“Chase [Elliott] Should Have Never Drove It” – NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver Snubbed by Fans as Jeff Gordon’s Protege Reaches a New Win Milestone

Filling in the shoes of the predecessors is anything but easy. Perhaps the lines from Shakespeare’s play King Henry the Fourth, Part Two, “Uneasy is the head that wears the crown” surmises the arduousness of the responsibilities. The burden of standing tall without being overshadowed by the achievements of the past is surely a mammoth task. And William Byron has surely tasted that bitter taste of responsibility. But he achieved it gloriously, and the crown doesn’t seem uneasy anymore.

William Byron brings in accolades after achieving a remarkable feat

It seems that hard days are over for Hendrick Motorsports. After witnessing a few major accidents involving its driver, things are finally looking up for the team. The Goodyear 400 bore witness to that. And it seems that William Byron is leading the team.

William Byron had the perfect redemption at Darlington Speedway last Sunday after he had a fateful race on the same track last year. Although he was leading the laps at Darlington in 2022, Joey Logano’s thirst to win and aggressiveness took the better of him as he shoved the No.24 to the outside wall. As a result, Byron fell to the back of the grid.

Fighting tooth-and-nail, the No.24 took the checkered on the tracks of “Too Tough To Tame.” But the enjoyment doesn’t end here for the 25-year-old. He touched a milestone that shall go down in the pages of the history of NASCAR. Car No. 24 occupies a pivotal position, as it was the same number that the Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon drove.

Although it was Chase Elliott who had earlier inherited the same number, before taking up No.9 as his car number, it was William Byron, the protégé of Jeff Gordon who did justice to the number, as he propelled the number for its 100th win. The win at Darlington marks a total of 100 wins for No.24. In addition, William Byron’s win on Sunday marked his third win of the season. He is the first driver who has done so. 

This was announced by Hendrick Motorsports on its Instagram page, with the words, “Welcome to the 100 Club, No. 24.”

Even the 4-time Cup Series champion commented, “What a milestone. Glad to have played a part!”

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Fans show their discontent over Chase Elliott on driving #24

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Although the fans seem to rejoice in the extraordinary feat of the drivers. It seems that a majority of them are glad it was William Byron who drove the same car number and not Chase Elliott.

Many commented, “William is a perfect fit for that car. Chase should have never drove it.” 

While a banter broke regarding the inheritance of the number, a fan wrote,

“That’s because Elliott never won in the 24, I believe his first was in the 9 car.”

“Chase didn’t win until he got the 9.”

“He [Chase] didn’t win in the 24 lol.”

“Glad to see the legacy continue, and to see JG so happy about the direction the team goes in. Byron is a great driver for that team and excited to see him win some championships in his career.”

Although fans might quarrel as to who might be a better driver between the two, Byron’s feat is surely something to be happy about. This young driver surely has exhibited the tenacity that he has the capabilities to fill the big shoes. While his other two teammates Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson are already Cup Series champions, Byron is surely a champion in the making. 

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