Nascar Drivers and Numbers
NASCAR Drivers List
Every NASCAR fan waits with baited breath for Sunday to roll around. Just like pro football fans, they anticipate their favorite sport with fervor. Most have a favorite driver like Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Jr or Ryan Newman. Each Driver has an assigned NASCAR number so it is easy to watch his progress on the track.
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NASCAR 99 (Nintendo 64)NEW-SEALED
$18.99
Time Left: 18m | |
2001 Winners Circle Tony Stewart #44 SHELL NASCAR 1:24
$9.99 $17.50
Time Left: 18m | |
1995 Action Dale Earnhardt #2 Wrangler NASCAR
$3.50 (1 Bids) Time Left: 18m | |
#20 TONY STEWART NASCAR POCKET WATCH W COMPASS IN BOX
$6.99 (0 Bids) Time Left: 20m | |
1995 Action Dale Earnhardt #3 Goodwrench NASCAR Chevy
$3.50 $5.99
Time Left: 20m |
Not all these drivers are full time circuit drivers. Believe it or not,
not all NASCAR drivers have sponsors either. The ones listed here that
have a blank space for the sponsor are independent and run their own
teams.
A couple of the teams share a NASCAR number like Ken
Schrader and Jon Wood with #21 & #47. Who uses which number is
determined by qualifying time. If both drivers qualify for the same
race, the driver with the best time has the choice. The other team gets
the other number.
You will also notice that there are some
drivers that are assigned to the same number. Like Chad Chaffin and
Bill Elliot with #37. The rule is like that with the cars assigned two
separate NASCAR numbers with one exception.
If both drivers qualify
for the same race on the same day, then it is up to the race management
to decide who uses which number. Usually, the car with the slower
qualifying time has a third number added to their NASCAR number. For
instance, with Chaffin and Elliot, one might use #37 and the other will
use a three digit number like #137.
Did you know that NASCAR
owns the numbers and that once assigned to a specific team, they are
considered to be permanent? Sometimes a team will want a specific
number that is assigned to another team. NASCAR will not usually get
involved with that type of thing, but they have to be asked for
permission to open negotiations.
The NASCAR number assigned to
a team is more than just an identifier. Numbers are used to run the
entire NASCAR system, but the one that everybody remembers and knows is
the number on the car. The NASCAR drivers and their NASCAR numbers are
also important for marketing purposes.
Look at any sporting
goods store and you will always see shirts, toy cars, gloves, glasses
and a myriad of other items all identified by your favorite NASCAR
driver’s name and car number. Since NASCAR owns all those numbers, it
is a huge revenue stream for the sports owners. You see, the number not
only denotes the driver/team combination, it is also an identifier for
NASCAR, who makes it all happen.
The NASCAR team numbers weren’t
in place until 1948 when the first sanctioned NASCAR event took place
on February 15 at Daytona Beach Road Course. Red Bryon won that race
and he sported the #22 on his car which he brought over from his
pre-NASCAR days.
Stories about numbers in NASCAR are as numerous
as the stars in the night sky. Here are a few that are being
paraphrased for brevity:
#43 Richard Petty. Now piloted by Bobby
LaBonte for Petty Enterprises is the most victorious car number ever.
Now sponsored by Betty Crocker.
The #94 car is sponsored by Sunoco and the number is an octane rating.
Originally the #66 car was sponsored by Philips petroleum. Remember Philips 66? Now sponsored by Best Buy/NetZero.
The
#1 car was sponsored by the makers of the popular card game “UNO”.
Hence the relativity of the “1”. Now sponsored by Bass Pro Shops.
From 1983 to 1986, Kyle Petty was sponsored by 7-11 and the team used #7 on the car.
So
as you can plainly see, the numbers on the cars are an important part
of each NASCAR driver team. NASCAR numbers are synonymous with speed,
precision and quality. These numbers play an important role in
marketing, identification and legacy. They also have significance for
the sponsor as well.
Fans the world over recognize the driver by the number on his car.
Here is a list of NASCAR drivers, NASCAR numbers and sponsors for reference.
NASCAR number NASCAR driver Sponsor
#00 David Reutimann
#1 Martin Truex Jr. Bass Pro Shops
#2 Kurt Busch Miller Lite
#4 Ward Burton
#5 Kyle Busch Kellogg’s
#6 David Ragan
#7 Robby Gordon Harrahs / Jim Beam
#8 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Budweiser
#9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Dealers/UAW
#01 Mark Martin AAA
#01/#39 Regan Smith
#02 Brandon Ash Sprinter Truck, Inc.
#03 Todd Bodine
#04 Eric McClure
#07 Clint Bowyer DIRECTV
#08 Trevor Boys
#09 Mike Wallace Miccosukee Gaming & Resorts
#10 Scott Riggs Valvoline / Stanley Tools
#11 Denny Hamlin Federal Express
#12 Ryan Newman ALLTEL
#13 Joe Nemechek US Army
#14 Sterling Marlin Waste Management
#15 Paul Menard
#16 Greg Biffle Army National Guard/Subway
#17 Matt Kenseth DeWalt Power Tools
#18 J. J. Yeley Interstate Batteries
#19 Elliott Sadler M&Ms
#20 Tony Stewart Home Depot
#21/#47 Ken Schrader U.S. Airforce
#21/#47 Jon Wood
#22 Dave Blaney Caterpillar
#23 Mike Skinner Bad Boy Mowers
#24 Jeff Gordon Dupont
#25 Casey Mears Texaco / Havoline
#26 Jamie McMurray Crown Royal
#27 Kirk Shelmerdine
#29 Kevin Harvick Reeses Caramel Cups
#30 Stanton Barrett
#31 Jeff Burton Cingular Wireless
#32 Travis Kvapil Tide
#33 Scott Wimmer Aero Exhaust
#34 Kevin Lepage Peak Fitness
#36 Jeremy Mayfield Dodge Dealers
#37 Chad Chaffin Front Row Motorsports
#37 Bill Elliott Budweiser
#38 David Gilliland Dutch Quality Store
#40 David Stremme Lone Star Steakhouse
#40 Scott Pruett Coors Light
#41 Reed Sorenson Target
#42 Juan Pablo Montoya
#43 Bobby Labonte Cheerios / Betty Crocker
#44 Dale Jarrett UPS
#45 Kyle Petty
#47 Marcos Ambrose
#48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s
#49 Mike Bliss
#49 Brent Sherman BAM Racing
#55 Michael Waltrip NAPA Auto Parts
#58 James Hylton
#58 Damon Lusk
#60 Boris Said Centrix Financial
#66 Jeff Green NetZero / Best Buy
#70 Johnny Sauter
#71 Frank Kimmel
#72 Brandon Whitt
#74 Derrike Cope
#78 Kenny Wallace Furniture Row Racing
#80 Aric Almirola
#83 Brian Vickers GMAC
#84 A.J. Allmendinger
#88 Ricky Rudd
#89 Morgan Shepherd
#91 David Green
#96 Tony Raines
#99 Carl Edwards

