CONCORD, N.C. – When William Byron captured the 2018 Rookie of the Year title in the NASCAR Cup Series, he kept alive a notable streak.
Every driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports has earned the rookie honor.
“That is cool – I never really thought of that,” Byron said. “Looking forward to hopefully carrying that legacy on with that car and trying to win races with it next year.”
It began with Jeff Gordon in 1993. When Chase Elliott took over the No. 24 ride in 2016, he earned rookie of the year as well.
Now, Byron continues that trend.
“Really cool,” Elliott agreed. “Wish we could’ve grabbed a win in the 24 before we left it, but definitely a neat honor to have and share with those guys.”
Byron also holds the distinction of being just the second driver ever to win rookie of the year in the NASCAR Cup, Xfinity and Truck Series in back-to-back-to-back seasons. In fact, Byron has earned rookie of the year honors in four consecutive series, also picking up the title in the K&N Pro Series East in 2015.
“I hadn’t really thought about how it’s kind of continued on the legacy, but in a way it has,” Gordon said of the No. 24 car’s rookie of the year history. “Of course, with William, he’s never not been a rookie. So, I’m actually as anxious to see him without the rookie stripe and what he’s going to do next year as I was this year.”