Jeff Gordon was friends with many in the NASCAR Cup Series back when he was a driver. But none were as close to him as the No. 24 Chevrolet. Together, they secured four championships and 93 race wins over 25 years.
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This bond is why he put a special emphasis on who inherited the car when he retired in 2016. The person who ended up getting into his seat was none other than Chase Elliott.
A green youngster at the time, Elliott was just getting into the folds of the Cup Series after a two-year run in the Xfinity Series. He had the option to drive the No. 24 or go with the No.9, which his father Bill drove, thanks to his undebatable caliber and his surname. He ended up choosing the former. He explained the reason for the same in a 2016 interview with USA Today.
He said, “Jeff wanted the 24 car to stay at Hendrick Motorsports. He felt like Hendrick Motorsports just would not be the same if that number was gone, and for a guy who has been around and has done everything he’s done to make that place what it is, how can you not have respect for that?” And so, Elliott ended up driving the No. 24 car full-time for two years in 2016 and 2017.
In the first season, he finished tenth in the driver standings. Elliott improved much in the second season and finished fifth. Notably, his first victory lane visit would come only after he transitioned to the No. 9 car in 2018.
The 2020 Cup Series champion was a worthy successor to the legendary ride of Gordon in what little time he spent in it. Now, it is William Byron who carries the vehicle’s legacy forward.
Why Elliott transitioned to the No. 9 in 2018
The No. 9 is a special car for the Elliott family. Bill won 38 races and the 1988 Cup Series title in it. It is rather self-explanatory why Chase would want to take the car up. But after driving the No. 24 for a couple of years it wasn’t an easy transition to make. So, Rick Hendrick hit him with a proposition.
He would let him drive the No. 9 under the condition that he wins a bunch of races in his first season in the car. If he didn’t, he would be back in the No. 24. Elliott agreed and ended up reaching victory lane thrice in 2018. “I wasn’t sure I’d ever drive the 9 again,” he said in a team release.
“It’s a huge deal to my family and everyone back home (in Georgia), and I hope all of our fans will be pumped to see it back on the racetrack. There’s a legacy attached to that number, and I want to carry it on.” He hasn’t looked back since. 19 wins crown his stint in the car.
