Autocar's favourite racing drivers: Jeff Gordon

But Nascar teams were prepared to take a chance on a talented sprint car driver, and Gordon impressed enough in his two seasons in the second-tier Nascar Busch Series to attract the attention of Rick Hendrick, the boss of the powerhouse Hendrick Motorsport squad.

Gordon made his top-level Nascar Winston Cup in the final race of 1992, won the Rookie of the Year crown in 1993, took his first race wins in 1994 and his first championship in 1995. By that stage, and aided by ace crew chief Ray Evernham, he was the benchmark driver: he won seven races on his way to his first title, and then took 10 wins the following year - although he missed out on the crown to his ultra-consistent team-mate Terry Labonte.

Further titles followed in 1997, 1998 – a year in which he won 13 of 33 races – and 2001. In a sport known for its competitive balance, it was incredible stuff.

But Gordon’s impact on Nascar goes far beyond statistics: his success sparked a transformation in the sport. When Gordon broke into Nascar, it was still a largely Southern series that actually lived up to the stereotypes Talladega Nights parodied so brilliantly. 

Actually, it was another Nascar film that helped set the stage for Gordon. His ascension came soon after Days of Thunder had massively raised awareness of stock car racing. And Gordon’s career had parallels to that of Cole Trickle (aka Tom Cruise). An amusing bit of trivia: Hendrick had supplied cars for Days of Thunder filming, and was originally going to run Gordon in car #46, which it owned the rights to. The team was prevented from doing so due to a deal with the film’s producers, sparking a late shift to Gordon’s now-famous 24.