Jeff Gordon is from Indiana.
From the official Jeff Gordon website:
http://www.jeffgordon.com/gordon/jg_history1.php
After converting a fairground in their Vallejo, California hometown into a makeshift racetrack, Jeff and John spent their free time running laps until the motor was too hot to run. It was not long after Jeff climbed behind the wheel of his racecar that he wanted to prove his skills in actual races.