HAMPTON, Ga. -- Atlanta Motor Speedway has always been special to Jeff Gordon.
It's where he captured his first-ever pole and his first-ever NASCAR victory in the same XFINITY Series race. It's where he started his first Cup race. It's even where he clinched his first Cup Series championship in the final race of the 1995 season.
So it came as no surprise the track went all-out in celebrating Gordon's final race at the venue.
It started with a little extra paint in the infield.
"I was watching practice earlier with XFINITY and I saw the 'Thanks 24' out there in the grass," Gordon said. "It really put a big smile on my face. I appreciate all the effort you and your staff have done. Not just this weekend, but over all the years."
That was just the beginning, as Atlanta Motor Speedway President and General Manager Ed Clark also presented Gordon -- and his son in particular -- with a gift.
The Bandolero from U.S. Legend Cars was quite a hit.
"That is amazing," Gordon said. "Leo is going to want to sleep in this thing at night. I have a feeling this might end up in his bedroom for a year or two before he can drive it. That is awesome. Thank you so much."
But the track had one more way of honoring Gordon, which it reserved for the 24th lap of the event.
It came in the form of the scoring pylon.
Though the race didn't end with Gordon's desired result, the track certainly did all it could to make sure the driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet SS felt right at home.
