Jeff Gordon and His Ex Hid Their Romance Because of NASCAR's Unwritten Dating Rule Before a $15.3M Divorce – Inside Their Love Story and Photos

The couple's relationship began as his NASCAR career was taking off. But keeping their early romance quiet was only the first complicated chapter in their story, which is captured in photos waiting for you at the end of this article.

Jeff Gordon was emerging as one of NASCAR's brightest young competitors when he met Brooke Sealey in February 1993. She was working as a Miss Winston model, a role that included greeting drivers in Victory Lane.

As for Gordon, he was beginning his first full season in the Winston Cup Series behind the wheel of Hendrick Motorsports' No. 24 car.

Their paths crossed during a significant moment in his young career. He won the first of two qualifying races for the 1993 Daytona 500, a performance that helped put him in the spotlight and brought him into contact with Sealey after the race.

Gordon approached the model at Daytona and asked her to lunch, though she recalled that the confident young race car driver she had watched compete seemed considerably less assured when it came to asking her out.

While the couple quietly navigated their relationship, Gordon's career continued gathering momentum.

Despite their nervous start, the pair began dating soon afterward. But there was a complication that meant their new relationship could not simply play out openly around the NASCAR circuit.

An unwritten rule discouraged drivers from becoming romantically involved with Miss Winston Cup models, so Gordon and Sealey concealed their relationship while she still held the position.

Keeping the romance private sometimes required elaborate precautions. The model reportedly slipped through restaurant kitchens and used back exits to avoid being spotted.

On another occasion, she even changed flights to prevent another NASCAR driver and his team from discovering that she and Gordon were together.

While the couple quietly navigated their relationship, Gordon's career continued gathering momentum. He was named the 1993 Winston Cup Series Rookie of the Year, further establishing himself as a rising force in the sport.

Sealey filed for divorce after roughly eight years of marriage, beginning a contentious and highly public process that stretched for approximately 16 months.

Once Sealey's time as Miss Winston ended, they no longer needed to keep their romance hidden. The couple eventually made their relationship public at a NASCAR awards banquet, bringing an end to the secrecy that had characterized their early time together.

Gordon then moved quickly toward the next stage of their relationship. Roughly a year after they met, and shortly after Sealey had finished her Miss Winston tenure, he proposed during the Daytona 500 weekend in February 1994.

Although he was accustomed to the pressures of racing, the NASCAR driver later described how nervous he had been as he prepared to ask the question.

Gordon and Sealey later married in 1994, beginning a marriage that lasted about eight years. During that period, his career developed far beyond the promise he had shown when they first crossed paths at Daytona.

The race car driver had become one of NASCAR's biggest names. But by this time, the couple's relationship was approaching its end.

Sealey filed for divorce after roughly eight years of marriage, beginning a contentious and highly public process that stretched for approximately 16 months.

The attorney for the father of Sealey's child objected to the decision on the grounds that Gordon was neither the child's father nor a biological relative.

The financial dispute included substantial demands. The former Miss Winston model sought alimony, two cars, an airplane, and periodic access to the couple's boats.

Multiple legal battles followed before the former couple ultimately reached a settlement reportedly worth $15.3 million, an amount that has been described as one of the costliest divorce settlements in sports.

Their divorce was finalized in 2002, closing the marriage but not eliminating the Gordon name from Sealey's life. She retained her former husband's surname after their split, a decision that later became part of an unrelated legal dispute.

Seven years after the divorce, the model had a son with James Dixon II in 2009. Then, in an unexpected turn of events, she gave the child the Gordon surname, and that choice subsequently became an issue during a custody dispute between her and Dixon.

The attorney for the father of Sealey's child objected to the decision on the grounds that Gordon was neither the child's father nor a biological relative.

The attorney acknowledged that the model was entitled to retain her former husband's surname herself but argued that giving it to the child was inappropriate, particularly because Sealey had planned to have the child with Dixon rather than Gordon.

By then, years had passed since the romance that Gordon and Sealey once went to considerable lengths to conceal around the NASCAR circuit.

Ultimately, what began with a nervous invitation to lunch in Daytona developed into a secret relationship and an eight-year marriage before ending in a lengthy divorce and a multimillion-dollar settlement. Photos from Gordon and Sealey's years together can be found below.

Jeff Gordon and Brooke Sealey