CONCORD, N.C. – When the Southern 500 rolls around this September, fans certainly won’t have a hard time picking William Byron’s paint scheme from the bunch.
The rookie will pilot a throwback No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 paying homage to one of the most famous No. 24 paint schemes of all time – Jeff Gordon’s iconic rainbow-colored ride from the 1990s.
The throwback was unveiled Friday afternoon at Charlotte Motor Speedway in a special ceremony featuring an original painting by Sam Bass titled “Hot Southern Night.” Bass has designed all but one of the primary Axalta Chevrolets for the Nos. 24 and 88 cars, notably including Gordon’s original rainbow paint scheme, which debuted in the 1992 season finale.
The official first look at Hot Summer Nights, painted by Sam Bass (@sambassartist )
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Byron’s throwback isn’t modeled after a particular year. Rather, it is designed to pay tribute to Gordon’s entire NASCAR Cup Series career, which spanned more than two decades and brought with it four championships, 93 wins, 325 top-five finishes, 477 top-10s and nearly 25,000 laps led.
Gordon drove the rainbow Chevrolet from his debut in 1992 through the 2000 season – and it returned for one final ride at Bristol Motor Speedway during his final full-time season in 2015.
Byron, Gordon and Bass were all in attendance for the unveil – stay tuned for more coverage of the unique event.