NASCAR (PHOENIX) - GORDON TIES EARNHARDT BASED ON TOTAL WINS...

As a four-time NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series champion, Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet) owns no shortage of career milestones. The latest occurred with a victory in the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway that tied him with seven-time series champion Dale Earnhardt for sixth place on NASCAR’s all-time win list.

Gordon’s 76th career win came in his 481st career start and was his first at Phoenix International Raceway. Aside from series titles in 1995, ’97, ’98 and 2001, Gordon also has 59 Budweiser poles, 219 top-five and 294 top-10 finishes. His to-date career winnings total is in excess of $84 million.

At age 35, Gordon is in his 16th NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series season. He has driven for the same team – Hendrick Motorsports – since his debut in November 1992, at the age of 20. He has averaged five wins per season; if Gordon competes at the same rate for five more years, he’ll accrue more than 100 career victories.

Earnhardt’s 76th victory came Oct. 15, 2000 at Talladega Superspeedway – his 676th career start. He was 49 years, five months and 16 days old at the time. He competed from 1975-2001 for a total of 27 seasons. Earnhardt drove for eight different owners. He had 22 Budweiser Poles, 280 top-five and 427 top-10 finishes. His career winnings total is $41,531,211.

Other drivers with 76 or more career wins include Richard Petty, David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip – all NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series champions. Detailed information about their 76th career victories follows:

Driver Victory Career Start Richard Petty 76th 382nd in 1967 David Pearson 76th 400th in 1973 Cale Yarborough 76th 473rd in 1983 Bobby Allison 76th 532nd in 1983 Darrell Waltrip 76th 433rd in 1989

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