CONCORD, N.C. -- Jeff Gordon hit a huge milestone exactly 20 years ago when he recorded his 50th Cup Series win on April 16, 2000, at Talladega Superspeedway.
The race was a welcomed victory for Gordon, who hadn't won a race since October of the previous season. However, the race didn't start out in his favor. Gordon rolled off the grid in the 36th spot, but was quick to surge to the front of the pack.
Gordon was one of 10 drivers involved in 27 lead changes on the 2.66-mile track. He led for a total of 25 laps six different times, including the last six laps of the race after he surpassed Mark Martin. Gordon held off Mike Skinner and Dale Earnhardt to end his 13-race losing streak.
“We qualified horrible, but the second we got out there on the race track the DuPont Chevrolet was really, really good,” Gordon said after the race. “I told these guys if we can just stay out of trouble and be real patient we’ll work our way to the front. And it took a while. … I learned from the best, Earnhardt. I didn’t want to see him come up through there because he’s the toughest guy there is to race with at these places because he’s so good with the air. Learned a lot of things from him and they paid off today.”
Check out Gordon's 50th win in the No. 24 Chevrolet below.