#SrigleyStats Countdown to Daytona: 24 Days!
Thursday, January 25th, 2024 -- 24 Days Until Daytona!
24 DAYS UNTIL DAYTONA!
Let’s look back at the history of the #24 in NASCAR’s National Series.
FIRST USAGE:
NCS: 1950-01 — Daytona Beach — Dick Clothier
NXS: 1982-01 — Daytona — Dale Jarrett
NCTS: 1995-01 — Phoenix — Scott Lagasse
BEST FINISH:
NCS: 103 NASCAR Cup Series Victories (Most: Jeff Gordon, 93)
NXS: 3 NASCAR Xfinity Series Victories (Most: Jeff Gordon, 2)
NCTS: 36 NASCAR Truck Series Victories (Most: Jack Sprague, 23)
BEST START:
NCS: 97 NASCAR Cup Series Poles (Most: Jeff Gordon, 81)
NXS: 3 NASCAR Xfinity Series Poles (Most: Jack Sprague, 3)
NCTS: 26 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Pole (Most: Jack Sprague, 19)
IS THE NUMBER ACTIVE?
Yes. In 2023, the #24 was active in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, by three different organizations, none of which were related to each other in any way.
In the NASCAR Cup Series, William Byron and Hendrick Motorsports are currently in possession of the #24, as they have been since Jeff Gordon began his career with the organization in 1992.
Byron, since joining the NASCAR Cup Series on a full-time basis in 2018, has amassed 10 victories while using the number becoming the second driver to win with the number at NASCAR’s top-level.
In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the #24 doesn’t have that same legacy as in the NASCAR Cup Series, this season being utilized on a full-time basis by Sam Hunt Racing — which expanded to two full-time entries for the first time.
Connor Mosack was the anchor driver of the Sam Hunt Racing entry in 2024, competing in 21 of 33 races, and scoring a season-high top-five result at Watkins Glen International over the Summer.
In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Rajah Caruth spent the year competing for GMS Racing — marking his first full-time season in the series. While he didn’t pick up a victory, the young driver earned a career-best sixth-place result at Darlington and Bristol.
With GMS Racing shuttering its program at the end of the season, the #24 has yet to be announced as taken for the 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, but if rumors are to be believed, it may slip onto the docket before Daytona in February.
WHO HAS MOST FREQUENTLY USED THE #24?
NASCAR Cup Series: Jeff Gordon — 797 Starts
NASCAR Xfinity Series: Eric McClure — 124 Starts
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: Jack Sprague — 150 Starts
MISCELLANEOUS STATS ABOUT THE #24 IN NASCAR
#SrigleyStats: Winning at Texas Motor Speedway in September, William Byron became the sixth-youngest 10-time winner in the NASCAR Cup Series at 25Y, 9M, 26D. (LINK)
#SrigleyStats: Winning the pole position at Kansas Speedway in May, William Byron became the third-youngest 10-time pole winner in the NASCAR Cup Series at 25Y, 5M, 7D. (LINK)
#SrigleyStats: Winning back-to-back races at Las Vegas and Phoenix, William Byron became the fifth-youngest back-to-back winner in the NASCAR Cup Series at 25Y, 3M, 12D. (LINK)
131 of the 142 NASCAR National Series victories for the #24 have come at the hands of a Hendrick Motorsports driver. However, only Jeff Gordon, William Byron, and Jack Sprague have won races for the team in the #24.
The #24 has competed in the last 1,114 NASCAR Cup Series events without missing a single one, which is the longest streak currently ongoing in the series.
Two sets of families have utilized the #24 in NASCAR’s National Series — Glenn Jarrett and Dale Jarrett (brothers) and Scott Lagasse and Scott Lagasee, Jr. (father and son).