Max Gordon (racing driver)

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For other people with the same name, see Max Gordon (disambiguation).
Max Gordon
NationalityAmerican
Born (2008-06-10) June 10, 2008 (age 15)[1]
Orange, California
Related toRobby Gordon (father)
Stadium Super Trucks career
Debut season2020
Car number77
Starts24
Wins2
Podiums6
Poles1
Best finish2nd in 2022
Finished last season2nd (2022)
Last updated on: August 10, 2023.

Max Gordon (born June 10, 2008) is an American professional racing driver who primarily competes in off-road racing such as the Stadium Super Trucks, Best in the Desert, and SCORE International.

Nicknamed "Mad Max", he is the son of driver and SST founder Robby Gordon.[2]

Racing career[edit]

Due to his father's own career, Gordon was exposed to racing at a very young age as Robby attached a child safety seat to his off-road buggies when he was two years old. While growing up in the family-run Robby Gordon Motorsports, he helped by gluing lug nuts onto the team's NASCAR Cup Series cars.[3]

Gordon began driving as early as the age of three, piloting a Polaris RZR around the RGM complex.[4] His first racing experience came in karts when he was six in September 2014.[5]

Off-road racing[edit]

Gordon raced in the Baja 1000 for the first time in 2017, though as an unregistered driver due to SCORE International requiring all competitors to be 18 years old; at the age of nine, he was the youngest person to compete in the event. Sharing the No. 2933 UTV Pro Forced Induction entry with Robby, Sheldon Creed, and Todd Romano, Gordon drove the final 325 miles to become the race's youngest de facto finisher, though his ineligibility meant the car was officially classified as a retirement.[6][7] For the 2018 race, he was the navigator of the No. 77 trophy truck driven by Robby and Cole Potts, finishing 52nd overall and 18th in the class.[8][9]

In the 2020 Mint 400, Gordon won the UTV Pro Normally Aspirated class but was disqualified for an illegal driver change when Robby replaced him while he was feeling sick.[10]

Stadium Super Trucks[edit]

When Robby founded the Stadium Super Trucks, Max worked as the series' test driver. He made his competitive SST debut in 2020 at Road America, driving the No. 77 with Speed Energy, Speed RC Cars, and Menards as sponsors.[11]

Gordon was one of four drivers to run the full 2021 season.[12] He finished fifth or seventh in all but one race, with the exception being a fourth in the second Music City Grand Prix event.[13] Ahead of the season-ending Grand Prix of Long Beach, he acquired sponsorship from Baja Jerky; he had spent much of the year with Continental Tire and Speed RC Cars as his supporters.[14][15]

The 2022 season began at Long Beach, where Gordon scored his maiden SST win in the first round after holding off Robby for the victory.[16] In the second and final race, he capitalized on multiple drivers' mistakes to finish third while Robby won to complete a Gordon family sweep of the weekend.[3] Gordon won a second time at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course when he made an aggressive overtake on the final lap to pass Gavin Harlien and Robert Stout for the lead.[17]

Open-wheel racing[edit]

Gordon has aspirations of competing in Formula One or IndyCar.[3] In January 2022, he began open-wheel racing by competing in the Lucas Oil School of Racing Winter Series at Homestead–Miami Speedway. He finished second in his maiden race.[18]

Motorsports career results[edit]

Stadium Super Trucks[edit]

(key) (Bold – Pole position. Italics – Fastest qualifier. * – Most laps led.)

Stadium Super Trucks results
Year 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 SSTC Pts Ref
2020 ADE ADE ADE ROA
9 		ROA
5 		N/A1 – [19]
2021 STP
5 		STP
7 		MOH
7 		MOH
5 		MOH
7 		MOH
5 		NSH
5 		NSH
4 		LBH
5 		LBH
5 		4th 172 [12]
2022 LBH
1 		LBH
3 		MOH
7 		MOH
1 		NSH
3 		NSH
7 		BRI
6 		BRI
2 		2nd 191 [20]
2023 LBH
4 		LBH
5 		NSH
3 		NSH
4 		5th 87

* Season in progress.
1 Standings were not recorded by the series for the 2020 season.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Gordon, Robby [@robbygordon] (June 10, 2021). "Looks like I have to play navigation today 🤦‍♂️ he turns 13 today so Happy B Bay @madmaxgordon". Retrieved April 20, 2022 – via Instagram.
  2. ^ Richardson, Brandon (April 9, 2022). "PHOTOS: 13-year-old 'Mad' Max Gordon wins Stadium Super Truck race". Long Beach Post. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Dottore, Damian (April 10, 2022). "Max Gordon following, closely, in father's racing footsteps". Press-Telegram. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  4. ^ "Max Gordon at Speed Factory Compound". Robby Gordon Off-Road. May 23, 2012. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
  5. ^ "Highlights from the Robby Gordon Stadium Super Trucks Race in Costa Mesa 2014". Robby Gordon Off-Road. September 22, 2014. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
  6. ^ Ingalsbee, Mike (November 30, 2017). "50th Anniversary Baja 1000 Lives Up To The Legend". Off Road Xtreme. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  7. ^ "SCORE's youngest gun gets it done!". SpeedFreaks. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  8. ^ "51st Baja 1000 – Post Draw Start Order" (PDF). SCORE International. November 9, 2018. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  9. ^ "51st SCORE Baja 1000 – Overall Finish Results" (PDF). SCORE International. December 1, 2018. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  10. ^ "Robby Gordon's comment about being DQ'd from Mint 400". UTV Action. March 14, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  11. ^ Nguyen, Justin (August 5, 2020). "Max Gordon making SST debut at Road America". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  12. ^ a b "2021 Overall Point Standings". Stadium Super Trucks. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  13. ^ Nguyen, Justin (September 25, 2021). "Baja Jerky joins Max Gordon for Long Beach, supporting Christian Sourapas in SST debut". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  14. ^ "Baja Jerky joins SST at Long Beach". Stadium Super Trucks. September 24, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  15. ^ "2021 Nashville Entry List". Stadium Super Trucks. August 2, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  16. ^ Henderson, Martin (April 9, 2022). "Local product Colton Herta wins pole position for Grand Prix of Long Beach". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  17. ^ Nguyen, Justin (July 3, 2022). "Max Gordon steals SST Mid-Ohio Race 2 victory". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  18. ^ Gordon, Max (January 17, 2022). P2. Day 1. Racing for Cancer. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  19. ^ "2020 Race Results". Stadium Super Trucks. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  20. ^ "2022 Overall Point Standings". Stadium Super Trucks. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
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