In NASCAR, numbers matter.

It's impossible to think about the No. 43 without envisioning Richard Petty or the No. 21 without the Wood Bros. standing behind it. Even today, fans are more likely to visualize Dale Earnhardt Sr. than Austin Dillon in the No. 3.

The makeup of Hendrick Motorsports will look a lot different next year. Jeff Gordon left in 2015 to work in the television booth and after suffering multiple concussions, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. will retire at the end of this year.

But another change was just announced that has a more profound impact on lifetime fans. Chase Elliott has announced a number change. After running Gordon's former No. 24 car for two years, Elliot will drive the number No. 9 at the beginning of the 2018 season.

In an video released Tuesday on Twitter, the sophomore driver Elliot said, "I know at this point you already know about the big news with the number change, and in light of that I did bring out an old T-shirt today. This is something that I am really excited about. This number is really special to me and my family. It's a  number I've been running for a long, long, time. It's a number I started racing Go Karts with obviously because my dad ran it in over the years and Kasey Kahne always looked up to him as he got in the 9 car to start driving after my dad got done racing full-time."

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Chase's father, Bill Elliott, ran the number when he first entered NASCAR, with the family-run team. Making his debut in 1976 in the No. 9 owned by his father, George Elliott, Bill has always been associated with that number. Sure, he made a few starts for other owners such as Roger Hamby and Bill Champion, but when the number changed hands -- Elliott was the asset that conveyed.

The majority of Bill's success came while running the No. 9.

Bill raced for Junior Johnson in the No. 11 for a bit and started his own team with the No. 94 emblazoned on the side, but Elliott returned to his rightful identity near the end of his career with Ray Evernham.

The next driver to use the number was Kasey Kahne at the start of his career. Then, after a series of mergers, the number ended up in the hands of Richard Petty Motorsports and lost some of its history with a series of drivers.

There was talk of the number being given to Hendrick Motorsports in 2016, at the start of Chase's rookie season. Ultimately, that did not happen, and Chase has run the No. 24 made famous by Gordon ever since.

"I'm also very privileged to have driven and still drive the 24 for the rest of the year and the year and a half prior to now," Chase said. "It's a number that has such a deep history in the history of the sport as you all know, and it's been a privilege to have run and to run it. And I'm in no ways giving up on it, and I want to make everyone proud from that front and try to build on the legacy as Jeff has made so famous over the years in that car and try to add to the success. I hope you guys are as excited as I am."

Before moving to the Monster Energy Cup level, Chase ran the No. 9 in Nationwide and before that in the K&N Pro Series. Future teammate William Byron currently runs the number in that series. With the No. 24 now available, Byron will move into the number with his 2018 cup debut. And there are some who belief that is a more fitting match.

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In a sport in which car numbers are a brand and legacy is king, this change will issue in a new era for the young driver.