William Byron and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team know how to do it right for NASCAR’s throwback weekend. Next week, during the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway, Byron will carry a special paint scheme honoring Jeff Gordon.
Byron will carry the iconic Axalta flames on his No. 24 Chevrolet, but instead of the patented blue base coat, the No. 24 Chevrolet will be silver at Darlington.
This is of course a throwback to Jeff Gordon’s 2015 Axalta paint scheme, which he drove in the season-finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
The race, which was supposed to be Gordon’s final race of his illustrious NASCAR Cup Series career, saw Gordon pilot a special “Jeff’s Last Ride” silver paint scheme.
Gordon, a four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, started fifth, led nine laps, and finished sixth in that 2015 event at Homestead. Byron will attempt to better that result in the 10th anniversary season of that race.
Of course the 2015 Homestead race ended up not serving as the final start of Gordon’s NASCAR Cup Series career as the legendary driver returned for eight races in 2016 as he filled in for Dale Earnhardt Jr., who was sidelined due to a concussion.
Ironically, Gordon’s final race, which came at Martinsville Speedway in 2016, was also a sixth-place result.
Byron won the season-opening Daytona 500, and after a solid start to the 2025 season the driver finds himself atop the NASCAR Cup Series championship standings after the opening six races.