Chase Elliott to Lead Next Wave of Hendrick Stars After Replacing Jeff Gordon

When Jeff Gordon announced that 2015 would be his final season in Sprint Cup competition, it was quite clear it would take a special driver to try to fill Gordon’s shoes. On Thursday, the NASCAR world found out just how special that driver would be when team owner Rick Hendrick made it official: Budding superstar and reigning Xfinity Series champion Chase Elliott will replace Gordon in the No. 24 Chevrolet in 2016. It’s not necessarily a surprising move. After all, Elliott, 19, won last season’s final Nationwide Series championship—becoming the youngest series champion in NASCAR history—in just his first season in NASCAR’s junior league. And it’s not a complete surprise either. Elliott had been in ...

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