All About Jeff Gordon's Daughter Ella and Son Leo

The former race car driver is dad to two kids: Ella and Leo

Jeff Gordon may be fearless on the race track, but when it comes to parenthood, he’s a protective father to daughter Ella and son Leo.

The NASCAR legend got his start racing early in life and even competed in his first sprint car event when he was just 13 years old. Still, Gordon understood the risks and always wanted to keep his children safe.

“I would never, ever put my kids in a sprint car at age 13,” he told ESPN sportscaster Joe Buck during an appearance on Undeniable with Joe Buck in November 2023.

After getting married in 2006, Gordon and his wife, model Ingrid Vandebosch, started a family of their own. The couple welcomed their first child, Ella Sofia, 17, in 2007. In 2010, they became a family of four with the birth of their son, Leo Benjamin, 14.

Gordon always had a competitive spirit, but becoming a father gave him an even stronger drive.

“What changed the game for me was having kids,” he told Buck. “My whole purpose to go compete and do well was to make them proud.”

Here’s everything to know about Jeff Gordon’s two kids, Ella and Leo.

Ella Sofia Gordon, 17

Gordon and Vandebosch tied the knot in November 2006. The following month, the couple announced that they were expecting their first child together.

“I met Ingrid and I fell in love with her a long time ago,” he said in an interview with the Associated Press that December. “We got engaged and wanted to start a family right then and there. We planned the wedding, and five days before we were heading to Mexico for the ceremony, she found out.”

“It was a wonderful surprise and a wonderful way to start our marriage off,” he continued. “I can’t wait to be a father, and I expect it to be one of the most difficult jobs that I will ever have.”

The following summer, the couple welcomed a baby girl, Ella Sophia Gordon, on June 20, 2007, in New York.

“It’s been an absolutely incredible experience,” Gordon said in a statement on his website. “Ingrid came through amazingly and we’re both really happy and overjoyed. "We can’t wait to get home and start our lives together as a family.”

As a race car driver, Gordon was used to a fast-paced lifestyle, but being a new father came with a whole new set of challenges.

“You think you are busy until you have a child,” he said in an interview with WebMD in 2008. “It turns out that my life was not busy until Ella came along.” He went on to joke about how much fatherhood changes travel plans, saying, “We have to carry a lot more baggage.”

Continuing, he explained the perks of having kids after turning 35. “I’m so glad I waited until I was older,” he said. “I appreciate it so much more than I would have at the beginning of my career.”

For her 3rd birthday, the NASCAR legend honored his daughter in a unique way: by naming a wine after her.

“This wine is dedicated to my daughter, born in 2007 — the only vintage of the Jeff Gordon Collection that will carry her name as it commemorates the happiness she has brought to Ingrid and me,” he said in a statement announcing the Ella Sofia Carneros Chardonnay in 2010.

When Ella was 6, Gordon introduced her to the world of racing. “Ella driving a quarter midget for the first time yesterday,” he captioned an Instagram post in April 2014. “The smile says it all.”

Although she continued to enjoy the occasional go-karting experience, she wasn’t interested in following in her dad’s footsteps. She did, however, inherit his competitive spirit.

“[Racing] didn’t seem to stick,” Gordon shared on The Charlotte Observer podcast in November 2023. Instead, her interest in speed came in another form: running.

"My daughter is the athlete in the family,” he said. “She’s the speed demon. She runs track.” He went on to call her “a tremendous athlete” in track and field.

Her athletic abilities aren’t just limited to running, though. “She [also] plays field hockey. She can play about anything, honestly. She can high jump, pole vault,” he said proudly.

Leo Benjamin Gordon, 14

Three years after their daughter was born, Gordon and Vandebosch welcomed a son. Leo Benjamin Gordon was born on Aug. 9, 2010, in New York.

“He’s happy and healthy, and Mom is doing great,” Gordon said in an announcement on his website at the time.

Like his sister, he also got a wine named in his honor from his dad’s label: the 2010 Leo Pinot Noir. In a June 2012 interview with Gourmet Live, Gordon shared that the best part of having his own wine label was being able to offer this unique dedication to his children.

Although both of his kids were born in New York, they were raised in Charlotte, N.C. Growing up with a NASCAR legend as a father, they were both introduced to racing at a young age.

Leo learned to race in a quarter midget early on, at the age of 7. In 2017, Gordon shared a video of his son driving laps for the first time on his website. “He had a lot of fun!” he wrote.

Similar to Ella, though, Leo wasn’t keen to follow in his dad’s professional footsteps.

“They just have other interests and that’s fine,” Gordon said on The Charlotte Observer podcast. “I want to support them and whatever they’re passionate about.”

Gordon shared that his son was more interested in the entertainment industry. “I think he might want to be a YouTube star one day, you know, an influencer,” he said with a laugh.

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