#SrigleyStats Countdown to Daytona: 42 Days!
Sunday, January 7th, 2024 -- 42 Days Until Daytona!
42 DAYS UNTIL DAYTONA!
Let’s look back at the history of the #42 in NASCAR’s National Series.
FIRST USAGE:
NCS: 1949-03 - Hillsboro - Lee Petty
NXS: 1982-04 - Martinsville - Allan Powell
NCTS: 1996-01 - Homestead - Jay Sauter
BEST FINISH:
NCS: P1 - 75 NASCAR Cup Series Victories (Most: Lee Petty - 53)
NXS: P1 - 19 NASCAR Xfinity Series Victories (Most: Kyle Larson - 12)
NCTS: P1 - 4 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Victories (Most: Carson Hocevar - 4)
BEST START:
NCS: P1 - 56 NASCAR Cup Series Poles (Most: Lee Petty - 18)
NXS: P1 - 9 NASCAR Xfinity Series Poles (Most: Kyle Larson - 4)
NCTS: P1 - 2 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Poles (Most: Kyle Larson/Carson Hocevar)
IS THE NUMBER ACTIVE?
In 2023, the #42 was utilized in both the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series on a full-time basis. Additionally, the #42 was on the entry list for one NASCAR Xfinity Series event but was withdrawn.
In the NASCAR Cup Series, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB fielded the #42 Chevrolet Camaro on a full-time basis in 2023, for what was scheduled to only be a single driver — Noah Gragson. But, after a mid-season suspension the team added Josh Berry, Mike Rockenfeller, Carson Hocevar, and John Hunter Nemechek to that list, as well.
Throughout the first two-thirds of the year, the team had a difficult run, with just a pair of top-20s before Gragson’s suspension. But, Carson Hocevar shone brightly in his select starts, earning numerous top-20s.
This season, John Hunter Nemechek takes over the seat of the #42 as LEGACY MOTOR CLUB switches to Toyota.
In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the #42 hasn’t been utilized since MBM Motorsports fielded the entry during the 2021 season, the last race it made being Road America with Timmy Hill behind the wheel of the Toyota Supra, finishing 20th.
However, the number will be used for the first time in nearly three years when the season-opening event at Daytona comes around, as Leland Honeyman will drive the #42 Chevrolet Camaro for Young’s Motorsports, as part of a full-season effort.
In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Carson Hocevar and Niece Motorsports have laid claim on the #42 for the last couple of seasons, as the Portage, Michigan native chased a championship — earning four career victories in the process.
For 2024, Matt Mills will take over the seat of the Niece Motorsports entry on a full-time basis, as Hocevar graduates to the NASCAR Cup Series with Spire Motorsports in the #77.
WHO HAS MOST FREQUENTLY USED THE #42?
NASCAR Cup Series: Lee Petty - 412 Starts
NASCAR Xfinity Series: Elton Sawyer - 104 Starts
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: Carson Hocevar - 70 Starts
MISCELLANEOUS STATS ABOUT THE #42 IN NASCAR
The last top-five finish in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for the #42 came at the hands of John Hunter Nemechek — who will be utilizing the same number in his second full season in the NASCAR Cup Series.
With 98 NASCAR National Series victories, the #42 is ranked 18th all-time.
In the NASCAR Cup Series, 729 of the #42s 1,721 starts have come at the hands of a driver with the last name Petty (Maurice, Richard, Lee, Kyle).
Kyle Petty, Kyle Larson, and Ross Chastain are the only three drivers who have utilized the #42 in each of NASCAR’s National Series. Only Larson (NCS/NXS) and Chastain (NXS) have won while using the number.
Justin Marks (owner of Trackhouse Racing) and Ross Chastain (driver at Trackhouse Racing) have both scored NASCAR Xfinity Series victories in the #42, both for Chip Ganassi Racing — the team Marks would eventually buyout in 2022.
Of the nine drivers that have secured a NASCAR National Series victory in the #42 since 2000, seven of them will be involved in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2024 — as a driver or owner.