Tina Gordon

Tina Gordon is a former American stock car racing driver who competed in NASCAR’s Craftsman Truck Series and Busch Series, proving that sometimes the best way to break into a man’s world is to borrow your husband’s car and beat everyone in it.

EARLY YEARS

Born March 14, 1969, in Cedar Bluff, Alabama, Tina Gordon didn’t exactly grow up dreaming of a racing career. Before she ever touched a steering wheel competitively, she spent three years working as an insurance agent—advising clients on risk management and financial security. Then she decided to throw caution to the wind and do the exact opposite of everything she’d been counseling people about: she went racing.

Her entry into motorsports came through the most unglamorous door possible: powder puff races. These were the “let the wives have a turn” events at local dirt tracks, where women drove their husbands’ cars for a few laps of entertainment. Gordon started out driving her husband Gary’s short-track car in Alabama, and quickly discovered she had a knack for it. Not just a knack—she dominated. In 1995, driving Gary’s car, she won all five powder puff races she entered. Turns out, letting your wife drive your car can be a humbling experience.

OTHER INTERESTS

Beyond the track, Gordon and her husband Gary founded Tina’s Dream Ranch, a therapeutic camp for disabled children and adults. It’s the kind of endeavor that requires patience, heart, and a genuine desire to give back—qualities that don’t always align with the aggressive, win-at-all-costs world of stock car racing. But Gordon managed both, proving she could be competitive on Sundays and compassionate the rest of the week.

After her racing career wound down, she became a spokesperson for Sticks ‘N’ Stuff, a furniture chain. It’s not the most glamorous post-racing gig, but it beats sitting around wondering what could have been.

EARLY SUCCESS

After sweeping those powder puff races in 1995, Gordon got serious. In 1998, she began racing at Green Valley Speedway in Gadsden, Alabama. That same year, she attended the Finish Line Racing School at Lanier Raceway in July. Mike Loescher, the Chief Driving Instructor, didn’t mince words: “Tina has the ability to drive a race car at any level of competition that she desires. Now she needs to go out and do it.”

She did. In 1999, Gordon started competing in the NASCAR All-Pro Series, and by 2001, she made her Busch Series debut at Darlington Raceway. She drove the No. 96 Colby Furniture Chevrolet—a locally based ride—into the field with a solid qualifying effort. It was a statement: she wasn’t just along for the ride. She belonged.

In 2002, she made her ARCA debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Her first time out on the 2.66-mile superspeedway, Gordon qualified fifth with a speed of 182.947 mph, finished 10th, and impressed a lot of people who weren’t expecting much from the woman in the Vassarette-sponsored car.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

• 1995: Won all five powder puff races driving her husband’s short-track car.
• 1999: Began racing in the NASCAR All-Pro Series.
• 2001: Made her Busch Series debut at Darlington Raceway in the No. 96 Colby Furniture Chevrolet.
• 2002: ARCA debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway—qualified 5th at 182.947 mph and finished 10th.
• 2003: Competed in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series; drove the No. 22 Bost Motorsports Chevy at Talladega Superspeedway, starting 38th and avoiding a massive pileup on lap 4.
• 2004: Transitioned to the No. 13 ThorSport Motorsports Chevy with sponsorship from Microtel and Vassarette in the Craftsman Truck Series; later moved to the Busch Series with Jay Robinson Racing, finishing the season 51st in points with 666 points.
• 2004: Featured on the cover of Stock Car Racing magazine in February as one of NASCAR’s “Racing Divas.”
• 2004: Became the only full-time female driver in either of NASCAR’s top two circuits at the time.

INSPIRATIONS

Gordon raced in Alabama—the land of legends like Davey Allison, Bobby Allison, Donnie Allison, and Neil Bonnett. She came up in a state where racing wasn’t just a sport; it was a religion. The Allison family’s legacy loomed large, and Gordon wasn’t intimidated by it. If anything, it fueled her.

She also drew inspiration from the simple fact that no one expected her to succeed. In 2004, she told the Toledo Blade: “I don’t think that anyone is going to give me a career just because I am a female. When I get the opportunity to move up to the next level, it will be because I have earned it.” That kind of clear-eyed realism—mixed with stubborn determination—kept her going when sponsorship deals fell through and rides dried up.

REPUTATION

Gordon earned respect the hard way: by showing up, qualifying, and finishing races in underfunded equipment. She wasn’t flashy, she wasn’t controversial, and she didn’t lean on her gender to get attention. She just drove.

Her 2004 sponsorship deal with Vassarette—a lingerie brand—raised eyebrows. In a sport dominated by beer, tobacco, and cell phone sponsors, a truck driver selling bras was… different. But it also made sense. Forty percent of NASCAR fans were women, and Vassarette saw an opportunity. Gordon became the face of that crossover, whether she liked it or not. The deal eventually went south, and she ended up bouncing between rides for the rest of the season.

Gordon competed in 13 Busch Series races across three years, with her best efforts coming in cars that were often starting in the back of the pack. She ran 14 races total in the Craftsman Truck Series in 2003 and 2004, never cracking the top 10 in trucks but consistently proving she could handle the equipment she was given. She wasn’t setting the world on fire, but she was surviving—and in underfunded NASCAR rides, survival is its own achievement.

FUTURE GOALS/PLANS

Gordon retired from racing in 2005. There are no publicly known plans for a return to competition or involvement in motorsports beyond her spokesperson work and her continued commitment to Tina’s Dream Ranch.

REFERENCES

Wikipedia: Tina Gordon
DriverDB: Tina Gordon Racing Career Profile
Toledo Blade: Making Inroads – Tina Gordon Has Moved from Trucks to Busch Series
Thunder Valley Racing: Featured Driver – Tina Gordon
Famous Birthdays: Tina Gordon – Age, Bio, Family
WomenInRacing.org: Tina Gordon
All American Speakers: Tina Gordon Speaking Fee & Booking Agent
Justapedia: Tina Gordon
Driver Averages: Xfinity Statistics – Tina Gordon
FRCS: Tina Gordon NASCAR Stats
Driver Averages: Tina Gordon – 2003 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Race Database: Tina Gordon Career Statistics
Alabama Company Directory: Tina’s Dream Ranch, Inc.
Stock Car Racing Wiki: Tina Gordon
Cars and Racing Stuff: Stock Car Racing Magazine
Race Database: 2004 Tina Gordon NASCAR Busch Series Results
All American Speakers: Tina Gordon Biography
Sports Business Journal: Let The Good Times Roll – Lingerie Co. Sponsors NASCAR Truck
Toledo Blade: Truck Driver Sells Lingerie