Jeff Gordon to step away from full-time NASCAR racing after 2015 season

Jeff Gluck | USA TODAY Sports

Show Caption Hide Caption Jeff Gordon stepping away from full-time racing after 2015 USA Today Sports' Jeff Gluck discusses four-time NASCAR champion's decision.

Jeff Gordon will step away from full-time NASCAR racing after the 2015 season, Hendrick Motorsports announced Thursday morning.

Gordon, 43, will compete in his 23rd and final season and then step out of the No. 24 car he has driven since November 1992. No replacement was named, but speculation will fall heavily on rising star Chase Elliott, a Hendrick development driver who the team has already said will be in Sprint Cup next year.

A four-time series champion, Gordon is third on the all-time wins list with 92 behind only Richard Petty (200) and David Pearson (105).

But his impact on NASCAR goes far beyond the numbers. Gordon's clean-cut, corporate image and youthful good looks helped stock car racing expand out of the Southeast in the late 1990s and 2000s, taking the sport to new heights and ushering in a wave of drivers who grew up wanting to be like him.

Gordon said he "thought long and hard about my future this past year and during the offseason" before making his decision.

"I won't use the 'R-word' because I plan to stay extremely busy in the years ahead, and there's always the possibility I'll compete in selected events, although I currently have no plans to do that," he said. "I don't foresee a day when I'll ever step away from racing."

Reaction began to pour in quickly from around the NASCAR world, including from teammates Jimmie Johnson ("Crazy...you're the man!" he tweeted) and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Three-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart also weighed in, crediting Gordon for "paving the way" for him in racing.

NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France said Gordon "transcends NASCAR" and "will be celebrated as one of the greatest drivers to ever race."

"We have all enjoyed watching his legend grow for more than two decades, and will continue to do so during his final full-time season," France said. "His prolonged excellence and unmatched class continue to earn him the admiration of fans across the globe. Today's announcement is a bittersweet one. I'll miss his competitive fire on a weekly basis, but I am also happy for Jeff and his family as they start a new chapter."

Gordon's first Sprint Cup race of 2015 will be the Sprint Unlimited exhibition, Feb. 14 at Daytona International Speedway. Pole qualifying for the Daytona 500 takes place the following day, with the "Great American Race" set for Feb. 22. Gordon won NASCAR's biggest race three times in his career and also won the July race Daytona three times.

International Speedway Corporation CEO Lesa France Kennedy said "Gordon's significance to our sport cannot be overstated."

"(Gordon is an incredible competitor, and a favorite of millions of fans. His contributions throughout his career to NASCAR have elevated our sport's popularity worldwide. On behalf of the France family and ISC, I thank him for those contributions and wish him the best as he embarks on this next chapter of his career — and his life. We all look forward to watching him take the green flag for his last full-time season, beginning with the Daytona 500."

Gordon said he'll remain heavily involved with Hendrick, where he is an equity owner of Johnson's No. 48 car, will put much of his focus into his charitable efforts such as pediatric cancer research.

"I'll explore opportunities for the next phase of my career, but my primary focus now and throughout 2015 will be my performance in the No. 24 Chevrolet," Gordon said. "I'm going to pour everything I have into this season and look forward to the challenge of competing for one last championship.

"To everyone at NASCAR, my teammates, sponsors, competitors, friends, family, members of the media and especially our incredible fans, all I can say is thank you."

Though Gordon's achy back has bothered him in recent years, the news is surprising since the California native seemed to be in the midst of a career renaissance.

Last year, Gordon won four races — his most since 2007 — and finished sixth in points but was one point away from competing for the championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He's expected to be one of the favorites heading into this year as well.

Team owner Rick Hendrick said there was no way to quantify Gordon's impact on the sport.

"He's one of the biggest sports stars of a generation, and his contributions to the success and growth of NASCAR are unsurpassed," he said. "There's been no better ambassador for stock car racing and no greater representation of what a champion should be."

PHOTOS: Jeff Gordon through the years