In NASCAR, No. 1 Does Not Always Equal the Best

When Steve Park drove his Pennzoil Chevrolet to victory at Watkins Glen, it was a historic event not only because it was the first win for Park,I but because it was the first win for car number one in over 20 years. Jamie McMurray's victory at Indinapolis was only the 17th win for that car number in 1,183 races.

What is it about car numbers that intertwine drivers, sponsors and fans? Fans have tattooed Dale Earnhardt's stylized number three onto their bodies, while Richard Petty is synonymous with the number 43. Can you imagine Jeff Gordon driving anything than car 24 now or the late Davey Allison in anything but number 28?

Then there are the not-so-popular numbers.

Consider that as David Reutimann drove his No. 00 Camry to victory lane at Chicagoland Speedway it was not only his second career victory, but the second career victory for car No. 00 in the Cup series. In fact, Reutimann has driven the No. 00 to nine of the number's 17 top 5's since its first start at Heidelburg Raceway in July, 1951.

While the No. 00 has been lucky enough to taste victory in recent years, others simply struggle to hit the track.

Why is it that car No. 65 has not run since October 1993? What about No. 69, which hasn't run since August 1992? There's always No. 03, which has been dormant since August 1994 or No. 63 which has only run two races since June, 1989. Lonely is No. 59 as it has only been run 20 times since October, 1978.

There are numbers that have won numerous times, yet remain idle. No. 27 has been to victory lane 51 times, yet has seen sporadic starts over the past nine years. With 43 victories, No. 92 seems like an excellent choice except it has only run one full season since 1978.

There is some solace to these lonely numbers as until this year the track had not seen a car No. 56 since Jerry Hill in October 1993.

Then there are the battles between car numbers that few are fans are even aware of. So many people reference Richard Petty's "unbreakable" record of 200 career victories, but few realize that we're in the cusp of a new king in victories for car numbers.

Heading to Watkins Glen, No. 43 posses 198 career Cup victories. Nipping at its heals, however, is No. 11 with 193. A distant third place is held by No. 3 with 97 victories, leaving the battle for the top spot to just the No. 11 and No. 43. And with Denny Hamlin having such an impressive season, No. 43's time on top may be numbered.

In fact, let's take a look at some of the top career marks for car numbers since the beginning of the Cup series.

Starts:

1. No. 43 - 1754
2. No. 11 - 1676
3. No. 2 - 1579
4. No. 6 - 1447
5. No. 17 - 1393

These five numbers are some of the most well known in NASCAR's history and shall consistently reappear throughout this list.

Total Number of Wins:

1. No. 43 - 198
2. No. 11 - 193
3. No. 3 - 97
4. No. 21 - 90
5. No. 6/No. 24 - 82

Win Percentage:

1. No. 11 - 11.52 percent
   
2. No. 43 - 11.29 percent
   
3. No. 92 - 8.72 percent
   
4. No. 3 - 8.55 percent
   
5. No. 28 - 7.39 percent
   

Here's a fun little fact—Jeff Gordon possesses every single one of the No. 24's victories during its Cup career, the only number to an appreciable amount of victories solely by one driver. It may also surprise some to see that No. 92 is one of the most successful winning numbers in the history of the sport solely because it is a number used rarely today.

Total Number of Top 5s:

1. No. 11 -647
2. No. 43 - 560
3. No. 6 - 432
4. No. 2 - 399
5. No. 3 - 367

Top 5 Percentage:

1. No. 11 - 38.6 percent
   
2. No. 3 - 32.36 percent
   
3. No. 43 - 31.93 percent
   
4. No. 6 - 29.85 percent
   
5. No. 28 - 29.06 percent
   

Again, looking at the numbers on this list, it is easy to associate drivers with them. The success they had as drivers carries over to the success the number has during its tenure in the Cup series.

Total Number of Top 10s:

1. No. 11 - 850
2. No. 43 - 774
3. No. 2 - 694
4. No. 6 - 669
5. No. 3 - 604

Top 10 Percentages:

1. No. 3 - 53.26 percent
   
2. No. 11 - 50.72 percent
   
3. No. 72 - 47.02 percent
   
4. No. 42 - 46.76 percent
   
5. No. 48 - 46.34 percent
   

Jimmie Johnson has been boosting the prestige of the No. 48 as he accounts for over a third of that number's top 10 finishes.

Perhaps not so surprisingly, the numbers 11 and 43 are at the top of nearly every list. You could attribute the total numbers not only to the longevity they have enjoyed in the sport, but also to the quality of drivers they have had.

For instance, Junior Johnson, Ned Jarrett, Cale Yarborough, Bobby Allison, Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Darrell Waltrip, Terry Labonte, and Bill Elliott have all drove the No. 11 car to victory at one point.

Each week that Denny Hamlin straps himself into his No. 11 Camry, he does so with a number that finishes in the top 10 once in every two starts, in the top five once in every three starts and wins once every ten starts.

How much confidence, or pressure, would that put on a driver?

For David Reutimann, the No. 00 means more to him for its connections to his family than it's historical significance. If it did not, he no doubt would cringe at the lack of success the number has had in its career.

So the question becomes, do you run a number with personal connotations or one that has experienced great success in its history? Or does that even matter?

Perhaps being No. 1 isn't all that it's made out to be...