Making the move as a teenage sensation from Vallejo, Calif. to Pittsboro, Ind., Gordon was a racing prodigy who made an instant impact on the USAC racing scene by winning his first career USAC National Midget race in his first ever series start during the 1989 Night Before the 500 at Indianapolis Raceway Park en route to series Rookie of the Year honors.

Most notable was his association with car owner Rollie Helmling and the iconic Diet Pepsi No. 4 with which Gordon ran roughshod in his brief USAC National Midget career between 1989-91, winning 12 times and capturing the 1990 series title.  In that time, Gordon became the first true breakout star from ESPN’s venerable Thursday and Saturday Night Thunder series.

Gordon added five more victories in USAC National Sprint Car competition, then took on the USAC Silver Crown series where he won the first two races of the 1991 season at Phoenix International Raceway and at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, which paved the way for Gordon to collect the series’ driving title for car owner Fred Ede.