A history of the No. 24 in NASCAR

By Pat DeCola | Published: 3 Apr, 2020 23

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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.

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Richard Petty, believe it or not, made one start in the No. 24. He placed 13th in an Oldsmobile at Fayetteville in 1959.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Gordon finished third in points once more in 1973 and never again finished higher than sixth.

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In 1991, NASCAR veteran Kenny Wallace made three starts in the No. 24, in a Pontiac.

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The driver most notably associated with the No. 24 -- Jeff Gordon -- made his debut in 1992 at Atlanta.

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Gordon won his first of four NASCAR Cup Series titles in the No. 24 in 1995.

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In 1996, Gordon picked up his first double-digit win season, with 10 victories and a runner-up finish in the standings.

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Gordon won his first “Great American Race" in 1997, taking home a victory in the prestigious Daytona 500.

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Gordon captured his second title in 1997, matching his previous season's total of 10 wins.

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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.

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Gordon picked up his second Daytona 500 win in 1999.

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The fourth and final title of Gordon's illustrious career in the No. 24 came in 2001.

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Gordon landed his final Daytona 500 win in 2005, the third of his career.

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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.

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Following the retirement announcement, Gordon came to Daytona and won the pole for his final start in the “Great American Race" in 2015.

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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.

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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.

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Backing up his previous year's lap, Elliott once again won the pole for the Daytona 500 in 2017.

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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.

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In typical Hendrick Motorsports fashion, Byron landed his first career pole in 2019, leading the Daytona 500 field to green.

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A history of the No. 24 in NASCAR