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Chase Elliott to switch numbers next season, run his father’s No. 9

DAV 200 - Honoring America's Veterans

AVONDALE, AZ - NOVEMBER 08: Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, celebrates with his father Bill after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series Championship following his fifth place finish in the DAV 200 at Phoenix International Raceway on November 8, 2014 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Todd Warshaw/Getty Images)

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Chase Elliott will have a new number next season, running the No. 9 his father Bill excelled with, Hendrick Motorsports announced Tuesday night.

The organization also announced that William Byron will drive the No. 24 that Chase Elliott had raced the past two years.

Elliott drove the No. 9 to the 2014 Xfinity Series title. Bill Elliott scored 38 of his 44 Cup wins and his 1988 championship with the No. 9.

“I wasn’t sure I’d ever drive the ‘9’ again,” said Chase Elliott in a statement. “It’s a huge deal to my family and everyone back home (in Georgia), and I hope all of our fans will be pumped to see it back on the racetrack. There’s a legacy attached to that number, and I want to carry it on. I think it’s awesome that Hendrick Motorsports and NAPA wanted to do this. It’s impossible not to be excited.”

The debut of the No. 9 for Hendrick Motorsports marks the first time in nearly a decade that the organization will field a new number for one of its four full-time teams. The most recent addition was the No. 88, which was added in 2008, for Dale Earnhardt Jr.

“I know what the ‘9’ means to Chase and his whole family,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. “They’ve contributed so much to our sport, and I’m happy we can honor that history by bringing the number back. I think fans will really love seeing it out there. I told Chase we’d only do it if he promised to win a bunch of races, so I’m going to hold him to that.’’

Elliott’s team will remain with him next season.

Byron, who will move to Cup next season, will make his series debut with the number Jeff Gordon had so much success with for Hendrick Motorsports.

Byron, who turns 20 in November, will begin his rookie season at the same age as Gordon when Gordon made his series debut in 1992 at Atlanta.

“Jeff and Jimmie (Johnson) are the drivers I’ve always watched most closely and tried to learn from,” said Byron, 19, who signed with Hendrick Motorsports in August 2016. “I didn’t think I could be more motivated, but when Mr. Hendrick called to tell me (about driving the No. 24), it took things to another level. I have so much respect for all the people who have contributed to the success of the ‘24.’ I know it’s rare to have the chance to be part of something like this. I’m going to make the most of it.”

Said Hendrick: “The ‘fit factor’ is something I’ve always believed in, and that’s what I see with William and our organization. He reminds me a lot of Jeff at that age with regard to being a special talent and having a great head on his shoulders. But William is also his own person with his own career ahead of him. It’s going to be fun to watch him jump in the ‘24’ and show what he’s capable of.”

Bryon’s team will have Kasey Kahne’s pit crew next season.

With the changes, Hendrick Motorsports will withdraw its No. 5 car number from competition. It was the organization’s first car number in 1984 and has run full-time since. Terry Labonte drove the No. 5 to the Cup championship in 1996.

“That was by far the hardest part (of the car number decisions),” Hendrick said in a statement. “The ‘5’ means so much to everyone at Hendrick Motorsports and to a lot of our fans. The memories and the history will always be there, and I won’t rule out bringing it back some day. Never say never.”

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