BACK TO GALLERIES
A history of the No. 24 in NASCAR
By Pat DeCola | Published: April 3, 2020 23
Getty Images
1 of 23
Getty Images
Dick Clothier was the first driver to get behind the wheel of the No. 24, piloting a Pontiac to a 36th-place finish at Daytona in 1950.
2 of 23
Getty Images
Richard Petty, believe it or not, made one start in the No. 24. He placed 13th in an Oldsmobile at Fayetteville in 1959.
3 of 23
Getty Images
Only one pole was achieved by a driver of the No. 24 before Jeff Gordon, and that was NASCAR Hall of Famer Glen Wood at Martinsville -- in a Ford -- in 1960.
4 of 23
Getty Images
In 1966, a trio of NASCAR's biggest names of the era -- including a pair of Hall of Famers -- get behind the wheel of the No. 24 in Bobby Allison, Curtis Turner and Tiny Lund.
5 of 23
Getty Images
Gordon finally got behind the wheel in 1970 ... Cecil, that is. Gordon -- no relation to Jeff -- was the only driver before Jeff to start more than 20 races in the car. He placed a career-best third in points in 1971.
6 of 23
Getty Images
Gordon finished third in points once more in 1973 and never again finished higher than sixth.
7 of 23
Getty Images
In 1991, NASCAR veteran Kenny Wallace made three starts in the No. 24, in a Pontiac.
8 of 23
Getty Images
The driver most notably associated with the No. 24 -- Jeff Gordon -- made his debut in 1992 at Atlanta.
9 of 23
Getty Images
Gordon won his first of four NASCAR Cup Series titles in the No. 24 in 1995.
10 of 23
Getty Images
In 1996, Gordon picked up his first double-digit win season, with 10 victories and a runner-up finish in the standings.
11 of 23
Getty Images
Gordon won his first “Great American Race" in 1997, taking home a victory in the prestigious Daytona 500.
12 of 23
Getty Images
Gordon captured his second title in 1997, matching his previous season's total of 10 wins.
13 of 23
Getty Images
A year after the second, Gordon went back-to-back in the No. 24 to land his third career title in 1998 with a career-high 13 wins.
14 of 23
Getty Images
Gordon picked up his second Daytona 500 win in 1999.
15 of 23
Getty Images
The fourth and final title of Gordon's illustrious career in the No. 24 came in 2001.
16 of 23
Getty Images
Gordon landed his final Daytona 500 win in 2005, the third of his career.
17 of 23
Getty Images
Hendrick Motorsports announced in early 2015 that the upcoming season would be Gordon's last behind the wheel of the No. 24, and he would be replaced by Chase Elliott.
18 of 23
Getty Images
Following the retirement announcement, Gordon came to Daytona and won the pole for his final start in the “Great American Race" in 2015.
19 of 23
Getty Images
Gordon nearly went out with a bang, winning at Martinsville in late 2015 to propel him to the Championship race at Homestead, where he placed sixth, and third of the four title drivers.
20 of 23
Getty Images
Chase Elliott made a statement in his debut in the iconic number, landing the Coors Light Pole for his first Daytona 500 in the No. 24.
21 of 23
Getty Images
Backing up his previous year's lap, Elliott once again won the pole for the Daytona 500 in 2017.
22 of 23
Getty Images
In August 2017, Hendrick Motorsports announced that Elliott would be switching to the No. 9 and newcomer William Byron would take the helm of the No. 24.
23 of 23
Jonathan Ferrey | Getty Images
In typical Hendrick Motorsports fashion, Byron landed his first career pole in 2019, leading the Daytona 500 field to green.