1997 NASCAR Winston Cup & Winston Million Championship Ring - Crew Member, Jeff Gordon
In 1997, Jeff Gordon and his famed crew, the Rainbow Warriors didn't just win the NASCAR Winston Cup Championship, they pulled off one of the rarest achievements in the sport's history, claiming the Winston Million bonus by winning three of NASCAR's crown jewel races in a single season. This is a genuine crew-issued ring from that championship, crafted in 10k gold with CZ stones and awarded to one of the Rainbow Warriors — the most celebrated pit crew in NASCAR history — who made it all possible.
The Winston Million — NASCAR's rarest bonus
The Winston Million was a $1,000,000 bonus awarded to any driver who won three of NASCAR's four crown jewel races in the same season — the Daytona 500, the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, the Mountain Dew Southern 500 at Darlington, and the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis. In 1997 Gordon won the Daytona 500, the Coca-Cola 600, and the Southern 500 at Darlington to claim the bonus — raising a seven-figure check over his head at one of the sport's most storied tracks. It remains one of the most dominant single-season performances in NASCAR history. As Ray Evernham himself put it: "That Winston Million is one of the things that sticks out — it's one of the things that justified our place in history."
The 1997 season opened with Gordon winning back-to-back races — the Daytona 500 and the Goodwrench 400 at Rockingham the following week — and never let up. Ten wins across the season. Three crown jewel victories. A $1,000,000 bonus check. A Winston Cup championship. And through it all, the Rainbow Warriors were the weapon that separated the No. 24 team from every other outfit in the garage. Their pit road execution, described by Gordon himself as "the edge over the competition," turned close races into comfortable ones and impossible situations into victories.
Crafted in 10k gold with CZ stones, this ring was awarded to one of the crew members who executed the pit stops, called the strategy, and built the car that won NASCAR's most coveted double — the Winston Cup championship and the Winston Million — in the same season. An extraordinary piece of NASCAR history that will not surface often.
| Year | 1997 |
| Championship | NASCAR Winston Cup Series & Winston Million |
| Winning driver | Jeff Gordon, No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet |
| Team | Hendrick Motorsports |
| Crew chief | Ray Evernham (NASCAR Hall of Fame) |
| Crew nickname | The Rainbow Warriors |
| Material | 10k Gold with CZ stones |
| Type | Crew-issued |
| Season wins | 10 wins in 32 starts |
1997 Winston Cup & Winston Million — Quick Facts
- Gordon became the youngest three-time Winston Cup champion in history at 27 — only the seventh driver ever to win three titles, achieving in four seasons what most drivers spend entire careers pursuing
- The Winston Million — won by claiming the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, and Southern 500 in the same year — is one of NASCAR's rarest achievements; Gordon is one of only two drivers ever to claim the bonus in the sport's history
- Gordon opened the season winning back-to-back — the Daytona 500 and the Goodwrench 400 at Rockingham the following week — setting the tone for a wire-to-wire dominant campaign
- Ray Evernham's Rainbow Warriors were the decisive competitive advantage all season — their pit road speed, strategy, and execution under pressure regularly turned close races into victories and gave Gordon track position his competitors could not match
- The 1997 title was the second of three championships Gordon and Evernham won together (1995, 1997, 1998) — a partnership that produced 47 wins in 216 starts and stands as one of the greatest driver-crew chief collaborations in motorsport history
- Gordon and Evernham are both NASCAR Hall of Famers — making this a crew ring tied to two enshrined legends and the most decorated team of NASCAR's modern era
- The 1997 championship was the second for Hendrick Motorsports — the organization that has since gone on to win 14 Cup Series championships, more than any other team in the sport's history