On Sunday, November 15, 1992, Jeff Gordon, in the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet, took the green flag at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Truly the beginning of something great, it was not only the rookie driver's first NASCAR Winston Cup start, but also his first as a member of the Hendrick Motorsports organization. The rest, as the TV announcers and NASCAR media guides like to say, belongs to history. 23 straight NASCAR Sprint Cup seasons and 797 consecutive races later - lest we forget 92 victories, 80 poles and four Sprint Cup championships - Jeff Gordon, the most successful driver in NASCAR's modern era, is headed for the checkered flag which will wave over his brilliant career come lap 267 at Homestead-Miami on November 22, 2015.

1997 marked Jeff's second NASCAR Championship

Along the way, Mechanix Wear has lent him a hand. Well, numerous hands, really. For in 1992, just as Mechanix Wear was establishing itself as a company, we looked to NASCAR pit crews to help us make our name on pit road. Legendary crew members like front tire changer Mike Trower and the famous Rainbow Warriors pit crew. "Some friends from Iowa had moved down to get into racing. I was helping them out at night and ended up getting a job with Dave Marcis. I started the season out Catch Canning and by the first Pocono race of 1986, I was changing tires," Mike reflects.

1997 Rainbow Warriors Pit Stop: Image by Darryl Moran

The Dave Marcis team would run from 1986-1992. Little did he know what the end of his run with Dave Marcis would bring. The last race of the 1992 season would be Jeff Gordon's rookie debut as a full-time driver in the Busch series and Mike Trower's first race with the team. From 1993-1999 Jeff Gordon and the famed Rainbow Warriors pit crew earned 3 championship victories (1995, 1997,1998) and set the stage for superior performance on pit road. Up and down pit lane and over the wall, Mechanix Wear has protected the hands of the best best mechanics, engineers and crew members in the sport. They've all had a hand in the greatest single career in modern NASCAR history.

Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports and Mechanix Wear. NASCAR Originals.

2015 Daytona 500