NASCAR Car Number History

Browse 102 Cup Series car numbers from 1998-2026 — complete driver lineages, team histories, and statistical achievements for every number.

Car numbers are sacred in NASCAR. Unlike most motorsports, where numbers follow the driver, Cup Series numbers belong to the team owner — the organization holds the rights, and the number stays put even when drivers change seats. Over seven decades that has produced some of the most recognizable integers in American sports.

The #3 is the most iconic of them all, forever tied to Dale Earnhardt and his seven Cup championships; Austin Dillon drives it today for Richard Childress Racing. The #24 was built by Jeff Gordon into a championship machine and is now piloted by William Byron at Hendrick Motorsports. Richard Petty's famous Petty Blue #43 — the winningest number in Cup history with over 200 wins — is now driven by Erik Jones for Legacy Motor Club. Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s #88, Jimmie Johnson's seven-championship #48, the #2 carried first by Rusty Wallace and later by Brad Keselowski, Tony Stewart's #20, and Kyle Busch's two-championship #18 all carry generational weight.

Because numbers belong to owners, lineage matters. A number might sit dormant for years — like Earnhardt's #3 from 2001-2013 — before returning with a new driver, or it might hop between teams when charters are traded. Click any number below to see its full driver lineage, win history, and the teams that ran it. The 2026 Cup Series fields cars numbered 0 through 99, and every entry on this page maps one decade of that history to the drivers who made it famous.

Note: NASCAR differentiates between numbers 00-09 (double-zero format) and 0-9 (single digit format). Both versions appear as separate entries in this database and have distinct histories.

Most Successful Numbers

#11 Most Wins

231 wins 169 poles

Denny Hamlin

#43

200 wins 122 poles

Bobby Hamilton

#24

103 wins 97 poles

Jeff Gordon

101 wins 70 poles

Rusty Wallace

100 wins 73 poles

Dale Earnhardt

All Numbers (0-99)

P.J. Jones David Gilliland

Michael McDowell (2016)

Tony Raines Jason Leffler Ken Schrader Johnny Sauter Max Papis

?Cole Whitt ?Stacy Compton ?Reed Sorenson

Scott Speed 2010 Ken Schrader (Bud Shootout only)

2010

#83

14 years

Matt DiBenedetto (2016)Dylan Lupton Jeffrey Earnhardt Michael Waltrip (Daytona 500)

Matt DiBenedetto (2 races) Ryan Ellis Dylan Lupton

TJ Bell Timmy Hill(i) Reed Sorenson Ryan Preece (5 races) Michael Waltrip

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most famous NASCAR car number?

The #3 is widely considered the most iconic number in NASCAR. It is forever linked to Dale Earnhardt, who won seven Cup Series championships and 76 races driving the black #3 Goodwrench Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. After Earnhardt's death at Daytona in 2001, the number was retired from Cup competition for nearly a decade before Austin Dillon revived it in 2014. Other iconic numbers include #43 (Richard Petty), #24 (Jeff Gordon), and #48 (Jimmie Johnson).

Who drove the #3 car after Dale Earnhardt?

After Dale Earnhardt's passing in February 2001, Richard Childress Racing retired the #3 from Cup competition. Kevin Harvick was promoted to Earnhardt's seat but drove the #29 Goodwrench Chevrolet for the rest of that season and beyond. The #3 was kept out of the Cup Series until 2014, when Austin Dillon — Richard Childress's grandson — brought it back full-time. Dillon still drives the #3 for RCR in 2026.

Who drives the #43 in NASCAR 2026?

Erik Jones drives the iconic #43 Toyota for Legacy Motor Club in the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series. The #43 is the winningest number in Cup Series history, carrying the legacy of Richard Petty's record 200 career wins. Legacy Motor Club — founded by team owner Jimmie Johnson and Maury Gallagher and still connected to the Petty family — continues running the famous Petty Blue machine.

Why is there no #00 in NASCAR?

There actually is — Mark Martin famously drove the #00 for Michael Waltrip Racing late in his career, and several other drivers have used double-zero numbers over the years. NASCAR distinguishes between numbers with a leading zero (00, 01, 02…) and their single-digit counterparts (0, 1, 2…), treating them as separate entries. So while #00 is rare, it is a real, sanctioned NASCAR car number.

What NASCAR numbers are retired?

Technically, no NASCAR number is officially retired. Unlike team sports where jersey numbers are retired league-wide, NASCAR car numbers are held by team owners who can assign or license them at any time. When Dale Earnhardt's #3 sat idle from 2001-2013, that was Richard Childress's organizational choice — not a NASCAR rule. Any number can, in theory, return to the track with the right team and sponsor behind it.

What do NASCAR car numbers mean?

In NASCAR, car numbers are tied to teams, not drivers. A team (or 'owner' in NASCAR parlance) holds the rights to a number, and it stays with the organization even when drivers change. That is why William Byron drives the famous #24 once made legendary by Jeff Gordon — both drove for Hendrick Motorsports. Some numbers have effectively become inseparable from specific drivers anyway, thanks to decades of on-track success.

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Drivers Teams Manufacturers Standings