Jeff Gordon NASCAR goes up for auction

What makes a great racer – is it nature or nurture? In the case of NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon, it might well be the former. He began racing quarter midget cars at the age of five and won 35 events and set five track records within the year. At the age of eight he won 51 races and, at 11, all of the 25 kart races he entered. At just 16 he became the youngest person ever granted a USAC licence.

To cut short an extremely long story of success, Gordon went on to become the ‘winningest’ driver in the so-called modern era of NASCAR history with a remarkable 93 victories, no fewer than 13 of which he racked-up in a single season (1998).

In addition, Gordon – along with Michael Schumacher – became one of just two racing drivers to achieve five victories in a single series, at Indianapolis when he won the Brickyard 400 in 2007.

As a result of all that (and a whole lot more) 51-year-old Gordon – who retired from full-time racing in 2016 – has racked up a staggering $515m in career earnings, making him the highest-paid NASCAR driver of all time and the 18th highest-paid athlete in history.

So if you’re a NASCAR fan and believe it’s possible that a little bit of the Gordon touch might be transferred through his cars, this Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS coming up for grabs with RM Sotheby’s in Amelia Island, Florida, might just be for you.

As loud and proud as any NASCAR racer should be, the car was used by Gordon in seven events between 2003 and 2006, including three appearances in the Budweiser Shootout season-opening races at Daytona. He finished in the top 10 on each of these occasions, claiming third in the 2005 edition.

Pensioned off the following year, the car has since been maintained by the highly regarded Certified Race Cars Program run by Hendrick Motorsports, for which Gordon was a long-standing works driver.

It features a race-used 358-cubic-inch ‘SB2’ V8 engine with four-speed transmission that’s said to put out a useful 830bhp and has been returned to its period-correct DuPont hot-rod flame No24 livery from the 2006 NASCAR season – with the bonnet having been signed by each member of the Hendrick team involved in the car’s restoration.

With a set of brand new Goodyear Racing tyres on its 15in Aero wheels and a recent £4500 ‘service’, the raging beast will be sold with all its build records and invoices and a certificate of authenticity.

But don’t expect a bargain – Gordon has been selected as the main honouree of this year’s Amelia Island concours, so his name will be front and centre.

And any wealthy fans searching for the ultimate in Gordon memorabilia are likely to be out in force.

2006 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS NASCAR ‘jeff gordon’

On offer with RM Sotheby’s, Amelia Island, US, March 4. Estimate: £100,000-£130,000