The young lad had Indianapolis dreams and a lot of talent . By 1991, Jeff Gordon was dominating on dirt and asphalt, and Ford Motor Company had him under a development contract.

The question is? Where do we put him. There aren't many good open seats in IndyCar. Ford racing in 1990s limited their technology to a few teams. They stressed quality over quantity. They didn't nor want the entire field in Ford-Cosworths or 25-30 NASCAR Thunderbirds in the field.

Jeff Gordon, even with a lot of talent, couldn't get in the door.

Ford was pointing him toward NASCAR, and he did compete in the 1992 NASCAR Busch (now Nationwide) Series, but again, it was the same deal. None of the frontline Ford teams where willing to take a chance onthe rookie, even one with Gordon's talent.

One of NASCAR maverick owners put an offer onthe table. Rick Hendrick wanted to sign the kid to drive for an expanded team in 1993. Ford officials were scared. They'd lose a special talent to their biggest rival, Chevrolet.

In OTL Stewart made it public that he was looking at Gordon around 1991 to consider having his son's team campaign him in British Formula Three. Gordon turned him down. He wanted to stay in the states.

ITTL, Jackie Stewart made the offer and Gordon jumped on it. Driving for Paul Stewart Racing, he was a solid 4th place in the standings in the British Formula Three Series in 1993. In 1994, he moved up to F3000 and was 3rd in in the standings with