Professional American NASCAR driver, Jeff Gordon, will be stepping away from full-time racing after the current 2015 season.

The announcement of Gordon's stepping out came Thursday morning from Hendrick Motorsports.

Since 1992, the 43-year old Gordon has driven his signature number 24 car. However, 23 seasons later, he decides to call it a career.

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While no replacement has been named, most people speculate that the opportunity falls on Chase Elliott who is a development driver for Hendrick. The team has already said that Elliott will be joining the Sprint Cup next year.

Gordon leaves behind an amazing NASCAR legacy. He is a four-time series champion and is also third on all-time wins list with a total of 92. He is behind David Pearson and Richard Petty, who have 105 and 200, respectively.

However, Gordon's impact on NASCAR racing goes well beyond the records and statistics. Instead, Gordon's appearance and demeanor have helped the sport develop and expand in the Southeast in the late 19990s to the 2000s.

He became the beacon of light that younger generations saw and eventually wanted to emulate in the future. Waves of drivers emerged from the adoration of Gordon.

Gordon said he has thought long and hard about his future before he made his decision.

He says he won't be calling it a retirement as he wants to stay extremely busy in the future. There is also a possibility that he will be competing in selected events, he hints, though he has no current plans to do so.

"I don't foresee a day when I'll ever step away from racing," Gordon said.

NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France said that Gordon "transcends NASCAR."

He adds that people have been enjoying Gordon's races for a long time, and will continue to do so during his final full-time season.

As Gordon heads into his final set of races for a while, he is expected to be one of the favorites still. 

Tagsnascar, jeff gordon, Hendrick Motorsports