them know how much I love them and thank them for everything they've done." Jeff also spoke of his love for racing: "I realize how fortunate I am to stand here before all of you, reflecting on a season I can't even describe in a sport I love and respect. Racing has been my life. It's everything that I've ever done. From the time I was playing with little toy cars, racing Quarter Midgets, it's the only thing I've ever wanted to do. I feel like I'm no different than the little kid who was swinging a bat and then ten years later found himself winning the World Series. Or the boy who maybe threw a football around the back yard and now has three Super Bowl rings."