Jeff Gordon's 'Last Ride' Takes the Track Again at Darlington

Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the end of a legendary career, Hendrick Motorsports and William Byron are once again paying tribute to Jeff Gordon during this year's Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway, NASCAR's Throwback Weekend.

Byron's No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet will sport the design Gordon drove in the final race of his last full-time Cup Series campaign in 2015. Gordon piloted the silver car sporting the iconic yellow and red flames at Homestead-Miami Speedway while competing for the 2015 NASCAR Cup Series championship.

Gordon was part of the Championship Four after a memorable victory at Martinsville Speedway to open the Round of 8. The Martinsville win was Gordon's 93rd career NASCAR Cup Series trophy, concluding a remarkable career that saw him win four series championships.

Gordon 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.

As fate would have it, that race did not prove to be the last of Gordon's career. He returned for eight races in 2016 as he filled in for Dale Earnhardt Jr., who was sidelined due to a concussion.

Naturally, as the current driver of the No. 24 made famous by Gordon, Byron has frequently paid homage to the NASCAR Hall of Famer. Byron won the 2023 Goodyear 400 at Darlington in a gold throwback to Gordon's special 1998 scheme honoring NASCAR's 50th anniversary.

Since joining the NASCAR Cup Series in 2018, Byron has won 14 events in the premier series. Byron has four top-fives and six top-10s in 13 starts at Darlington entering next weekend's Goodyear 400.

Byron currently leads the Cup Series points standings, after opening the season with a second consecutive win in the Daytona 500.

The Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway is scheduled for Sunday, April 6, at 3:00 p.m. ET. Live coverage will air on FOX Sports 1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

-Photo credit: Hendrick Motorsports