#SrigleyStats Countdown to Daytona: 21 Days!
Sunday, January 28th, 2024 -- 21 Days Until Daytona!
21 DAYS UNTIL DAYTONA!
Let’s look back at the history of the #21 in NASCAR’s National Series.
FIRST USAGE:
NCS: 1949-03 — Hillsboro — Bobby Green
NXS: 1982-03 — Bristol — David Pearson
NCTS: 1995-01 — Phoenix — Tobey Butler
BEST FINISH:
NCS: 92 NASCAR Cup Series Victories (Most: David Pearson, 43)
NXS: 47 NASCAR Xfinity Series Victories (Most: Kevin Harvick, 21)
NCTS: 16 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Victories (Most: Johnny Sauter, 13)
BEST START:
NCS: 113 NASCAR Cup Series Poles (Most: David Pearson, 51)
NXS: 55 NASCAR Xfinity Series Poles (Most: Kevin Harvick, 15)
NCTS: 8 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Poles (Most: Johnny Sauter, 4)
IS THE NUMBER ACTIVE?
Yes. The #21 has been used full-time in both the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series for the last couple of seasons. Meanwhile, in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series the number was utilized in a one-off occurrence at The Milwaukee Mile.
Throughout the 75-year run of the NASCAR Cup Series, Wood Brothers Racing has become one of the most iconic teams in motorsports history, a legacy set to continue into the 2024 season.
Harrison Burton is the latest driver to get behind the wheel of the #21 Ford Mustang, spending the last two seasons with the organization, albeit with somewhat limited success. Burton enters his third season with the team in 2024.
In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Richard Childress Racing currently fields the #21 Chevrolet Camaro on a full-time basis for driver Austin Hill, who fought tooth and nail for a series championship in 2023.
Despite having run the last two seasons in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Hill will return to the series on a full-time basis in 2024, the first year of a multi-year contract to remain with the team in the second-tier series.
In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Blackjack Racing made its return to the series at The Milwaukee Mile utilizing the #21 on its Chevrolet Camaro, with Dexter Bean behind the wheel of the entry.
Before last season, the last organization that utilized the #21 in the NASCAR Truck Series was GMS Racing, which closed its doors after the 2023 season, after fielding a three-truck operation.
WHO HAS MOST FREQUENTLY USED THE #21?
NASCAR Cup Series: David Pearson — 157 Starts
NASCAR Xfinity Series: Larry Pearson — 140 Starts
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: Johnny Sauter — 69 Starts
MISCELLANEOUS STATS ABOUT THE #21 IN NASCAR
Both David Pearson and Larry Pearson have piloted the #21 in both the NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series. David was able to win in both series, while Larry found most of his success in the Xfinity Series.
Throughout the history of NASCAR, the #21 has been synonymous with Wood Brothers Racing, with the car number having been carried on a Ford entry in 1,502 of its 1,723 NASCAR Cup Series starts.
In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Johnny Sauter and Zane Smith are the two drivers who have made the most starts in the series while using the #21. Both of those drivers have won a series championship (only Sauter in the #21).
All 92 victories for the #21 in the NASCAR Cup Series have come from a driver piloting a Wood Brothers Racing entry, most recently Ryan Blaney at Pocono Raceway in 2017.
The #21 has an incredible history with Wood Brothers Racing, which as an organization has made runs in all three of NASCAR’s top-three series, scoring victories in two of them.
Between Johnny Sauter and Zane Smith, GMS Racing is the only organization in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series to have scored a victory while piloting the #21 in the series.
Should Austin Hill remain in the #21 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series until the 2025 season-opener at Daytona, he will become the third driver to make a triple-digit number of starts in the number.