Though the No. 24 has belonged to Rick Hendrick from the time Gordon entered NASCAR’s top series in 1992, the 65-year-old team owner said he gave the four-time champion the option to shelve the number after his departure if he wished.
"That was up to Jeff," Hendrick said Thursday during the anchor leg of the Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour presented by Technocom. "To honor him, I would ask NASCAR to let it sit for a year or so, but Jeff felt like our fans — and his fans — would be excited about the fact that Chase was a young kid coming along and take the seat of the 24. So the more we thought about it, the 24 has been such a part of our DNA at Hendrick Motorsports, we needed to carry it on for the fans, for Jeff’s fans and our fans, and so that was the decision. I left it up to Jeff."
Unlike how team sports honor legendary players with retiring jersey numbers, NASCAR does not retire car numbers, which are assigned to team owners by request. The only exception, according to popular lore, is the retirement of the No. 61 belonging to NASCAR Hall of Famer Richie Evans on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.
Team owner Richard Childress kept the No. 3 after the 2001 death of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt, withdrawing it from Cup competition until it returned last season on Chevrolets driven by his grandson, Austin Dillon. Richard Petty’s team also mothballed its famed No. 43 for the first season (1993) after the retirement of NASCAR’s all-time winner.
While a temporary hiatus for the No. 24 was discussed after Gordon’s plans became clearer, the four-time series champion said he felt the number was in good hands with Elliott.
"Rick threw out that idea. We talked about it, but I don’t know. I like seeing the 24 out there," Gordon said. "If it were any other driver, I don’t know, but it being Chase and it being him as a rookie coming in, sort of the changing of the guard, and his talent, the way he handles himself, I’m nothing but proud to see somebody else take that 24 into the future and I think our fans are going to feel the same way at that time."
MORE: Gordon calls Elliott the ‘total package’ | See how the No. 24 torch was passed
The No. 24 has been used by 63 drivers in NASCAR’s premier series, but all the victories (92) with the car number belong to one driver — Jeff Gordon. While Elliott expressed during Thursday’s media sessions that he intended to be himself as he entered the next phase of his career, the mantle of carrying such an enduring number with him clearly resonated.
"That’s an honor," Elliott said. "The 24 car is an iconic number in this sport. It’s a number that I feel like anybody who’s ever watched NASCAR is familiar with, and obviously they relate that to Jeff Gordon. Jeff, I think that’s one thing that he wanted, to keep the car the same and I think not just for Jeff personally, but I think for the team and Hendrick Motorsports as a whole.
"That number 24 is a special piece to Hendrick Motorsports. It’s been around a long time, and I think that’s why they wanted to keep it the same."
Elliott won the championship in what is now the NASCAR XFINITY Series last season as a rookie, fielding the same car number for JR Motorsports — co-owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr. — that his father drove to all but six of his 44 premier series wins. Bill Elliott, who was inducted Friday night into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, won six times driving the No. 11 for car owner Junior Johnson, and drove the No. 9 to victory for two different team owners — Harry Melling early in his career, and Ray Evernham late.
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Evernham — who joined Hendrick Motorsports as a competition consultant last season — has strong ties to both numbers, having served as the No. 24 team’s crew chief during its championship dynasty years of the 1990s.
"I know certainly his number’s been 9 and his dad’s number was 9," Evernham said of the younger Elliott, "but when you look at what’s happening here between the Elliott family, the Earnhardt family and the Hendrick family all joining up, I think everybody’s pretty OK with him having the 24, especially Jeff.
"Jeff made a comment (Thursday) morning about how good it makes him feel to be handing his team off to this young talent. Jeff cares an awful lot about the guys on that team, so to be giving them a future champion makes them feel good."
The No. 24 Chevrolet may look familiar in 2016, save for the obvious name change above the driver’s door. While the 19-year-old phenom is the next-in-line heir to a car number and a team so closely associated with a living legend, Elliott was insistent that he’s not trying to be the next Gordon.
"You’re not ever going to replace Jeff Gordon, and I think that’s my main point to get across," Elliott said. "That’s not the case at all. You know people say, ‘Well, that’s big shoes to fill,’ and I don’t look at it as a situation where I’m trying to fill his shoes. I’m trying to be myself and be the best racer I can be and that’s all you can ask for. Just trying to grow as a racer and do a better job personally. I look at it as a phenomenal opportunity. It’s a dream that I’ve wanted to do for a long, long time and just trying to make the most of it."
