Driving the No. 9 Chevrolet ZL1, Chase Elliott has secured 19 wins and amassed 171 top-10 finishes out of 322 starts over a decade. He has primarily piloted the #9 car across most series except during his early years in the sport. When he began his journey with Hendrick Motorsports, the prospect of one day taking the wheel of Jeff Gordon’s iconic #24 car had come up. As lucrative as it was, Chase never let the idea consume him.
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During a 2013 conversation with NASCAR Illustrated, Elliott discussed the notion of him stepping into Gordon’s shoes. This was the time when Jeff’s career was winding down and Elliott’s was gaining momentum.
Elliott expressed that while inheriting the #24 would be great, it wasn’t his main concern. His focus at the time remained squarely on clinching more race victories, not on the number painted on his car.
“I don’t think that’d be a bad thing for sure. But no it’s nothing that I spent a whole lot of time thinking about. I’d be lying to you if I said I haven’t thought about it.
“Who wouldn’t want to drive that car when they get older? So, but in the same sense, for me, I’m just kind of taking a race at a time,” Elliott had said.
“I feel like if we can get some wins and get some results and just have a good number of years and if I can just do my job behind the wheel, I think a lot of things will figure themselves out.
“And if one day that’s where I end up that’d be great. But you know I’m not going to think about it and just work on what we have going on now,” he added.
Elliott was glad that despite his preference for seasoned, battle-tested drivers, Rick Hendrick took a gamble on him, and gave him a driver development deal. Hendrick typically shied away from green talent, considering the nurturing process a risk to the team’s immediate performance. His conviction was that leading a top-tier NASCAR team required immediate success and steadfast consistency.
At the time of the interview, the #9 HMS pilot had already made a definitive mark in the NASCAR K&N East Series, seizing his first win at Iowa Speedway on May 19, 2012. He had also clinched a Truck Series victory at the 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 250; and crossed the finish line in ninth place at a Daytona ARCA Racing Series event.
Did Elliott ever take the wheel of Gordon’s famed car?
Elliott began his stint in the NASCAR Cup Series as a part-time driver in 2015, driving the #25 car. His transition to a full-time role in 2016 saw him inherit the #24 car from Gordon, who had hung up his helmet as a full-time driver at the end of the 2015 season.
During his tenure in the #24 Chevy, Elliott secured P10 and P5 finishes in the championship standings, with the help of 10 top-5 and 12 top-5 results in the two consecutive seasons (2016 and ’17). A trip to victory lane, however, eluded him. That came in 2018, after he switched to the No. 9 car.
Today, William Byron upholds the #24 car’s legacy, steering it into the future.
