Welcome to the fourth installment of Sportscasting’s 10-part sequence, “The 101 Best NASCAR Cup Sequence Drivers by Automobile Quantity.”
In case you’re simply becoming a member of us, what we’re doing here’s what we did beforehand with our “101 Best NFL Gamers by Uniform Quantity” sequence. However as an alternative of uniform numbers, we’re taking 101 numbers used on NASCAR Cup Sequence automobiles (0, 00, 1-99) and naming the best driver to symbolize every.
Simple sufficient, proper?
In case you missed the primary three installments or just desire a reminder of these named the very best to drive Nos. 00-29, head over to the sequence hub web page, the place we’re housing your entire assortment of articles.
Let’s maintain rolling with the best to drive Nos. 30-39.
No. 30: Michael Waltrip
Utilizing a few of our previous logic on the listing, we ought to give the No. 30 slot to the one driver to ever take it to Victory Lane, Speedy Thompson. However seeing as Thompson’s October 1955 win at Martinsville was one in every of simply two instances he used it, the opposite being a seventh-place end at North Wilkesboro per week later, we didn’t assume that was fairly proper.
As a substitute, we went with the motive force to run probably the most races within the No. 30, Michael Waltrip, who made 265 begins with the quantity from 1987 to 1995. Regardless of not incomes a victory, Waltrip recorded 15 top-fives and 56 top-10s. The one different driver with greater than 100 begins within the No. 30 was Walter Ballard (161).
No. 31: Jeff Burton
This was really more durable than you may assume as we strongly thought-about Robby Gordon right here, who took three checkered flags for Richard Childress Racing within the No. 31. Gordon broke the quantity’s 565-race winless streak along with his season-ending win at New Hampshire in 2001 and tacked on a pair of wins in 2003.
Nevertheless it was usually all or nothing with Gordon and our selection on this slot, Jeff Burton, was rather more constant general. Whereas Burton notched 4 wins within the No. 31, he did so in 324 begins. Gordon earned his three victories in simply 118, giving him the sting in successful proportion, 2.5% to 1.2%.
Nevertheless, Burton holds a lot wider margins in each top-five proportion, 13.3% to six.8%, and top-10 proportion, 32.1% to 19.5%.
No. 32: Ricky Craven
To be trustworthy, No. 32 doesn’t have the sexiest listing of drivers from which to decide on. So with all due respect to Ricky Craven, he’s basically the winner by default as he’s the one driver to ever take the No. 32 to Victory Lane and in addition the one driver with greater than 100 begins in it.
Craven drove the No. 32 for Cal Wells, who later partnered with Michael Waltrip, from 2001 to 2004, the ultimate seasons of his Cup Sequence profession. Craven earned his first win in 2001 at Martinsville and his second in 2003 right away traditional at Darlington, edging out Kurt Busch by simply .002 seconds.
No. 33: Harry Gant
The No. 33 is a no brainer as the simple name on this slot is Harry Gant, who earned all 18 of his NASCAR Cup Sequence wins utilizing the double three, together with a historic four-race win streak in 1991 on the age of 51.
Gant made 397 begins within the No. 33 from 1981 to 1994, nabbing 16 poles and recording 111 top-fives and 181 top-10s. Clint Bowyer is the one different driver who owns a number of wins with the quantity, and simply 4 drivers general have taken it to Victory Lane.
No. 34: Wendell Scott
Of the 5 drivers to take No. 34 to Victory Lane, none have completed it a number of instances. There are some large wins in there, together with Michael McDowell’s shock win on the Daytona 500 in 2021. However not even a Daytona 500 win can beat Wendell Scott’s historic victory at Jacksonville’s Speedway Park in 1964.
Scott was one of many first Black drivers in NASCAR and the primary to report a Cup Sequence victory. Whereas he by no means took one other checkered flag, the Virginia native made 469 complete begins within the No. 34, by far probably the most in Cup Sequence historical past, and recorded 20 top-fives and 143 top-10s.
No. 35: Benny Parsons
Effectively, we’ve obtained one other default winner right here as no driver has ever taken a checkered flag within the NASCAR Cup Sequence within the No. 35. In actual fact, solely eight drivers have made 10 or extra begins with it.
So with that in thoughts, we’re going with Benny Parsons on this slot. Parsons used the quantity for only one season with Hendrick Motorsports in 1987, his penultimate yr within the Cup Sequence. And whereas he clearly didn’t earn a victory, he recorded six top-fives and 9 top-10s in 29 begins.
No. 36: Tommy Irwin
Simply because it was with the earlier entry, we are able to’t use victories as any sort of measuring stick for the No. 36 because it’s by no means been to Victory Lane within the NASCAR Cup Sequence. We regarded briefly at Ken Schrader, the one driver with greater than 100 begins within the No. 36, however he by no means recorded a single top-five with it.
However our selection on this slot, Tommy Irwin, had 14 such finishes, probably the most of any driver. And he did so in simply 36 begins. The subsequent-closest driver in that division is Larry Thomas, who had 13 in 97 begins. Additionally serving to Irwin’s case is the truth that he recorded the one runner-up end within the No. 36, ending second at Columbia Speedway in June 1959.
Irwin, who owned the 1959 Thunderbird he was driving, led 63 of 200 laps that day however finally completed 5 automobile lengths behind Lee Petty.
No. 37: Bobby Isaac
Merely put, like the 2 numbers earlier than it, the No. 37 doesn’t have the richest historical past within the NASCAR Cup Sequence. Solely six drivers have multiple top-five end in it, probably the most being three from a trio of drivers — Jeremy Mayfield, Tiny Lund, and Bobby Isaac.
And seeing as how Isaac was the one one to ever take a checkered flag with it, he’s our selection at No. 37. Isaac made solely seven begins within the quantity, one in 1967 and 6 in 1968. However he completed within the prime 10 in 5 of these races and the highest 5 on three events, together with a dominating victory at Columbia in April 1968, a race wherein he led 186 of 200 laps.
No. 38: Gwyn Staley
Whereas most would doubtless fill this slot with Elliott Sadler, who drove the No. 38 for practically 4 full seasons for Robert Yates Racing and took two checkered flags, we’re going with an upset particular right here in selecting Gwyn Staley.
Sure, Sadler earned two wins and has probably the most top-fives (12) and top-10s (40). However Staley earned three victories within the No. 38 in simply 14 begins. He recorded these three wins in a four-race stretch throughout the 1957 season, a marketing campaign wherein he earned seven top-fives.
Staley tacked on two extra top-fives, bringing his complete to 9, throughout the 1958 season, which really started in November 1957. Simply eight days after ending second at Fayetteville’s Champion Speedway, he was tragically killed in a NASCAR Convertible Division race in Richmond.
No. 39: Ryan Newman
The straightforward name at No. 39 is Ryan Newman, the one driver to ever take it to Victory Lane and one in every of simply two with greater than 100 begins in it. The opposite was Friday Hassler, who went winless in 116 races.
Newman ran 180 races within the No. 39 from 2009 to 2013 and recorded 4 wins, together with the 2013 Brickyard 400, additionally incomes 30 top-fives, 78 top-10s, and taking eight poles.
Stats courtesy of Racing Reference
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