NASCAR fans have had the pleasure of witnessing plenty of great drivers throughout the sports history. I previously wrote an article about the greatest NASCAR drivers in every generation model, which broke down the six different generations of the cars NASCAR has used. With so many legendary drivers and only so many numbers for a car to use, you start to see multiple great drivers using the same number.
Just like listing the greatest players in each position for the NFL, I chose to breakdown the best numbers in NASCAR. Rather than including every win for a specific car number however, this list is limited to a car with multiple drivers that have at least 1 win and driven in at least 36 races in the number. This way, it highlights only the drivers that had a significant impact on the car. Here are the 13 most winning car numbers in NASCAR History.
Criteria: drove in at least 36 races and 1 win in the car number.
13. #88
Total Wins: 66
Most recently, NASCAR fans remember the No. 88 as Dale Earnhardt Jr’s car but he only claimed 9 wins in it. Two legendary drivers – Dale Jarrett and Darrell Waltrip – on the other hand, claimed a major chunk of this car’s success with 54 combined wins – placing this car number in NASCAR history.
Driver in order by date: Wins, Top 5’s, Top 10’s
- Buck Baker: 3, 13, 25
- Darrell Waltrip: 26, 82, 97
- Dale Jarrett: 28, 129, 188
- Dale Earnhardt Jr: 9, 73, 139
12. #42
Total Wins: 67
The No. 42 car is currently being driven by the incredibly talented Kyle Larson, who has accounted for 5 of its wins. Other than the short success seen by Kyle Petty and Juan Pablo Montoya in the No. 42, this car is most famously driven by the legendary Lee Petty.
- Lee Petty: 53, 225, 325
- Kyle Petty: 6, 29, 90
- Joe Nemechek: 1, 2, 10
- Juan Pablo Montoya: 2, 24, 59
- Kyle Larson: 5, 47, 82
10 Tie. #28
Total Wins: 69
Although this car hasn’t seen recent success, the No. 28 is among the most winning car numbers in NASCAR history from the legendary drivers that have used it. While the No. 28 has been driven by legends such as Cale Yarborough and Davey Allison, Fred Lorenzen claimed 25 wins in this car.
- Fred Lorenzen: 25, 62, 68
- Buddy Baker: 5, 25, 36
- Cale Yarborough: 9, 22, 32
- Davey Allison: 19, 66, 90
- Rick Rudd: 3, 34, 53
- Ernie Irvan: 8, 35, 50
10 Tie. #6
Total Wins: 69
After the disappointment this car experience from Trevor Bayne, Ryan Newman has recently taken over the No. 6 as of the 2019 season. The reason it is in NASCAR history however is due to the legendary drivers David Pearson and Mark Martin claiming 62 combined wins in it.
- Cotton Owens: 6, 39, 55
- David Pearson: 27, 79, 111
- Mark Martin: 35, 230, 361
- David Ragan: 1, 12, 30
9. #18
Total Wins: 70
The No. 18 car has seen the most recent success among this list without a single win until 1993 by Dale Jarrett. Since then, Bobby Labonte and Kyle Busch have earned 68 combined wins in this car – making the No. 18 the 9th most winning car number in NASCAR history, with many more expected wins to come.
- Dale Jarrett: 2, 19, 37
- Bobby Labonte: 21, 109, 176
- Kyle Busch: 47, 154, 220
8. #17
Total Wins: 71
The No. 17 car is currently being driven by Ricky Stenhouse Jr, who has claimed 2 wins in it. Prior to Stenhouse however, this car has seen victory lane by legendary drivers such as David Pearson, Darrell Waltrip and Matt Kenseth.
- David Pearson: 30, 100, 107
- Darrell Waltrip: 15, 71, 137
- Matt Kenseth: 24, 126, 227
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr: 2, 14, 31
7. #22
Total Wins: 73
Most recently, Joey Logano took the No. 22 car to victory lane by claiming the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Series Championship. While Logano is taking this car to new heights, it was previously driven by Fireball Roberts from 1956 to ’64, claiming an incredible 30 wins.
- Fireball Roberts: 30, 79, 98
- Bobby Allison: 17, 90, 131
- Wade Burton: 5, 23, 75
- Kurt Busch: 2, 8, 16
- Joey Logano: 19, 89, 139
6. #21
Total Wins: 81
The No. 21 car is currently being driven by Paul Menard for the second straight season after rookie Ryan Blaney saw his first cup series win in 2017. This car has been driven by an abundance of drivers however with a majority of its wins coming from Cale Yarborough and David Pearson.
- Glen Wood: 1, 14, 23
- Marvin Panch: 8, 43, 54
- Cale Yarborough: 13, 38, 42
- David Pearson: 43, 97, 103
- Neil Bonnett: 9, 27, 46
- Buddy Baker: 1, 9, 24
- Kyle Petty: 1, 8, 22
- Dale Jarrett: 1, 4, 15
- Morgan Shapherd: 1, 19, 52
- Elliott Sadler: 1, 4, 11
- Trevor Bayne: 1, 1, 3
- Ryan Blaney: 1, 8, 25
4 Tie. #48
Total Wins: 85
The No. 48 car has been competing in the NASCAR Cup Series since 1949 but had only seen a total of 3 wins until 2001 when Jimmie Johnson took over. From 2002 to 2017, Jimmie Johnson claimed a miraculous 83 wins in the No. 48 car – single handedly earning its place in NASCAR history.
- James Hylton: 2, 139, 299
- Jimmie Johnson: 83, 224, 353
4 Tie. #3
Total Wins: 85
This car is arguably the most popular number among NASCAR fans due to the legacy of Dale Earnhardt. While he claimed an incredible 67 wins in the No. 3 car, other drivers such as Junior Johnson, Buddy Baker and Ricky Rudd all earned victories before Dale. The current driver, Austin Dillon, has already claimed 2 wins in the No. 3 – continuing this car’s winning legacy.
- Dick Rathman: 3, 29, 33
- Junior Johnson: 9, 20, 23
- Buddy Baker: 2, 23, 27
- Ricky Rudd: 2, 13, 27
- Dale Earnhardt: 67, 227, 348
- Austin Dillon: 2, 11, 34
3. #2
Total Wins: 88
Prior to Dale Earnhardt producing his incredible legacy in the No. 3 car, he actually earned his first NASCAR Cup Series victory in 1979 the No. 2 car. By 1991, the car was taken over by Earnhardt’s rival Rusty Wallace, who claimed 37 wins in the No. 2. While Kurt Busch also saw success in this car, the No. 2 is currently being driven by Brad Keselowski with 27 wins. With the combined success and popularity of Rusty Wallace and Brad Keselowski, the No. 2 car is not only the 3rd most winning number in NASCAR history but also one of the most popular to this day.
- Bill Blair: 3, 23, 40
- Bobby Allison: 7, 43, 57
- Dale Earnhardt: 6, 37, 52
- Rusty Wallace: 37, 145, 252
- Kurt Busch: 8, 37, 74
- Brad Keselowski: 27, 102, 162
2. #43
Total Wins: 196
From the historic success of Richard Petty, it should come as no surprise that the No. 43 car is one of the most winning car numbers in NASCAR history. The King earned his nickname in this memorable car with 192 wins, setting a record that seems unbeatable. This car is currently being driven by Bubba Wallace and has only seen a few wins without Petty. Although its never been the same without Richard Petty behind the wheel, his legacy alone has earned the No. 43 car its spot in NASCAR history.
- Richard Petty: 192, 526, 676
- Bobby Hamilton: 2, 13, 29
- John Andretti: 1, 7, 26
- Aric Almirola: 1, 10, 30
1. #11
Total Wins: 204
The No. 11 car being the most winning number in NASCAR history may be the biggest surprise in this entire list. It’s most recent popularity and success has come from the current driver Denny Hamlin with 32 wins – the most recent during the 2019 Daytona 500. While Hamlin’s success on the track is no secret, the No. 11 car has seen an incredible number of victories from legendary drivers such as Ned Jarrett, Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip – all of whom earned more than 40 wins in this car.
Although it may have been an upset, the incredibly long list of successful drivers in the No. 11 car makes its title of most winning car number in NASCAR history much more understandable and well-deserved.
- Junior Johnson: 11, 25, 29
- Ned Jarrett: 49, 182, 232
- Cale Yarborough: 55, 158, 172
- Darrell Waltrip: 43, 112, 133
- Terry Labonte: 4, 33, 52
- Geoff Bodine: 4, 16, 29
- Bill Elliott: 6, 26, 44
- Denny Hamlin: 32, 143, 236
